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'Washington Times' Hires Sam Dealey as New Editor
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2010 Comment (2)The Washington Times, recently hit with a 50 percent staff cut and elimination of its top editors, has settled on a young and prolific reporter as its new editor.
Sources say Sam Dealey, 36, will be announced on Monday as the replacement for John Solomon, who left the conservative paper as the ownership, members of the Unification Church, began dismantling it.
Dealey, a U.S. News contributor, is based in Washington, writing on national and foreign affairs. Besides contributing to Reader's Digest, he writes frequently for publications such as GQ, Details, and The New York Times. Dealey has also reported from Africa for CNN and PBS's NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. He is a media fellow at the Hoover Institution.
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Zogby Says State of the Union Put Obama Back in the Game
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2010 Comment (5)Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he sees the president's week ending.
John Zogby on Week 54:
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Lobbyist Dinner With Pelosi Costs Up to $30,400
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2010 Comment (7)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
When you get an invitation from the city's hottest lobbyists for a dinner in honor of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, expect to pay.
But even with the promise of dinner prepared by "celebrity women chefs," ticket prices ranging from $5,000 to $30,400 are enough to choke on. "Whatever," Democrats will say as they fork over the money to attend the exclusive fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at the home of überlobbyists Heather and Tony Podesta. And the truth is, this is now an annual event.
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Obama May Attend Georgetown Vs. Duke Basketball Game
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2010 Comment (8)By Jessica Rettig, Washington Whispers
Washington's most influential basketball fan, President Obama, may be joining the Georgetown Hoyas' sea of gray at tomorrow's game versus the Duke Blue Devils at the Verizon Center. Whether or not he'll cheer for John Thompson III's No. 7-ranked team is unsure—he might be cheering for his bodyguard Reggie Love's former team instead—but a source close to the Georgetown administration has confirmed that the president is expected to attend.
The Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office sent an E-mail to season-ticket holders about enhanced security measures at the sold-out event. Here's an excerpt:
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Internet Buzz on Obama Drops After State of the Union
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2010 Comment (18)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
The blog reviews of President Obama's first State of the Union speech are in, and they're not good. The president's speech drove his online buzz down 2 percentage points, with bloggers especially harsh on his approach to unemployment and terrorism.
"Heading into yesterday's State of the Union address, President Obama's online buzz was 52 percent positive, which was 32 percent lower than it was on Jan. 27, 2009, when it peaked at 84 percent positive. Since giving his State of the Union speech last night, President Obama's overall online buzz reputation continued to drop and is currently registering at 50 percent positive overall—a 2 percent total reduction in less than a 24-hour period," says a spokesman for Zeta Interactive, a digital marketing agency that mines millions of blogs to judge the buzz on a subject for Washington Whispers.
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Obama to Say Climate Change Bill Will Create Jobs in State of the Union Speech
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (2)White House advisers spinning the boss’s State of the Union message late today are telling lawmakers to expect President Obama to press for passage of controversial climate change legislation because it will create jobs.
Media Affairs Director Christina Reynolds, Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, and others in a series of prespeech briefings said the speech will resemble Obama’s past big speeches in tone and tenor, like his inauguration and Democratic convention speeches. “Continuity” is the goal, and Obama also plans to hammer home that he is still committed to the “serious change” he promised during his presidential campaign, they said. -
Al Jazeera, al Hurra Get State of the Union Spots
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (5)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Two major Arab TV networks, al Jazeera and al Hurra, will join American networks and cable news stations to cover President Obama's State of the Union tonight and the post-speech spin.
Maps provided to House and Senate members of where the media will be in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, the Senate Russell Building's Rotunda, and the House Cannon Building's Rotunda show 57 different camera positions, including two for al Jazeera and one for al Hurra.
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Humane Society and Celebs Go to the Hill for Horses
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (12)By Jessica Rettig, Washington Whispers
The Humane Society of the United States sent its cavalry of horse rights activists to Capitol Hill yesterday to educate members of Congress about equine cruelty—from the corralling of wild horses to the slaughtering of the black beauties for human consumption. Actress Kelly Carlson of Nip/Tuck fame and Just Shoot Me comedienne Wendie Malick joined forces with the Humane Society's Wayne Pacelle, Michael Markarian, and Nancy Perry to lobby for a bill (H.R. 503/S. 727) to prevent the inhumane transport of American horses to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada and stop roundups of wild horses by U.S. government authorities. The animal rights advocates later met with press members at K Street's Teatro Goldoni to promote the cause over a fresh beet salad and angel hair pasta.
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An Olympic Hockey Bet for the U.S. and Canada
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (1)By Alex Kingsbury, Washington Whispers
The U.S. ambassador to Canada and the Canadian ambassador in Washington have a bet on the outcome of the Olympic hockey contest next month in Vancouver. "The U.S. has the best goal tending, Canada has the best defense, and the Russians have the best forwards," says an excited Gary Doer, Ottawa's representative in the nation's capital. He's installed a jumbo digital clock outside the Canadian Embassy counting down to the start of the Olympics. His optimistic crystal ball shows a gold medal game between the United States and Canada in both men's and women's hockey. "In the end, the U.S. will have 20 gold medals, Canada will have 20, and the deciding factor will be the hockey finals," he says.
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Brady Center Gives Obama an F on Gun Control
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (14)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
President Obama's reign has been so good for the shoot-em-up crowd that the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence has given him an F for the year. "We have been very disappointed," says the group. Here's why: On 10 different fronts, the National Rifle Association has bested its foes with Democratic help. Among the NRA victories: Unloaded guns will be allowed in Amtrak luggage, and licensed arms will continue to be OK in public housing.
