Al Franken TV: a pinch of Stern, a dash of Imus
Into the ring
Sen. Barbara Boxer 's whupping of Secretary of State designee Condi Rice last week has progressives calling the Californian the go-to politician for the big battles coming down the pike on abortion, the Supreme Court, and civil rights.
Reagan off the cuff
It was probably the most quoted political speech of any defeated candidate, but we are only now learning that Ronald Reagan 's address to Republicans at the 1976 Kansas GOP convention, which nominated Gerald Ford, was off the top of the Gipper's head. In the first insider account of the bitter nomination battle by Republican consultant Craig Shirley, Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All , we learn that Reagan had no remarks ready when Ford asked him to unify the convention. Shirley suggests that the Ford camp hoped that without notecards, Reagan would fall flat on his face. Instead, he gave the concise outline of the conservative politics he would bring to the White House four years later.
White House Fairy Tale
Their first date was during President Bush 's 2001 inauguration, and it must have gone well. Because White House Communications Director Nicolle Devenish, 32, and former Bush-Cheney Deputy Campaign Manager Mark Wallace, 37, finally got engaged last week. And not on just any day. Wallace picked the couple's fourth anniversary and Bush's second inauguration to pop the question and offer a huge diamond. "He didn't want to be upstaged by the president," cooed Devenish, "so between the speech and the balls he proposed." After she caught her breath, she said yes. "It's a sweet story," she says. "He's a real prince."
Their side of the story
Turns out My Life , former President Clinton 's autobiography, won't be the last word on his girl troubles. Come May, a retort of sorts, titled Their Lives, is due out and will provide new allegations of harassment. Eric Jackson, president of World Ahead Publishing, known for its center-right titles, says the book aims to fill the gaps in My Life . Jackson wouldn't identify the author and is trying to dampen news about the book, but his description of the 320-page volume reveals that it will tell the story of eight women "who crossed romantic paths with Bill Clinton" and what happened when they broke it off. Its release is timed to that of the My Life paperback.
Inside information
When bestseller Brian Haig 's next thriller comes out, it would be good to remember just who he his and what he knows. As the son of Alexander Haig, who hastily took charge of the White House after former President Reagan was shot--and who was the target of an assassination attempt himself--Brian might have some inside information to share. Don't take it from us: His PR firm notes that his background provides authenticity in The President's Assassin, a page turner that features the killing of the White House chief of staff and a $100 million bounty on the prez.
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With Daniel Gilgoff and Suzi Parker
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