The Nation’s David Corn wants to be clear about one thing: his “Hubris” co-author is a dreamboat.

“[F]or the record–lest anyone mistake a quip for something else–working with Michael Isikoff was a highlight of my three decades in journalism,” he told BHR. ”I’m looking forward to our next collaboration: a Broadway musical about Guantanamo. That’s an exclusive. Feel free to run with it.”

We’re looking forward to that, too, but what, is this a virus, or something? First Mary Ann, then Jack and now this?!

But don’t get Corn started on Bob Woodward. You wanna hear gushing…

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Slate’s Jack Shafer is trying to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes.

In yesterday’s column about vain journalists (say what?!), he discloses, “[Mark] Feldstein is a friend—not as good a friend as David Corn, but a lot better than Michael Isikoff,” which some people are interpreting as a fast-on-the-heels new diss of the freshly engaged Newsweek journalist. (Earlier this month, in a review of the new book, “Hubris,” penned by Corn and Isikoff, Shafer also wrote, “Michael Isikoff is a friend, but not so good.”

But does Shafer really hold that much hate in his heart for Isikoff? Not from what he tells Big Head Rob (By the way, does anyone else believe in just flat out asking people about who they hate anymore?).

“On and off, I’ve been dissing Isikoff in print for the last fifteen years in hopes of destabilizing him just enough to prevent him from becoming the best reporter in the universe,” he told us recently. ”Such a development would hurt the feelings of Bob Woodward and Seymour Hersh, and we can’t have that.

“I conduct most of my anti-Isikoff psy-ops in public, towel-snapping him at parties and on the streets of Washington. But once in my Washington City Paper press column I described him as such a good friend that his daughter called me daddy. People still ask him what I meant by that.

“Isikoff’s career didn’t really take off until I left town in 1995 and I could no longer undermine him as part of my daily routine. Since I returned to Washington in 2000, I’ve done my best to cripple his ego, but to little avail. I think my recent diss rolled right off his back.”

Isikoff, indeed, confirmed that there’s no hard feelings between the two during his recent BHR interview, so it seems high time for people to stop speculating about these secret bosom buddies — no matter how well Shafer appears to keep pulling off his schtick.

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Disclosure: We consider Shafer to be a friend, but not as good a friend as Corn, and not as good as Isikoff – and definitely not as good as Hersh and/or Woodward.

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…you’re just like Bob Woodward. (Did we just hear John Stossel all the way from NYC yell, “Gimme a break!!!”?)

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By now you know that the dynamic journalistic duo of Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff and The Nation’s David Corn spent the last year penning a book together. But, while Isikoff remembers the experience all-too-well, even calling Corn “indefatigable” in our exclusive BHR interview last week that doesn’t necessarily mean that Corn has a single fond thought regarding the experience — or any thoughts at all, for that matter.

“I worked on a book with Michael Isikoff this past year?” he recently asked Big Head Rob. “Huh. I barely recall anything of the past twelve months. But if he said so, it must be true. I hope we had a good time.”

We hope so, too. Because “Hubris” was ranked #112 on Amazon when we last checked. And “State of Denial” was still #1. Guess Woodward isn’t that “unreadable,” huh Mike? 

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Maybe Bob Woodward should have used this picture taken at a 1985 charity event to better illlustrate how Henry Kissinger has sometimes put his head where it doesn’t belong. Yes, that’s Dolly Parton, her two pals, and the old statesman himself.

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