Entries for April 22, 2007

JOE CIARDIELLO FOR USN&WR

He was 66 and just plain bored after over 40 years with NBC and the Today Show. "I'd covered four presidents," says John Palmer, "and there's a lot of 'Been there, done that' to it." So in 2002, "I went to [Washington Bureau Chief] Tim Russert and said, 'I just don't want to do this anymore.'" A bachelor until he was 46, Palmer still had three school-age daughters and worried he was missing too much time with them. "I was married to NBC all of those years. I was the guy who always had the suitcase by the door," he tells us. In retirement, a new life called: family, golf, and writing.

Then last year, with his youngest a senior in high school, he got a call from a new cable station, Retirement Living Television. "I didn't even know what it was," he laughs. He does now, hosting three shows and acting as a real-life demonstration of many in today's retirement class: working for fun, not just a paycheck. Geared for the 55-plus crowd, the network created by Maryland retirement community bigwig John Erickson is growing fast. And covering real, major issues. "We don't do shuffleboard shows," says Palmer. Now a sharp-looking 71, Palmer sounds almost giddy about his 10-day-a-month work schedule. And, he adds, "my wife has noticed a new spring in my step when I get up."

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine isn't the only politician who shuns seat belts. He's just the unlucky one who got caught violating his state's seat belt law when he suffered severe injuries as his SUV crashed while doing 91 MPH. We're told that seat belts aren't a priority even at the top, though President Bush tries to click in. Few aides recall former President Clinton using them often. And it's typical for top lawmakers to ride unstrapped. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert didn't use them. One top aide explained the leadership's poor habits this way: "They trust their security." But we're told that Speaker Nancy Pelosi does "75 percent of the time" and that Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is religious about strapping in.

With Anna Mulrine

Before forking over the $13 to $22 for one of those U.S. flags ceremoniously flown over the Capitol, consider this: Witnesses say it's being mishandled. House staffers, who can see the operation from their offices, say that the flags are being attached only by the top ring, not properly at the top and bottom. It just flaps in the breeze, hardly a scene from Iwo Jima. "If you're not going to do it right, then don't do it all," says our tipster, a senior House staffer. "When people order the flag, they want to feel like it's something special," says the aide. "This is just a way to fly it fast." A spokesperson for the House architect, who oversees the program, was unaware of the problem but said it would be fixed.

With Anna Mulrine

Is this the worst bonus ever? For troops ordered to stay an additional three months in Iraq past their year commitment, the Pentagon is offering three days of leave, or one day per month. "We weren't trying to find some metaphysical balance between the service you were rendering and buckets full of gold or any other thing we can do for you," says Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Michael Dominguez. But three days off? You can imagine the reaction. "I mean, one day a month," says one soldier. "That's pretty lame."

With Anna Mulrine

Turns out that Washington isn't faking its concerns about the plight of honey bees, the little pollinators besieged by killer mites and a weird syndrome that has the hives simply vanishing. Leading the charge in Congress is California Rep. Dennis Cardoza, an agriculture subcommittee chairman who has held a hearing on their plight. His concern is obvious: Without a good bee population, the nut growers in his district fail. But there's another connection: As a boy, he made beehives in school. His wood shop teacher was a beekeeper and needed a good supply of boxes, so he offered extra credit for the work. "He used slave labor," jokes Cardoza. Some Washingtonians even keep bees. Morton Blackwell, president of the Leadership Institute, which helps young conservatives get a foothold in politics and journalism, has been a beekeeper for 25 years. And he thinks he knows what causes the bee vanishing syndrome, known as colony collapse disorder. His theory: Giant hornets are eating the bees as they leave the hive.

With Anna Mulrine

Last week's tragic slayings at Virginia Tech brought two remarkably different reactions from the nation's dueling gun lobbies. The antigun crowd struck first, offering prayers in a statement followed the next day with a fundraising letter. Stopthenra.com, part of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, even offered an enticement: Give now, and a generous donor will match your gift. The National Rifle Association offered "thoughts and prayers," then refused to comment "until all the facts are known" while working to bolster background checks of gun buyers.

With Anna Mulrine

National Volunteer Week found Labor Secretary Elaine Chao at Baltimore-Washington International Airport helping the USO hand out care packages to troops headed overseas. They were very appreciative, especially when they saw Girl Scout cookies, packs of gum, and playing cards in the bag. Chao, a former boss of the Peace Corps and United Way, plans to write the families of the soldiers she met. "I went," she tells us, "to give out care packages and came home with something priceless—a couple hundred new pen pals." She even shared funny stories with the troops: "I joked to one soldier that after a couple hours standing in the airport in high heels, combat boots were looking pretty comfortable."

With Anna Mulrine

"This war is lost, and the surge is not accomplishing anything."

"We want Ronald Reagan, and we know Ronald Reagan is not going to be our nominee."

"I didn't just experiment with marijuana, if you know what I mean."

"If I charged $400 for a haircut, they'd come after me with white coats."

Sources: New York Times (2), Times-Picayune, Quad-City Times

—Pat Oliphant

Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate