Entries for January 14, 2007

It was one of those in-the-shower brainstorms for pollster John Zogby: Let's see which past A-list president voters wish they could put in the Oval Office to fix the nation and which of the major 2008 presidential hopefuls best matches that pick. Drumroll, please. In order: Ronald Reagan, at 28 percent, FDR at 26 percent, JFK at 21 percent, Abraham Lincoln at 16 percent, and just 6 percent for George Washington. And who's viewed as most Reaganesque? Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. She also grabs the FDR and Washington mantle but falls far short of upstart Sen. Barack Obama for the JFK title.

Zogby says there are several messages from his just completed poll, provided exclusively to Whispers. Most obvious: If voters want a Reaganesque or Rooseveltian firm hand and vision in the White House, then Clinton looks like a good bet. But if they prefer the inspiration of JFK and Lincoln, then Obama's their guy. "It looks like youthful vigor has the best crossover appeal," says Zogby. It's not so clear on the GOP side. Only Rudy Giuliani scores well, seen as the most Lincoln-like and beating Sen. John McCain in every "most like" category. Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ranks last in all but one. Zogby sees a biblical race between Jeremiah and Moses in how some major themes play out. "Moses had a plan to get to the Promised Land, and for Jeremiah the sky was falling." Who wins? "Hopefulness is the key."

With Angie C. Marek

After five months on the job, President Bush's new faith-based initiative czar, Jay Hein, is moving to shake things up. This week he hosts a "Compassion in Action" roundtable to promote successful programs targeting youth violence. Insiders say it's Hein's first effort to pull the controversial office out of the old church vs. state legal battles and instead make it the showcase for helpful projects fostered by communities and faith groups. He also wants the initiative to be seen as much more than a grant-giving operation. "The priority of this work," Hein says, "is to expand the supply of effective compassion." He's planning to host monthly issues roundtables.

With Angie C. Marek

He's become such a staple at the annual World Economic Forums in Davos, Switzerland, that some are wondering about Bill Clinton's decision to skip this year's late- January confab. We could guess it's because the man who brought us the Clinton Global Initiative doesn't want to share the do-gooder space with the Davos crowd. But that would be wrong. Instead, the former president is working on a new book, and deadline pressures are mounting. We hear that the pre-2008 election book will include inspiring stories he's heard and seen during his travels on behalf of his Clinton Foundation and while promoting his global fix-it plans, which focus on AIDS prevention and economic development. "My hope," he tells us, "is that the people and stories in this book will lift spirits, touch hearts, and demonstrate that citizen activism and service can be a powerful agent of change in the world."

With Angie C. Marek

Maybe it's the cold New England winters that keep political foes so cozy, but whatever you want to call it, the relationship between the top independent-Democrat and Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is sweet, indeed. So much so that when the Democrats took control, former chair Susan Collins of Maine gave new chair Joe Lieberman of Connecticut a milk chocolate gavel to mark the friendly power swap. Hers was an unusual, though not original, idea. An aide says the senator recently received a candied gavel from the Augusta, Maine, town manager and thought "it was such a great gift and great idea, that she gave it to Senator Lieberman when he took over the chair" from Collins.

With Angie C. Marek

If he didn't make so much as host of MSNBC's Countdown, Keith Olbermann might be asking some very prominent lawmakers for speechwriting fees. That's because he's becoming the go-to guy for antiwar rhetoric. And, we're told, Olbermann's show-ending "special comments" have been entered into the Congressional Record at least twice. The last time occurred this month when West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall, wowed by Olbermann's hit on President Bush's troop surge, called to get permission to include Olbermann's comments in Rahall's own House floor speech.

With Angie C. Marek

It's not just the rubber chicken platters at fundraisers and the negative ads that make running for president so tough. Declared Democrat Tom Vilsack, the ex-Iowa guv, says it's also hard to keep up with the needed reading, especially of the books supporters shove into his arms at political events. So to handle that he's testing out speed-reading techniques. Vilsack tells us that he's "collecting strategies for how you read these books." Like? "Well, there is the strategy that is articulated by one person that you read the first chapter and the last chapter. The strategy that some have articulated is you read the first sentence of each paragraph, every other page." Whichever one he settles on: "I will try to read as much as I possibly can of scholarly works that give me a sense of what people are thinking."

With Angie C. Marek

"He was pro-choice; he's anti-choice; he's multiple choice."

"There goes the heartland."

"My Fox guys, I love every single one of them."

"It's about keeping the testosterone lower when you're going down the highway and showing off your big buck."

Sources: MSNBC (2), Reuters, AP

Wolf Blitzer will be on location January 20, but this time he won't be gathering news. His target: moolah, and lots of it. We hear that he'll be on hand in Scottsdale, Ariz., to help auction off the CNN wartime Hummer dubbed "Warrior One" at the famed Barrett-Jackson auction. The 1993 H1 is a beaut: After its Baghdad duty, it was totally redone by TV's Overhaulin' crew. The winnings will be given to Fisher House, which provides lodging to families of injured military personnel. How much will it go for? "Hopefully, lots," says a CNN spokeswoman.

With Angie C. Marek