Entries for May 06, 2007

JOE CIARDIELLO FOR USN&WR

Jon Kyl was a NASCAR fan long before he was a politician. The No. 3 GOP leader in the Senate, he recalls his days as an official track observer in the 1960s at Phoenix International Raceway. "You call the race in your part of the track," he says. Now, as the Senate Republican message maker, the racing fan calls the political situation on his side of the aisle, and his NASCAR roots are fast coming into play. That's because NASCAR, like Kyl's progression, has grown into a major sport that is starting to maneuver its way around Washington, and its Hill allies are helping to open doors.

That was evident last week as three top NASCAR drivers lobbied Capitol Hill for a tax law change to help racetracks. Leading the pack: Jeff Burton, whose No. 31 car is making a run for the sport's points leader. Accompanied by drivers Casey Mears and David Stremme, Burton sized up the new NASCAR-Washington relationship during a meeting with Kyl and GOP Sens. John Ensign of Nevada and John Cornyn of Texas. "I hope it's good for both of us."

Ensign, a self-described NASCAR addict, nodded yes. "Our people like these guys," he says. "It's a big deal."

For Kyl, it's more than just good politics: He's still involved in the sport, providing race commentary on Mondays on Phoenix's KMLE-FM. "I just love the sport," he says, adding: "I kind of root for Jeff Burton."

Move over, David Beckham: Another Brit is heading our way to cash in, just like the soccer star did. Retiring British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to hit the lecture tour in the United States before or after he sets up a foundation to fund humanitarian work in Africa. He should do well: Yanks love him. "He's probably more popular in the U.S., and there's more money there, too," says Peter Riddell, a Blair biographer. It's a path that Blair's buddy, former President Bill Clinton, blazed overseas. Blair is also considering a Bubba-like memoir. And we hear that if the embattled World Bank boss leaves, both could become candidates for the job.

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

When the Democrats took over Congress this year, they renamed a few committees, messing up some old acronyms. But at least one turned out for the better. Rep. Henry Waxman's team renamed the House Government Reform Committee: It's now the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The new acronym, COGR—or "cougar"—nicely sums up Waxman's targeting of Bushies. "That's what you get when you put 'oversight' back in," says an aide. A Waxman ally, former Rep. Gerry Sikorski, adds: "Some call it COGR and some OGR. Always depends on perspective. Being stalked—or doing the stalking."

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

The Citadel's decision to install locks on its barrack doors in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre has some alums concerned it mocks the storied school's honor code. While female cadets already have locks on their doors, reaction to slapping them on men's dorms has been mixed. "We've been careful to say it's not an honor issue; it's a safety issue," Patricia McArver, the school's spokesperson, tells us. "Our honor system is something that's so strong that it's not threatened by installing locks." Maj. Gen. Art Baiden, chair of the board of the South Carolina school, says it's just time to face modern-day reality. "This action is an acknowledgement that, regrettably, the world has changed."

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

A couple of military guys in Iraq have found a way to speak up for completing the mission there without getting into any trouble. Navy Lt. Jason Nichols and Staff Sgt. David Thul from the Minnesota Army National Guard have rolled out an Internet petition to finish the job. Nichols tells us that his colleagues "think the war is worth fighting but there wasn't a way for us to express that fact." Then they discovered that they could file a grievance with Congress, which in this case asks them to back the war. With appealforcourage.org, they've collected nearly 3,000 signatures and will deliver them to Congress this week. "I ... think we're winning the fight in Iraq on the ground," says Nichols, but frets over losing the political battle in Washington. "It's the responsibility of the military to prevent that."

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

Just like the return of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after a 14-year absence from the silver screen, real live pet turtles might soon be making a comeback after an even longer 32-year wait. What, you didn't know that those small turtles you kept in a plastic aquarium as a kid are banned by the Food and Drug Administration? The threat of salmonella did it in 1975. What threat? It's hard to keep little tykes from kissing or licking the adorable turtles. But salmonella is easier to eradicate now, and Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose Louisiana turtle farmers make $9 million in overseas sales, says it's time to unleash turtle power. A Senate vote to allow the sales should come this week.

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

There could be a brand of Bush 101 taught in business schools soon if James Hoopes, the Murata Professor of Ethics in Business at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., gets his way. Just last week, he landed a publisher for Hail to the CEO: The Failure of George W. Bush and the Cult of Moral Leadership. His premise: President Bush, a Harvard University M.B.A. grad, is proof that business schools focus more on leadership than on management. Bush, he says, "talks about values like freedom and democracy in Iraq and tries to pep up his subordinates during Katrina," like when he told ex-disaster chief Michael Brown, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." But, he adds, Bush "doesn't do nearly enough managerial work such as planning for the postwar occupation of Iraq or getting the supplies to New Orleans."

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker

"You have got to be kidding."

"You can pay an escort to come to your home, get naked, and get a massage, and you haven't broken any laws, assuming you stay on your stomach."

"I'm a lousy cook, but I make pretty good soft scrambled eggs."

"Why don't you go chase down some squirrels."

Sources: MSNBC, Bloomberg, Newsday, D.C. Examiner

—Matt Davies, The Journal Times

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