Do You Have a Question, Pixeleen Minstral?

One reporter was a green Incredible Hulk type, one was a series of tubes, another was a knight with feathers in the helmet, still another carried a balloon proclaiming "Stop Slavery," and several turned themselves into buxom blondes. Warner chose a dark jacket and tan slacks.

Shortly after Warner was introduced by Reuben Tapioca, and applauded by Moonphaser Birdbrain, Warner let fly his first joke: "I'm feeling a little disembodied!"

"Heh," said the friendly moderator, Hamlet Au.

The audience members began to ask, or "shout," questions (so noted by the word "shout" preceding the question). "Will Jim Webb win Virginia? . . . Do you favor a fixed timetable in Iraq? . . . What are your thoughts on gun control? . . . Thoughts on the recent pay-for-influence scandals?"

But Au stepped in to cut off audience questions, quickly turning the session into a digital version of a Bush town hall meeting with fluffy questions such as "Are we looking at the next President of the United States of America, in avatar form?"

"Please!" avatar Sutter interrupted after one such softball. "This is wacky."

The avatars became bored. Whirling Eddy and the tube guy began to fly. Others joined the governor on the stage or made some of the "gestures" in the program, such as muscle-flexing, yawning, rock-scissors-paper and a spanking gesture called "kmb" -- kiss my butt.

After fending off the questions with increasing ferocity, moderator Hamlet Au pronounced the governor a virtual success. "You've performed quite well, sir," he said. "You are not a noob."

To placate the antsy avatars, Warner made an offer: "I'll be back later this fall to do a virtual town hall meeting and folks like Taking Nap and Whirling Eddy can get their questions answered then."

Assuming, of course, they learn how to sit down.