The Media Babes of Foggy Bottom

It's not as if they're going to pose for a "Girls of Foggy Bottom" Playboy spread, but the female-heavy press corps of the State Department is relishing its girlness nonetheless. Some 11 major news organizations have women covering Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice —the highest number ever.

"The majority of correspondents at the State Department are women," cheers CNN's Zain Verjee. And that's led her and others to dub their girl squad "Diplobabes." Says Verjee: "It's a fun, lighthearted way of referring to ourselves"—and their outings, such as a recent U.N. gathering. "For instance," she says, "in New York, we planned a 'diplobabe' dinner one night." The AP's Anne Gearan says she and the female reporters for Reuters and AFP call each other the "Three Graces."