Five bucks buys a day with Bill Clinton...

by Mark Silva

Would you rather:

Have lunch with James Carville and Paul Begala.

Spend a day with Bill Clinton.

Attend the season finale of American Idol.

For five bucks, you could get a shot.

Five bucks?

Hillary Rodham Clinton is still paying off her 2008 presidential campaign debt, and the secretary of state and former senator from New York is getting a little help from Carville, veteran of Bill Clinton's war room and a talking head on TV and the speaking circuit these days.

Carville has circulated a fundraising email to a few of his closest friends - a mailing list that might put the U.S. Census to shame, we suspect - reminding people that Clinton still has a certain campaign ledger to reconcile.

"I won't spend a lot of time trying to convince you to help Hillary,'' writes Carville. "I know what she means to you, and I'm sure you know how important it is for her to have her campaign pay off all its obligations.... So let's get to the fun part.

"Enter today to win one of three truly once in a lifetime opportunities and you will also be doing something great to help finish off Hillary's debt,'' Carville writes on behalf of the housecleaning Hillary Clinton for President campaign . "This is a truly once in a lifetime opportunity to win one of three amazing prizes AND to help Hillary pay off her debt...

"With a contribution today, one of these exclusive prizes could be yours:

• "Spend a day with President Clinton. Head to New York City to attend several interesting events with President Clinton followed by your own special New York City weekend.''

(Swamp question: Does Hillary Clinton even get this chance anymore?)

• "Attend the American Idol season finale. You and a guest will watch live as the American Idol judges make their final comments and decisions on this year's most anticipated season finale!"

(Swamp suggestion: Shots of tequila with Simon Cowell.)

• "Want to talk politics with me? How about a spending a weekend in DC. You will have lunch with me and my great friend Paul Begala. We will talk about politics, you will get to tour all the amazing sites DC has to offer and who knows what else could happen!"

(Swamp alternative: Bullet in the brain.)

A five-dollar contribution gets the ball rolling, though we suspect Carville is looking for a few bigger checks, an impression we get from the following line:

"This means a whole lot to Hillary,'' Carville notes, "and I know she appreciates everything you do for her...

"These amazing prizes are only being offered online and are available only for a limited time," he cautions, "so please don't delay in acting today.''

Email him your PIN number today!