Ken Silverstein, a veteran of Harper's, the LA Times, and many other places, is one of America's great crusading balls-to-the-wall lefty investigative journalists. His new book explores power, intrigue, and corruption in the global oil industry. He will be answering your questions at 1 p.m. Ask your question now!

Everybody's just itching to prove that the two camera-toting, self-promoting goobers who blew the lid off the prostitute-advisory ring that is ACORN are creatures of a right-wing media conspiracy. Of course they are! But so what?

Every once in a while, we like to get a tour of a real sewer—and the drama surrounding the publication of 'Washington Post' media critic Howard Kurtz's latest book offered an opportunity too filthy to miss. Central to this particular mess's question is: Does a reporter's fondness or contempt for another reporter disqualify them from criticizing their work in print? (And if so, are we fired?) So let's go deep into the morass and play our favorite game: Who Hates Whom?

Howard Kurtz is cracking up, people! That is to say, he used the word "D'oh!" in his Washington Post column today, in which he reckons that Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert actually is running for the Office of President of These United States because: "Not only was the guy on 'Meet the Press' Sunday, but some pundits are openly debating how many votes he'll get in South Carolina." Poor Howie—his book on the network news wars is being touted as "the new cure for insomnia" by Harper's Washington editor, Ken Silverstein, who read Kurtz's blog last week and threw up in all our mouths a little.