One Childhood Wish Comes True
He's a really rich guy who's got just about every toy a boy ever wanted and done virtually everything he's dreamed of. Still, there are a few holes in Sen. John Kerry 's personal resume. Being president is the most obvious. But he's harbored two other dreams much longer: sitting at Fenway Park for a game with Red Sox great Ted Williams and being an astronaut, a wish sparked when he and some high school pals lay out on a grassy Massachusetts field and watched Sputnik pass overhead years ago.
Teddy Ballgame's dead now, and the space thing's a bit out of reach. But that was until an old friend re-entered Kerry's life last week making good on a promise that touched on both of Kerry's childhood dreams.
It was Tuesday morning when former Sen. John Glenn called Kerry at his Senate office. A Kerry mentor who was the first astronaut and a copilot with Williams in Korea, Glenn reminded his pal that they had agreed during the 2004 campaign to watch the next space shuttle flight together. "Wanna go?" asked Glenn. Heck, yeah, said Kerry, and they were off early Wednesday to Florida. While the liftoff was postponed and the two returned home, Kerry told friends he had had a great time as Glenn regaled him all day on the thrill of spaceflight. "It was like watching a game at Fenway with Ted Williams," Kerry said. "A great memory."
Tommy Thompson Is His Own Best Ad
We bet that former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson wishes he had gone to work for Breyers or Hershey's. To set a good example, he's preparing to consume his new company's product--VeriChip Corp.'s flesh-embedded medical radio chip. "It doesn't cause any pain," he assures us, explaining that a rice-size chip will be inserted into his arm. The chip stores coding that makes the user's health records available worldwide. Hospitals wave a radio wand over the arm to get the info. "People are dying all the time," he says, "because they can't access their medical information overseas."
Going Global to Fight a U.S. Giant
Big Labor is looking overseas as it ramps up a new fight against Wal-Mart. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney revealed to us last week that he's working with unions overseas to blast Wal-Mart's U.S. and foreign pay and healthcare packages. "There'll be a global component to it," says Sweeney, who won't dish more until the full campaign is revealed at this month's union convention.
Daschle-Thune Fight Goes On
How many attack blogs does it take to keep former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle 's political hopes alive? So far, five. Or so say friends of Daschle-slayer Sen. John Thune , the target of the blogs. Maybe it's revenge or just his old pals trying to soften up rookie Thune for a 2010 race, but we've failed to find any other political newcomer hit so hard by the latest Internet fad. Is it a conspiracy? The Rapid City Journal reveals that Daschle's political action committee still pays his old campaign partner, who runs one of the blogs.
Capitol Weenies: Naked or Dressed
Our favorite dueling events happen this week when People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals goes up against the American Meat Institute to fight over National Hot Dog Month. PETA is doing the usual: Playboy Playmates Lauren Anderson and Robin Arcuri dressed only in lettuce handing out veggie dogs at the Rayburn House Office Building Wednesday. That's usually where everybody goes. But this year, AMI has a trio of major-league stars who will attract: Luis Tiant of the Red Sox, Tommy John of the Dodgers, and Harmon Killebrew of the Twins. Thankfully, AMI' s David Ray promises: "Our celebrities will be fully clothed."
George Washington Is Now the Rage
She is an academic, so we shouldn't be surprised with what Secretary of State Condi Rice is reading in her downtime. Not fiction, but biographies of America's Founding Fathers. Right now, she's into the first president, reading Joseph J. Ellis 's His Excellency: George Washington . GW's an appropriate topic since President Bush has been making references to the American Revolution when speaking on Iraq.
The Heat Is On for A Texas Run
At least Washington's heat and 98 percent humidity are good for something. We hear that staffers and pressies are training for the 100-Degree Run President Bush hosts during summer breaks in Crawford, Texas. "You get a T-shirt," cheered one likely entrant. Insiders say Bush plans about five weeks at his ranch but won't jog: He bikes now because of bad knees.
Taking Off the Gloves--Just Once
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean isn't all fire and fangs when it comes to dueling with his foe, GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman . Dean privately proved that last week when the two crossed paths backstage at the NAACP convention. We hear Dean expressed condolences to Mehlman, whose grandfather recently died. Mehlman was grateful, we're told.
One Shiny Apple: The Gitmo Diet
It certainly wasn't a good week on the PR front for the Guantanamo Bay prison authorities accused of belittling and degrading captives during interrogations. But there is one area where the military's treatment seems to shine, at least recently: fitness. During a press tour last week, our spies saw prisoners playing soccer, getting medical care, and eating a diet that could be the model for the FDA's new food pyramid. Jed Babbin, a former Pentagon official who's a contributing editor for the American Spectator , snagged a weekly menu for us, and it shows a diet that's heavy on veggies, fruits, and whole grains. Of note: no pork in deference to the Muslim faith of many prisoners. Will this spark a Gitmo Diet craze?
usnews.com See the Guantanamo Bay daily menu for prisoners: www.usnews.com/whispers
With Thomas Omestad
This story appears in the July 25, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.