Sen. Amy Klobuchar left early from the MSP 2008 Host Committee's big RNC media bash at the Guthrie because she had a date with a media biggie.

Klobuchar was on her way to a small event Saturday featuring NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd. "You're the Minnesota version of Maureen," said Klobuchar, who knows how to flatter. Klobuchar said her favorite recent Dowd bon mot was a dig Meany Mo directed at disgraced former Sen. John Edwards. "Back in 2002 Edwards sent me a Ken doll dressed in bathing trunks with a teasing note because he didn't like my reference to him as a Ken doll in a column," Dowd wrote in August. "In retrospect, the comparison was not fair -- to Ken."

While Edwards was despicably mailing it in during his marriage, Dowd's been doing the same in columns featuring fictitious conversations between Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain. Those columns are lazy.

Bigger than Norm Sen. Norm Coleman didn't miss a beat when I told him that I needed to see somebody more famous than he is.

"Senator Graham," Coleman said turning around and introducing Sen. Lindsey Graham. I was so excited to see Graham that I slapped five on the Senator from South Carolina. When Graham remarked on the beautiful evening -- the weather was perfect -- I winked that it was this way 365 days a year. "You ought to get in politics," Graham said.

Laurie Coleman looked "fetching in the black dress," said Joe Thorsen, an ambassador for arts-fest spark24. The Colemans were holding hands and Norm was doling out more kisses as greetings than anybody else in the room.

Rooney sighting -- not Byron Pitts, the inestimable CBS correspondent, arrived with wife Lyne Pitts, an NBC veep, who stressed that she wasn't working.

I did not see Pitts' colleague Andy Rooney, although I was told the "60 Minutes" curmudgeon was there. I took off instantly in the direction Andy allegedly went and never found him, although I move faster. "I know that's right," quipped Byron.

Bestseller has big head? A row of porta-potties made for a perfect backdrop to startribune.com/video of NY Times media columnist David Carr, a Minnesotan, who appeared haughty and cranky.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com and on FOX every morning around 7:45 a.m during the RNC, about which she'll also write daily in the Strib.