Marilyn to JFK: 'Love or Let Me Die'
Seems that Marilyn Monroe 's famously seductive "Happy Birthday " at a Madison Square Garden gala wasn't her only gift to former President John F. Kennedy. Soon at auction: a gold Rolex watch inscribed with "Jack, With love as always from Marilyn May 29th, 1962." Tucked inside the $5,000 gold watch box is a poem to her alleged lover that ends, "And let me love / or let me die!" Auctioneer Bill Panagopulos , president of Alexander Autographs, calls it "undoubtedly the most controversial presidential relic ever offered." To call the watch a scandal is an understatement. Panagopulos says that after first confirming the history of the watch, family members of the JFK aide who kept relics like the outfit Jackie wore the day Kennedy was murdered have clammed up. One family member said his dad was very hush-hush about JFK. Everything about the watch seems to fit: the age as well as the style of the inscription. What will it bring? Panagopulos compares it to the skin-tight dress Monroe wore the night she serenaded the prez, which sold for over $1.25 million.
The live and online auction slated for October 15-16 at alexautographs.com looks to be a mother lode of JFK dirty laundry. Also on the block: letters from Kennedy filled with sexual innuendo and competitive talk about dating, catty remarks about unattractive women, and an uncharacteristic four-letter word.
The Mormon Thing: The Sniping Begins
A nasty little whispering campaign is targeting likely 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the Republican Massachusetts governor. Those who've heard it won't identify the source, other than to quote "Christian leaders," but say it focuses on Romney's Mormonism and whether evangelicals will vote for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "The thrust is that he's not a real Christian. He's a Mormon," says our tipster. Mormons have heard it all before and say again: They're Christian.
A Rock Legend's Own USO Tour
The troops went gaga recently when Fleetwood Mac hottie Stevie Nicks showed up for a little morale boosting at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Insiders tell us that she showed up July 8 without notice, lugging dozens of T-shirts and Apple iPods to hand out to those she visited. "She even programmed them herself," says a USO official. Nicks is just one of the dozens of stars--most notably Cher --who have visited injured troops from Iraq and Afghanistan unannounced and sans paparazzi. Many are planning a return trip this week as part of the USO's huge fundraising gala to herald the work of "service heroes" and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers.
Homeland Security Starts at Home
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff likes to lead his department by example, and it's no different when it comes to family. The chief reveals that he has his own emergency stash of stuff and a personal evacuation plan. Like any workaholic husband, he credits his wife and says the family first set aside emergency supplies in the days leading up to Y2K. After 9/11, everything was freshened. "Anybody who lived through the experiences we've had in the last five years," he says, "can't have any doubt about the virtue of being prepared."
Warming Up To a Court Nominee
The long delay in starting confirmation hearings for John G. Roberts as chief justice of the United States hasn't hurt his name recognition. The Winston Group tells us its polls find that a stunning 81 percent know who he is, more than practically everybody in Congress. Why? Winston credits cable TV and the saturation coverage of Roberts's first, then second, nomination. What's more, the GOP polling group finds that the public is cool with his plans to avoid questions about issues he might face on the court. Finally, the public also believes that Roberts will put aside his personal views when interpreting the Constitution.
You're Protesting a Katrina Food Drive?
Oops, bad timing for anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan, we hear. In Batavia, Ill., last week, she and about 100 others protested at the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was in Washington. Not only were they met with counterprotests, but inside Hastert's office aides were organizing a food drive for Hurricane Katrina victims. They even gave Sheehan's group leaflets seeking contributions. "We hope they'll give something," said a Hastert aide.
Now Dems Grumble About Bush-Clinton
Some senior Democratic strategists are starting to sound like bitter Republicans when it comes to grumbling about President Bush 's teaming of his dad with Bill Clinton to raise Katrina aid. Republicans whined first when the tag team was formed after the tsunami. Their worry: Bush's move was helping to rehabilitate Clinton's image among his critics. Now Democrats believe Clinton's help on Katrina is a de facto endorsement of Bush's handling of the crisis. "It's killing us," said a consultant.
Even Under Fire It's A No-Whining Zone
Ever wonder why House Majority Leader Tom DeLay , seemingly always under fire, never frowns? Insiders say he has a strict rule on complaining: Don't! Even his coffee cup displays the word Whining crossed out.
Spellings Spins To Her Own iTunes
Sure, they're sometimes sneered at as stuffy and old-fashioned, but that doesn't mean Republicans can't ride a trend every once in a while. The latest: the iPod. It's hot, hot, hot now that President Bush has revealed he listens to country while mountain biking. The latest iPod-er: Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. It was a Mother's Day present from her daughters, we hear. The iPod mini is jammed with songs from the Police, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, and the Carpenters. "She loves it," says a pal, "for her power walks and spinning class." Not at work, we hope, especially since many schools ban them.
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This story appears in the September 19, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.