Senate Vets Bucked Up Kerrey; Now Batting ... at Treasury ...; Tricky Terry; Russ for Prez; Chipping Away; Homesick; Man for All Seasons; PB&J on AF 1; Gone Fishing; Divided We Stand
Man for all seasons; PB&J on AF 1; Gone fishing; Divided we stand
Senate vets bucked up Kerrey
Politically they're all over the map, but when former Sen. Bob Kerrey started taking flak for his behind-the-lines mission in a Vietnam village 32 years ago, Senate Viet vets moved quickly and in an unprecedented fashion to form a support group for their ex-band member. Republican Sens. John McCain and Chuck Hagel and Democrats John Kerry and Max Cleland started calling each other and Kerrey to devise a battle plan. Kerry led, dispatching best friend, war expert, and vet Tom Vallely to do recon. His target: Get five of the six Kerrey SEAL squad members to reiterate the ex-senator's story that they didn't murder innocent villagers, as the sixth claimed. "Tommy was the first person to say, `Bob, you've got your own story to tell,' " says one insider. Kerrey's problem: He didn't want to burden his squadmates and couldn't believe anyone would doubt his version. "I was trying to help him get this into perspective," says Vallely, who minimizes his help. But it was the Senate vets who bucked Kerrey up. "They're almost like a support group," says an aide to one. "They have a shared experience no one else has."
Now batting ... at Treasury ...
He's not tossing back pints at the nearby Old Ebbitt Grill with his aides yet, but Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is moving quickly to show that he's not a big ego geek. Consider: He shuns bodyguards and keeps his entourage small and his motorcade to one car. That is when he's not spinning around in his silver Audi TT convertible. Also: He pens his own speeches and keeps his word. Like when he rebuffed staffers who wanted him to kiss off a promise to read at the White House Easter Egg Roll. But being rich, he hasn't had to shack up in garages like some Bushies. The ex-Alcoa boss is moving from a hotel room to the swank Watergate. He even makes fun, telling about getting the best tables in New York because maitre d's think he's Yankee slugger Paul O'Neill. "Is there any chance Derek Jeter or Roger Clemens will be joining you?" one asked. But it's the Yankee O'Neill who is wowed, using a Washington visit last week to ask the bean counter: "When are we going to get our name on the money?" referencing the Treasury chief's signature on greenbacks.
Tricky Terry
It's three years away, but Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe is already trying to figure out a way to mess with the 2004 GOP presidential convention where, presumably, President Bush will be renominated. We learn that the DNC has picked the week of July 18 for its convention. If past practice is followed, that means the GOP convention will be the week of August 8, which is the week leading up to the historic 2004 Olympics in Athens. Bush's speech could come on the opening night of the Olympics. The GOP's Trent Duffy suggested another motive: "They must be accommodating Barbra Streisand's summer tour."
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