Historic Whispers: A Tough Election for George Bush and the Anniversary of the Iraq War

*Have Kids, Will Travel. Mix devilish Democratic Party boss Terry McAuliffe, his 11-year-old son Jack's Saturday-night sleepover, lots of Coke, and what do you get? Mayhem at Fox News Channel. It happened two Sunday mornings ago when McAuliffe rounded up his bleary-eyed posse for his appearance on Fox News Sunday, before carting all nine boys home. Even though the rowdy gang took over the greenroom, ate all the food, and drank all the soda as McAuliffe debated Republican boss Ed Gillespie , McAuliffe spokeswoman Debra DeShong said of Fox: "They were total troupers." (March 15, 2004)

*Dogging the Press. The next time Marine One lands on the South Lawn, watch to see if first dog Barney bolts from President Bush to join the press corps. Pressies tell us that because Bush avoids them after landing, they sometimes call out Barney's name in hopes he'll run their way. When it works, the trick forces Bush to retrieve the pup and face some questions. "Yes, we know the trick," says a Bushie, happy it sometimes fails. "We just hope they don't start using treats." (March 15, 2004)

*Required Reading. The Bush-Cheney campaign office, headquartered in a Northern Virginia high-rise, is out to battle Potomac fever. Top aides, worried that staffers might lose touch with Middle America, have ordered up subscriptions to out-of-town papers to fill out the daily diet of CNN, Fox, and the Washington Post. Papers now arrive from Cleveland, Des Moines, Phoenix, and St. Louis, to name a few. Required reading? USA Today. (April 4, 2004)

*Veep Tips From the Last Dark Horse: Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle's been there, done that, so who better to offer Sen. John Kerry some advice on picking a running mate? "I'd think he'd look for somebody younger, somebody to give vitality, more vitality to the ticket," says the ex-GOP veep. Next, consider some regional balance to Kerry's Boston-Nantucket digs. And then there's politics. "He clearly needs somebody that's more moderate." Even though he urges Kerry to ignore the chamber, Quayle said two senators could fill the bill: Indiana's Evan Bayh, because he was a popular guv, and New York's Hillary Rodham Clinton , because she's got oodles of White House experience. Former Clinton-era Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman , now at Harvard, adds, "Ultimately, this is going to be a decision based on who Kerry is perfectly comfortable with personally and who can help him carry a state or two." He offers new names: former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, from his native Kansas. Her secret? She grew up in must-win Ohio, where her dad, John Gilligan, was governor. (April 5, 2004)