Some background for the following parody: In late 2004, my son said he wanted to employ his improved illustration talents to revise our 1998 book, "Legislative Lizards, Representative Reptiles, and Other Denizens of the Beltway Bestiary," a cartoon compendium of animal/human political hybrids (the McCainine, e.g.) he'd conceived in '98 as a middle-school student. Our revision was titled "What A Zoo! A Guide to the Beltway Bestiary and Geopolitical Jungle." "No deal," said my agent, "you aren't a big enough name." Nearly a year later, a friend recently informed me, rabid radio reactionary "raconteur" with a name, Michael "Savage" (The name's Weiner, actually), published "The Political Zoo," identical in format and similar in language style to our book. Weiner's inferior (I can't be objective) imitation was published by Thomas Nelson, purveyor of pious propaganda by the likes of pompous hypocrite gambling addict Bill ("Book of Virtues") Bennett. From someone who's known Weiner for 20 years: "He was a great liberal hippie type for most of his adult life until he found a way to make money being an ultra conservative. He is completely unscrupulous and capable of anything."