The Note: "Every Aug. 5, for the last 17 years, The Note has handed out its annual 'Best in Politics Awards.'"

"Best ability to hide seething anger: George W. Bush and John Kerry (tie).

"Best ability to make a party salivate before winning a statewide race: Barack Obama."

"Best political reporter you (probably) aren't paying enough attention to: Jeff Zeleny of the Chicago Tribune."

"Best examples of entertainers supporting BC04 that Mark McKinnon could come up with: Lee Ann Womack, Kid Rock, and Jessica Simpson.

"Best list of states that will determine who wins the White House: Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

"Best unwritten newspaper story: 'Barack Obama's Very Liberal Voting Record.'"

"Best job staying off of TV: Karl Rove."

"Best back-to-school gift for the young children of those busy with the 2004 campaign: the fantastic new Disney Dream Desk PC."

"Best August headline on a Jennifer Steinhauer story: 'Foreigners Shun New York, Keeping Hotel Rates Down.'

"Best headquarters security: Bush-Cheney '04.

"Best leveraging of a Bush Cabinet job towards future White House ambitions: n/a.

"Best bad job of vetting of the cycle: whoever hired Dr. Brenda Bartella Peterson, the DNCs' first-ever director of religious outreach, and one of the co-signers of an amicus brief filed to support Michael Newdow's plea to get "under God" removed from the pledge. (Note news: She resigned yesterday.)

"Best on-message regional press shop: BC04, bar none.

"Best job keeping his background quotes anonymous: Richard Armitage."

"Best luck of the Bush Administration: Henry Kissinger stepping down as head of the 9/11 commission.

"Best manipulation of the adolescent sensibilities of some of America's leading political reporters: the deployment of Bruce Springsteen.

"Best ability to hide quality Jonathan Weisman and Jeff Birnbaum stories from public view: the Washington Post business section.

"Best badge of honor achieved in a Bob Novak column: Ginny Wolfe, who is today branded 'supremely uncommunicative to this column'!!!"