Entries for August 2009

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

While reappointing Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke seemed like an obvious move to many in Washington's political and financial establishment, to others it was a sign of political weakness for President Obama. The reason: If Obama were still at the top of his game, he might have nominated brainy but abrasive aide Larry Summers. Insiders say that Bernanke, a Bush pick, is too independent. Plus, Obama would like his own Fed chief but has been too politically weakened by the healthcare debate to fight for Summers.

By Maura Judkis, Washington Whispers

Washington may be about 90 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, but that hasn't stopped a member of the world's most famous deep-sea-diving family from taking up residence in the nation's capital. That's because Philippe Cousteau Jr.—grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau—is bringing the ocean's issues to the halls of Congress. "I've gotten more and more involved on the Hill once I testified in Congress about issues on offshore drilling a few months ago," Cousteau, 29, tells Whispers. "Being on the Hill and being able to work with members and pass effective legislation that has the best long-term interests of this country at heart—I really enjoyed that."

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

"It's déjà vu all over again," says GOP pollster Bill McInturff, who has released a new survey showing that the public has the same negative view of President Obama's healthcare reform plan as it did of the failed plan pushed by Bill and Hillary Clinton. "The data is hauntingly similar to what we saw in 1994. President Obama is learning the same lesson that the Clintons learned: Too much government intervention in the healthcare system can alienate more voters than it attracts."

Pollster John Zogby regularly updates our ObamaMeter. Each week, Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a rating of between 1 and 100. The ObamaMeter, however, is not simply a poll-generated job approval number. Instead, the Washington Whispers ObamaMeter is Zogby's judgment on the performance of the president based on multiple factors.

By Amanda Ruggeri, Washington Whispers

Ryan Frazier, the GOP candidate battling for the seat of Colorado's Sen. Michael Bennet, is young, African-American, tech-savvy, charismatic, and school smart. So it's no surprise that some have dubbed him the "Republican Obama." Watching the prez, the 31-year-old says he's learned what—and what not—to do in campaigns. "The president made a lot of promises or commitments that unfortunately, in this political reality and environment, he's not going to be able to keep," Frazier says. "For me, we're going to talk about those ideas we have, but in terms of promises or commitments, I am committed to only making promises that I know I can deliver on. And if I can't, guess what, I won't make it," he adds.

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

The Nation magazine hosted a screening of the new flick Taking Woodstock last night in Washington, and for a little historical context, Nation archivist Jeff Kisseloff rummaged through past issues to see what the lefty magazine had said about the epic concert. Turns out: nothing. The Nation, which seemingly wouldn't shy away from such an event today, didn't cover Woodstock. "They didn't identify with hippies and the young generation very well," explains Kisseloff. "Basically, it was an old left magazine, so to them, hippies were as foreign as Republicans in a way." Every once in a while, the Nation's editors tasked one of their best investigative reporters, Jack Newfield, to write about the hippies, but this wasn't always a good fit, Kisseloff tells Whispers. "It was sort of awkward," says Kisseloff. "You could tell [he] didn't know what to make of them." Taking Woodstock comes out in theaters on Friday.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

With all the problems honey bees are facing, the last thing the busy bugs need is a bad diagnosis from a celebrity TV doctor. But that's exactly what Oprah's Mehmet Oz and colleague Mike Roizen issued in their newspaper column this week in mischaracterizing how honey is made.

"When doctors make claims so wildly false, so absolutely wrong in commonly understood aspects of biology, can there be trust in anything they say?" asks Kim Flottum, editor of the industry journal Bee Culture.

When Ted Kennedy was elected to the senate in 1962 he arrived in Washington overshadowed by his older brothers: President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. In the 46 years since, he endured their tragic deaths and created a legacy of his own. "The name Edward Kennedy, who is 36, is expected to be heard often in years ahead," predicted Whispers in 1968, after the assassination of brother, Bobby. His name often appeared in the Washington Whispers column as a potential presidential candidate. And Kennedy did run in the primaries against President Jimmy Carter in 1980. In more recent years, Whispers reported on how Kennedy came "roaring back" from brain surgery and on his speech last summer at the Democratic convention.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Already looking to cut some 3,200 post offices as it grapples with higher costs and business robbed by E-mail, the Postal Service has hinted it might up that count by 1,600 more branch closings. But don't get mad if your post office ends up on the chopping block. Call your congressman. The Congressional Research Service says that lawmakers are considering alternatives to the closings, such as simply outlawing the shuttering or ordering a cut in mail delivery service to five days a week.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Former Peace Corps volunteers are getting a second chance to make a difference. The National Peace Corps Association is calling on the old Africa Corps to offer solutions to the ills of sub-Saharan Africa, especially those faced by women. "We've lived in these villages," says Molly Mattessich, the organizer of the Africa Rural Connect project. "There's a lot of untapped intellectual resources that Peace Corps volunteers have." The creator of the winning idea, picked in November, gets $20,000. The "leader board" shows the current monthly winners and the ideas they've come up with for Africa such as designing a solar oven and using human urine for fertilizer.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

New research by a noted presidential historian and History Channel adviser suggests that the country was president-less for 43 minutes after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Dissecting the details about the period between JFK's death and Lyndon Baines Johnson's taking the reins, Steven Gillon has found holes in the official version. In the upcoming The Kennedy Assassination — 24 Hours After: Lyndon B. Johnson's Pivotal First Day as President, Gillon says officials fudged the timing to soothe Jackie Kennedy's concern about whether last rites were administered before her husband died. He figures death occurred at 12:30 p.m., when the last bullet hit. LBJ wasn't officially notified until 1:13 p.m., thus the 43-minute gap.