The
Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner at the
Washington Hilton may have felt like a warm-up to next week's White House Correspondents' Dinner, but the Wednesday night event did pack a punch
—at least when it came to former presidential candidate Mitt Romney's surprise speech, where he listed the top 10 reasons why he left the race,
according to Yeas & Nays (zingers included "Once my wife realized I couldn't win, my fund-raising dried up").
Guest of honor Vice President Dick Cheney also scored a few chuckles from the 2,000-person crowd,
The Hilton itself swarmed with security details, but guests only had to walk across the street to the
Russia House for the CNN after-party (clearly marked by red floodlights and the network's logo on the exterior). Inside, more than 400 revelers snacked on CNN-branded cookies, M&M's, and jelly beans, and took in the caviar bar on the lower level (complete with a fish-shaped ice sculpture) and a vodka bar and three-piece jazz band on the top floor.
