Entries for September 2007

There's one area where it's not "like father, like son" for the Bushes. President Bush has hand-written so few letters that an autograph dealer tells us he has upped his reward for one to $5,000. "I'll buy everything," says Momentsintime.com curator Gary Zimet. While the former President George H. W. Bush is a prolific letter writer, his son chooses the computer and autograph machine. And maybe as a result of all his handwritten letters in circulation, "his dad is of virtually no interest to collectors," says Zimet. Insiders suggest $5,000 may be a steal because there is something the president pens himself: letters to the families of troops killed in war. "He actually writes a great deal, unfortunately," says one insider.

It's the talk of Georgetown: What's Mark Penn, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief strategist and pollster, doing building a tunnel between his two houses on O Street nw? Among the suspicions: It's a hideout for Clinton should she become president and face a terrorist attack. Or it's a lazy man's way to avoid walking across the small lot without going outside. Actually, Penn tells us, "Really, all it is is that the two houses are just being connected and then everything is going to be put back." He says it took months to win building permits to let him rip out the one-story raised yard, build the tunnel area, and redo the patio space between the two houses, assessed at over $7 million. As for the lazy-man crack, the extraordinarily busy chairman of Burson-Marsteller public relations and head of Penn, Schoen & Berland market research says he's planning to turn the tunnel area into an exercise room. Interestingly, he wasn't the first owner with tunnel vision. He discovered that the previous owner had plans to do the same thing.

The Russians are here, the Russians are here. Sputnik, the little craft whose 1957 launching by the Soviet Union led to the space race, has been given the prominent position at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum once owned by the Wright Flyer, the world's first plane and an American wonder. Museum officials swear that the Wright Brothers' 1903 spruce and ash aircraft wasn't bumped for the "Red Moon" to celebrate Sputnik's 50th. In fact, the plane was moved four years ago to another spot in the museum chain's most popular building. Smithsonian officials haven't given over the prominent entrance ceiling space in full to the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth. Right beside the beach-ball-size globe at the entrance of the museum is Explorer One, the rocket-shaped American answer to Sputnik launched three months later in January 1958. Of course, both are replicas because the originals burned up in re-entry.

She inherited her mother's looks and her dad's gift of gab. But Meghan McCain—yes, that McCain—is proving a true original on the presidential hustings. During a campaign bus swing through New Hampshire with Mom, Cindy, and Dad, GOP candidate Sen. John McCain, Meghan regaled reporters with tales of her days as an intern at Saturday Night Live in 2004. "Slave work," she says, "but I had an amazing time." She was there during the legendary Ashlee Simpson lip-synching fiasco. "She was freaking out. Everyone was yelling 'Go to commercial!' " Favorite hosts: Paul Giamatti and Queen Latifah. Least: Paris Hilton. Not to be outdone, Dad recalled when he hosted in 2002, playing in a shower scene with cast member Amy Poehler. "She was very nice," says the senator. "I still remember I said, 'Mind if I loofah your back?' "

Talk about coincidence. The new White House ornament is out, and it features a White House wedding. No, not first daughter Jenna's, but the first ever in the president's house, that of Grover Cleveland to Frances Folsom in 1886. While the latest buzz is that Jenna and fiancé Henry Hager are leaning toward a Texas wedding, the White House Historical Association that produces the ornament describes a Washington ceremony that the discreet first betrothed might consider. On the evening of June 2, Cleveland and Folsom, surrounded by government officials and friends, traded vows in the Blue Room. John Philip Sousa's Marine Band played the Wedding March. Then the couple held a larger, candlelit dinner in the State Dining Room before slipping on street clothes and then secretly out the back door to their waiting honeymoon coach.

"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's strongman president, speaking to students at Columbia University in New York

"As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured."

President Bush, in fumbling language as he pushed for renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act

"I just don't want to end up like Katie Couric. I want people to take me seriously."

Rachel Smith, Miss USA, at a women in entertainment conference

"Next step? Maybe have some of my opponents' legs broken? Ahhh, accidents happen."

Sen. John McCain, a GOP presidential candidate, after a dinner with The Sopranos star James Gandolfini, when asked about the next step in their relationship

Sources: Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Star, Associated Press

Gary Markstein / Copley News Service

                                                Fran, who turns 50 Sunday, gets a cake at Teatro Goldoni.

Please don't stereotype Fran Drescher, the famed star of The Nanny, as ditzy actress. To say she gets Washington is an understatement. She's such a regular that they know her well at two of the city's best restaurants, Cafe Milano and Teatro Goldoni, she's made the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton a rival of the Four Seasons for Hollywood star overnights, and she's blazed a bipartisan path on Capitol Hill to promote women's healthcare.

But she's really interested in the presidential race. As a $2,300 contributor to Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign, Drescher is onboard the front-runner's bid. She told us her dream team should Clinton win: for vice president, Sen. Barack Obama.

"If he wasn't married with children, I'd do him in a New York minute," she gushes. And she predicts Obama would be elected president after, of course, Hillary serves two terms. "He'd be so seasoned and ready." Former President Bill Clinton would serve as a global ambassador. "I see him as a global statesman." And Al Gore as the world's environmental advocate—maybe in a new cabinet position. "That's my dream team," she told me.

                                                                      Drescher with our Paul Bedard.

When it comes to the African-American vote, former President Bill Clinton says that the GOP has done a 180, switching from a pro-black party to one that leans, well, racist. In a taped session for public broadcasting's Tavis Smiley during events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Little Rock's Central High integration, Clinton said that the GOP has evolved away from the days of Lincoln.

The Facebook page "Stop Hillary Clinton: (One Million Strong AGAINST Hillary)" has topped the 420,000 mark, seeing growth of about 12,000 a week. About seven days ago, it had some 408,000 members. Love her or hate her, she seems to be tops on the Internet.

While her official Facebook page only has about 42,000 members, the anti-Facebook page has now bested Sen. Barack Obama's Facebook page, which used to be king, reports our Kim Clark. He has about 146,000 members right now. One thing is for sure: Democrats continue to dominate the social networking sites online. Just consider the blogosphere's love of Republican Ron Paul.

Despite all the Internet chatter, he's got about 26,000 Facebook friends—and he's the most Facebook-friended of all the GOP presidential hopefuls.