Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has sent a fundraising e-mail supporters with this apparently irresistible come-on: "What could be more exciting than a lunch in New York City with two of the Democratic Party's most sparkling personalities?"

She's referring to Minnesota's own Sen. Al Franken and Paul Begala, a party operative-turned-TV-talking-head. As reported first in the Washington Post's "In the Loop" column, for a donation as small as $5, contributors will "automatically entered in a contest to win a free ticket to this event" on Nov. 30.

"Knowing Al and Paul, it's sure to be a truly entertaining event," Gillibrand wrote. But the column noted, with a pinch of snark, that "Franken's been behaving himself so much he's been a huge disappointment."