Is Bush in for a beating in 2004? Harry Evans, the renowned journalist, moderating The Week’s luncheon forum at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse in Grand Central Station to debate just that question, was surrounded by a stage of panelists that included Monica Crowley, political contributor for FOX News, and political strategist Ed Rollins. Both these Republicans assured us that Bush would have the country confidently under his wing 16 months from now.

The Democrats, to nobody’s surprise, strongly doubted Bush’s ability to secure a surefire win in the next election. Sidney Blumenthal, panelist and author of The Clinton Wars, claims that Bush hasn’t learned any valuable lessons from either 9/11 or the Iraqi War.

Homeland security was on everyone’s mind, including that of the former U.S. Senator from Colorado, Gary Hart, who stuck to the Democratic side of the onstage panel. Hart was adamant that U.S. security isn’t sturdy, and he’ll make that case “’til hell freezes over!” Dick Morris, author of Behind Closed Doors, called in to say that Bush is definitely beatable since the President doesn’t have the “built-in-base that Clinton had.”

Tensions were in the air between Morris and Blumenthal (both part of the Clinton administration) that were obviously related to Morris’s less-than-complimentary reviews of Blumenthal’s book.

Attending the luncheon were George Plimpton, former Mayor Ed Koch, former Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey, Tina Brown, and Bianca Jagger—who made her way through the crowd specifically to buy Blumenthal’s book.

Ed Klein, who stirred up much controversy with his best-seller, The Kennedy Curse, also appeared during the afternoon. Klein’s convinced that the Kennedy family has a “thrill-seeking gene that causes Kennedy men to prefer a titillating lifestyle.” We couldn’t help wonder if the swarm of controversy surrounding Klein’s book lost him some friends. “Not at all,” he protested; “The book’s very popular! After all, it not only discusses the young couple, but the whole Kennedy clan.”

At the end of the day, it remains to be seen if Bush can win back the country’s confidence he seemed to own so noticeably before Iraq.