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5/16/06
Josh Bolten cracking the whip
New White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has senior Bush aides working overtime to finish their daily projects and homework, and so far nobody is complaining about the longer hours. "Josh is raising the bar of expectations," said a senior official. "It's no longer acceptable to be status quo. We're trying to do more and better," added the Bush aide. Another said that Bolten has actually inspired longtime Bush officials to rethink their job and put in more hours of preparation and research on projects. "People who work for Josh are working longer than they did for [former Chief of Staff] Andy [Card]. It's a new start, and we all realize that it's time to get this thing going again," said the official. "We want him to succeed." While Card was more corporate in style, Bolten puts a value on quick and aggressive action and tactics, and he demands smart decisions and well-researched positions. "Be prepared is the rule, and that takes time," said a Bush insider, who added that most Bush aides know that Bolten "is the smartest guy in the room." There had been staff anxiety when Card was replaced by Bolten, but many insiders said that has since given way to a feeling of "excitement" that the Bush White House could be at the beginning of a comeback, though there is little in the way of polling data to back that up.
5/11/06
Idol's "nice Jewish boy"
Maybe God played a role in helping American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin make it through this week's tense round. "We hope so," says family friend Jordan Shenker, executive director of Richmond's Weinstein JCC. Shenker tells us that he sent out an e-mail to fellow Jews asking them to support Yamin, just one of three finalists in the hugely popular Fox show. "They are a very nice family," he emailed us. "Any support would be appreciated."
His E-mail has gone nationwide. In it, Shenker writes: "There is a nice Jewish boy from Richmond, Va., Ephraim Yamin, who needs all of our help. Most people know him as Elliott Yamin (maybe you recognize that name). This help comes in the form of a phone call on Tuesday night. Elliott is among the four finalists on the television show, American Idol. I personally know his family, and they have asked for my help to get the word out. You will need to watch the show on Fox, from 8 to 9 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to find out the phone number to call. You vote by calling from 9 to 11 p.m. You can vote more than once."
Wednesday night's Idol vote tally was a shocker. While judge Simon Cowell said he thought contestant Katharine McPhee should be booted for botching an Elvis tune in the Tuesday show, the favorite Chris Daughtry was sent packing. Only three contestants remain–Yamin, McPhee and Taylor Hicks.
Maybe Yamin has continued on because he's different than your typical TV star, suggests Shenker. "If you have watched the show, I am sure that you have noticed that Elliott is different from all of the other candidates," he wrote in his email. "His humbleness and sweetness is evident, even through the lenses of the camera. Every time he throws a kiss to the audience, or winks, it is to his mother, who was deathly ill just a few months ago. Elliott has beaten all odds to make it this far. He is deaf in one ear, has battled diabetes since childhood, and was raised by a single parent with very little financial means. Elliott has already made sure that his good fortune will be shared by many, as he has agreed to be the spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association for children with this disease.
"Please share this e-mail with your communities. A small time from every household will make a difference in this boy's life."
5/8/06
Schumer 'kidnaps' Hillary Clinton
Video's are white-hot in the political humor world where big shot lawmakers use mini-movies to poke a little fun at themselves. The latest to the party: New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her video, unveiled at Saturday night's Legislative Correspondents Association in Albany, is a funny one that features New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump and others. The storyline: Somebody steals her likeness at New York's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. But Hillary gets to the bottom of if, discovering that her biggest competitor for media attention -- fellow New York Sen. Charles Schumer — had kidnapped her wax figure to help raise even more money for Democrats.
See it here
Here's the Madame Tussauds site
5/4/06
Is kickboxing next for Albright?
Did you laugh when you read former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's claim in the New York Times to leg-pressing 400 pounds? Well, she knew you would. So the day after the interview, Albright rushed to her Definitions gym in Georgetown and tagged her trainer, Margo Carper, loaded up the weight on the leg press, and completed 10 reps. "I got a little nervous after I had said that," she confessed. "So I got off the red-eye . . . Thursday, and I went to my place and I said, 'OK, Margo, we have to do this to prove again that I could do it.' And so I did." She adds, "Yes, I do leg-press 400 pounds. To what end I don't know. I could make a vulgar comment." Albright reveals with a snicker that her ability "has made some people nervous." She's actually been at it for a long time. Washingtonian magazine revealed way back in February 2004 that Albright leg-pressed 380 pounds with her trainer, who also works with Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn. With growing power like that, we ask if kickboxing is next. "I don't know," she says.
E&P preview of NYT article on Albright
Washingtonian article on personal trainers
5/2/06
Worries over Israel
Administration foreign policy advisers and former diplomats are warning the White House that moving too quickly with harsh actions against Iran's nuclear program could be a mistake. As the administration pushes allies in the United Nations to weigh tough sanctions, the advisers are urging calm and calling the White House to continue working through the international community. One insider said that the administration has no plans to provoke a Iranian retaliation but will keep the pressure on Tehran to stop what the United States believes to be a sophisticated nuclear weapons program related to its nuclear energy system. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, for example, said she worries that Israel could be dragged in if the United States conducts a military strike against nuclear targets in Iran. The administration, she said, must "be really careful where this moves." She suggested to reporters today that a strike could result in a "retaliatory attack by somebody on Israel."
Reuters report on Iran's threat to Israel
Meet Madeleine Albright
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