Was Nixon, not Clinton, the `first black president'?; The Supremes' darned robes; Ridge Inc.; In the mail--still; The 'Nam ticket; Ike's face-lift; The 411 on 9/11; Promise breakers; Secret Service lite; Jack, be nimble; Hey, soldier
Was Nixon, not Clinton, the `first black president'?
Bill Clinton can only wish he has the positive revisionist history now elevating Richard Nixon's reputation to new heights. The latest rage sweeping Nixon biographers: The president with a hardscrabble past understood how hard it was to fight barriers like segregation and fought to open doors to blacks. "If Bill Clinton had Richard Nixon's record, he'd be quite a worshiped figure," says Dean Kotlowski, a Nixon scholar. A Salisbury (Md.) University history professor and author of Nixon's Civil Rights (Harvard University Press), Kotlowski is just the latest to find gold in the trash heap of Nixon domestic policy. While there was "little doubt" Nixon was prejudiced, Kotlowski found repeated examples of the prez telling aides he had to "do what was right," even if it hurt politically. Like expanding voting rights, funding black colleges, and desegregating the South's schools. Ditto his efforts on behalf of American Indians. Odd, then, that it's Clinton who's lauded by African-Americans as the "first black president." By comparison, says Kotlowski, Clinton "talked the talk but didn't walk the walk."
The Supremes' darned robes
It's not supposed to be this way. When William Rehnquist got on the Supreme Court, the caseload was about 4,200 a year. Thanks to clerks and a lot of homework, the judges could make quick work of the cases and kick back. No wonder they call it a "job for life." But now even the judges on the top court are complaining about those danged lawyers and their suing ways. "Our workload is increasing," carps Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Want proof? Since Rehnquist joined in 1972, the caseload has doubled, and Kennedy says the number could reach over 10,000 this year. And those poor "Supremes" aren't the only ones working their fingers to the bone. Just look at the busy court kitchen, for example. One worker identified in budget papers as an "assistant food preparation specialist" does more than make BLTs. She's also tasked to hem judicial robes, like Chief Justice Rehnquist's fancy gown decorated with stripes. And she tailors uniforms for others, even the janitors. No wonder, then, that Rehnquist is seeking a $1,900 raise for his seamstress.
Ridge Inc.
He won't testify before Congress about his White House operation, but we learn that homeland security czar Tom Ridge is building quite a little empire. White House officials say that when the hiring ends, he'll have about 145 people working for him, many dispatched from other agencies. The price: $23 million a year. But only bigwigs will get White House desks. For $12 million, other offices nearby have been outfitted.
In the mail-still
The anthrax scare is over, but the White House still isn't getting its mail on time. Officials say that because every item has to be irradiated and inspected, a letter sent today won't get to the designated office for four to six weeks. The result: The White House is spending thousands of dollars on messengers to Capitol Hill and its agencies to avoid the Postal Service backlog.
The 'Nam Ticket
It's still two years off, but there's already talk of a Democratic ticket that might be able to challenge Bush-Cheney on the war issue. Who? Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and California Gov. Gray Davis. Kerry was highly decorated in Vietnam, and Davis earned a Bronze Star there. We hear they got on famously during a recent visit and "connected" when discussing their experiences in 'Nam.
Ike's Face-lift
Among the security precautions taken by the White House after the September 11 attacks was the evacuation of 750 Eisenhower Executive Office Building workers in window offices facing wide-open 17th Street NW. Now, we hear, they may not return for years. But not because of a security threat. Instead, feds may use the evacuation as an excuse to finally renovate the old heap of a building. White House administrator Phillip Larsen says it's in bad shape and in need of new plumbing, wiring, and security. Just two weeks ago, a pipe burst at 2 a.m. and wasn't found for two hours, flooding a corner of the massive building. The renovation, however, isn't a sure thing: A price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars will probably delay it.
The 411 on 9/11
They've scoured thousands of handwritten and computer documents and drawings seized at Afghan al Qaeda hide-outs, but so far law enforcement sources say they've found nothing mentioning the September 11 attacks. But they hope to find details on the Pentagon and World Trade Center plot in the mountain of data. Says one: It's like "drinking from a fire hose."
Promise breakers
The Republicans are back to conspiring again, this time to bankrupt Social Security. Or so claim the Democrats. In its latest bid to win back the House majority, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tells us of its plans to attack GOP Social Security reforms as a "secret plan" to "gamble" away the retirement program. Check out www.breakingthetrust.com. The GOP says it simply wants to give Americans a small percentage of their payroll tax to put into stocks.
Secret Service lite
Look for the U.S. Secret Service to take over security for a growing number of major events, the result of its successes at the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics. But getting that expected call from President Bush could put a hurting on the manpower-short service. So the agency is coming up with a scaled-back plan to instead provide the training and security model for local cops to handle the job.
Jack, be nimble
It's being dubbed the "battle of the Republican uber-lobbyists," pitting Haley Barbour, once the face of the GOP, and quiet Jack Abramoff, his biggest competitor. The jockeying for the top spot kicked into high gear this month when Abramoff helped open the posh Signatures restaurant, down the street from Barbour & Co.'s Caucus Room. This place is hot--and booked with GOP fundraisers. And he's already planning another restaurant, a kosher place, called Archives. Also, Abramoff's lobbying team just beat Barbour's over an Indian casino issue in Louisiana. What's more, he's a big pal of Rep. Tom DeLay, the likely next House majority leader. "He's the face of the new generation," says an ally.
Hey, soldier
The stateside loved ones of U.S. troops in Afghanistan are talking dirty to their aviators, soldiers, and sailors. Pillowmail.com reports a surge in E-mails ending with the military address, .mil. It allows adults to send erotic Mad Libs. Titles include: "Wash and hot wax" and "Forget dinner, let's have dessert."
In Quotes
"I was a mediocre high school wrestler, and I wear a feather boa around the Senate on occasion."
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, on what he has in common with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura
"The ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match."
PRESIDENT BUSH, on Osama bin Laden
"I am a pest; I am a stone in the shoe of a lot of people living here in this town, a squeaky wheel."
BONO, U2 singer, after discussing AIDS with Bush
"You can draw a crowd to a speech, but you sell more tickets to a public hanging."
MITCHELL DANIELS, director of the Office of Management and Budget, saying he was quoting Churchill, before a contentious congressional hearing
Sources: ESPN, Washington Post, Associated Press, Washington Post
Whispers Web page: Nancy or Tipper as senators? www.usnews.com/whispers
With Chitra Ragavan and Betsy Streisand
This story appears in the March 25, 2002 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.