Ford felt dissed by Reagan and Bush One of the Reagan era's biggest boasts--that it reversed the 1970s "decade of neglect" in the military--really irked former President Ford , who blamed congressional Democrats and Jimmy Carter for slashing the Pentagon budget. But only now are we learning that Ford, who served from 1974 to 1977, squawked when former Vice President Bush made the claim at the 1984 recommissioning of the USS Iowa. In a letter to "George" uncovered by historian Gil Troy , Ford flashed: "It is not accurate to lump the Ford administration in the same category with President Carter on defense matters." He also vented at Reagan Chief of Staff James Baker , who had suggested new language the prez and veep could use to fight Walter Mondale in the 1984 election. "I resent being lumped in with Carter and the Democratic Congresses on this vital issue," wrote Ford. For Troy, whose Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s is out this week, it was shocking correspondence. "I've rarely seen this kind of back and forth," he said, "and certainly not at the president-to-president level."
Breaking Barriers Over Dover Sole
News flash! Washington's killer partisanship has somehow skipped over two prominent political newbies. What's more, the Capitol Hill odd couple dare to keep their friendship alive. Horrors! Just when you thought bipartisanship was dead, along comes rookie Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and newly minted Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman . Seems the two were pals at Harvard Law School in the early 1990s and are still friendly today. Insiders tell us that they traded notes during the 2004 election, when Mehlman managed the Bush-Cheney re-election, and have talked since Election Day. And now they're planning a symbolic dinner at Washington's La Colline, famed for its Dover sole. "Not everything is about partisanship," says Mehlman. "A good dinner with good company transcends party politics any day of the week." Ditto for Obama, though the Illinois senator will be on watch for Mehlman's efforts to woo him to the GOP side. "There aren't enough restaurants and dinners in their lives for that to happen," jokes Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs .
Breaking Barriers Over Dover Sole
News flash! Washington's killer partisanship has somehow skipped over two prominent political newbies. What's more, the Capitol Hill odd couple dare to keep their friendship alive. Horrors! Just when you thought bipartisanship was dead, along comes rookie Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and newly minted Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman . Seems the two were pals at Harvard Law School in the early 1990s and are still friendly today. Insiders tell us that they traded notes during the 2004 election, when Mehlman managed the Bush-Cheney re-election, and have talked since Election Day. And now they're planning a symbolic dinner at Washington's La Colline, famed for its Dover sole. "Not everything is about partisanship," says Mehlman. "A good dinner with good company transcends party politics any day of the week." Ditto for Obama, though the Illinois senator will be on watch for Mehlman's efforts to woo him to the GOP side. "There aren't enough restaurants and dinners in their lives for that to happen," jokes Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs .
No Chill For the CIA
The introduction of a new national intelligence czar probably won't lessen the influence of the CIA, despite earlier agency fears. That's because the czar, John Negroponte , will probably need all the help he can get from the CIA once he's confirmed by the Senate. And here the CIA is in luck because the chief spook, Director Porter Goss , is an old Yale University mate of Negroponte's.
Animal talk
Democratic senators and aides have been told not to refer to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by the acronym ANWR during the upcoming fight over oil drilling there. Instead, the leadership wants it called the "Arctic refuge." The reason, said a key aide: "ANWR sounds cold. 'Arctic refuge' conjures up pretty scenes and animals."
A Few Good Voices
The Marine Corps wants some leathernecks who can speak a bit of Arabic. But where do they find them? Well, the general who heads the Quantico, Va., training and doctrine base has an idea: chorus lines. We hear that Lt. Gen. James Mattis thinks singers have an aptitude for language, so look for corps recruiters to focus on future American Idol s.
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