Washington Whispers

It's no secret that Washington isn't good for the heart. Stress and bad diet have hurt many an official heart, notably Vice President Dick Cheney and former President Bill Clinton. "If I just look at C-SPAN I think, 'Oh, my goodness,' " says Susan Levin, the staff dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. To help, she and her group staged a diet and cooking demonstration on Capitol Hill this week to show staffers how easy it is to eat healthfully. Choose a diet high in fiber and low in fat, she says. "It's the opposite of the average American diet," she told our Nikki Schwab. Levin would have Cheney consume about 40 grams of fiber a day and stuff the veep full of veggies, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. "When we say the 'anti-Dick Cheney diet,' you have to remember Bill Clinton with his bypass, too," Levin says.

To raise awareness on the Hill of preventing heart disease, Levin and her cohorts from PCRM showed about 40 staffers some quick, easy, and healthful recipes yesterday as part of the "In the Kitchen on the Hill" cooking class. However, there was apparently some resistance, perhaps accidental, to the healthful treats. The group's rental car, carrying all of the ingredients, was held up for an hour after several of the U.S. Capitol Police's canines whiffed something suspicious in the car. Once all clear, Levin and PCRM certified health counselor Jill Eckart whipped together a few recipes for the crowd to try. "I think the Capitol Police may have confiscated our measuring cups," said Eckart.

So which members of Congress could stand to trim their belt? "Who couldn't?" Levin says. "Fifty percent of adults die of heart disease." Ouch. Here are some of their recipes:

Chocolate Cherry Nirvana Smoothie

2 cups of frozen cherries

2 bananas

1½ cups of chocolate rice or soy milk

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth consistency

Serves 4

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Mockamole

1 cup drained and rinsed canned green peas, or 1 cup fresh or

frozen green peas

1 ripe avocado, peeled

½ cup mild salsa

1 garlic clove, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 green onion, chopped (optional)

juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

If using fresh or frozen peas, blanch peas in boiling water for two minutes, then cool with cold water and drain. Cut avocado into large chunks. Mash avocado and peas together using a potato masher or fork, or, if a very creamy texture is desired, a food processor. Mix in salsa, garlic, green onion (if using), lemon juice, cumin, and cilantro (if using). Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Makes 2½ cups (10 ¼-cup servings)

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Black Bean Dip

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa

½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Combine beans and salsa in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Add cumin, if using.

Makes 6 servings

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4-Day 4-Way Beans and Rice

2 cups of brown rice, cooked

15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

15-ounce can corn, drained and rinsed

1 tomato, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

Heat 2 tablespoons of water or vegetable broth in a medium-size skillet. Add diced onion and green pepper, and sauté until onion is translucent. Add chili powder, corn, and black beans until heated through. Combine bean and corn mixture to the warm rice; top with fresh tomato and cilantro.

Serves 4

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Moroccan Chickpea Salad

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 cup pitted dates, diced

2 carrots, diced or shredded

¼ cup black olives

Dressing:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon agave nectar

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Combine the chickpeas with the dates, carrots, and olives. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, and pour over the salad. Mix well.

Serves 4

Recipe by Chef Robyn Webb of Pinch of Thyme in Alexandria , V a.

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Sorry, Celine Dion fans, but there weren't a lot of people crying inside or outside the Hillary Clinton campaign when the Democrat dumped the singer's "You and I" as her presidential theme tune after a short run. Yes, fans supposedly chose it in a Clinton online contest, but it was a loser from the start. Well, as it turns out, the effort to find a unique theme song didn't have to go sour. That's because a California group of backers, Latinas for Hillary, had a catchy tune, "Oye Hillary," written and recorded for her, and now it's going national as "Hey Hey Hillary".

Listen now or download iTunes and RSS.

Songwriter Lynne Revo-Cohen of I Will Productions LLC tells us that after Clinton nose-dived in the Iowa caucus, she got a call from pal and Latinas for Hillary head Annette Rodrigues, who asked for a spicy song that could be used in California to rev up the Latino vote for the New York senator. What Revo-Cohen delivered is a huge crowd pleaser that has been used at Clinton events and fundraisers. "It's a pep-up-the-crowd song," she tells us. She took it to Texas where it found airtime, and now she's planning trips to Pennsylvania, the next state to vote in the Democratic primaries. While it was first written for the Latin voting bloc, Revo-Cohen says, "the lyrics can be equally effective in a generic way." It's not the official Clinton song—yet—but we hear that the Clintons like it and that both Chelsea Clinton and Bill Clinton have a copy. And it's certainly better than the first choice of Dion's tune. "It wasn't even about Hillary," Revo-Cohen says of "You and I." As you can see from some of the lyrics, this one is:

Hey Hey Hill Intro

Hey (clap clap) hey (clap clap) hey hey Hill,

I'm gonna vote (clap clap) for you (clap clap), you know I will.

Chorus

Hey, hey, hey, will you vote for Hill?

Let me hear you say I will.

V1

We're ready for change, we've got a choice.

She's ready to lead, so hear our voice.

She's knows the score, she'll know what to do.

Stand for her, and she'll stand for you.

She's got the fire, she's got the heat.

We've got the power beneath our feet.

Make no mistake, it's our intent

Hillary will be our next president.

Chorus

Hey hey hey, will you vote for Hill?

Let me hear you say I will.

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She was one of the most celebrated American captives recovered by U.S. Special Forces, but former Pvt. Jessica Lynch tells us that it hasn't gone to her head. In fact, she sounds like any one of us. In talking to our Anna Mulrine, who wrote of Lynch and other ex-POW comrades for this week's magazine, Lynch explained, for example, that she just doesn't like all the physical therapy required to help her recover from surgeries related to her horrible back and leg injuries. She says that though she goes to Walter Reed about three times a year for surgeries and other medical appointments, she is not always diligent about going to her physical therapy appointments. "I'm supposed to be going to physical therapy," she says, but between classes and a new baby, she doesn't have much time left over. She doesn't go to a psychologist, either, and has never taken antidepressants. "I usually talk to friends and work it out that way. I feel more comfortable with my friends." Lynch says she has her tough days. "You get a blow-up, and you're fine for a couple days, and you may have to do it again," she says. Mulrine also tells us that Lynch's biggest heartache from her time in Iraq is not knowing what happened to her best friend, Lori Piestewa, who died in captivity. "If this happened to me, what did Lori suffer?" Lynch named her baby after Piestewa and says she is looking forward to attending the April 24 ceremony in Phoenix when Squaw Peak will formally be renamed Piestewa Peak.

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Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer is having serious second thoughts about leaving the Sunday morning TV circuit. After announcing in January that he'd retire with the swearing-in of the next president, the 71-year-old anchor now says he probably spoke too soon. "My bosses have asked me to stay around for a while," Schieffer told our Dan Gilgoff in an interview in CBS's Washington bureau. "I'm just going to reduce my schedule a little bit, but I guess I'm going to stay around a little while longer than I anticipated."

The Lone Star state native, who's led Face the Nation for 17 years, survived a brush with cancer several years back and has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. But he says he's more than up to the task of anchoring. "As long as my health stays good — and every sign now is that it is — I'm going to keep working," he tells us. "I love this. It's a great way to spend your life." Schieffer's 18-month stint as the anchor of CBS Evening News between the Dan Rather and Katie Couric eras — when he managed to goose the show's drooping ratings suggests means viewers will be happy he's sticking around. And he might not roll out retirement plans again for a long time. "I don't know what else I'd do," he says. "I could never retire totally, and I never really planned to do that."

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