Washington Whispers
The 'Jo-No' Effect in Celebrity Lobbying
Forget "Brangelina" and "Bennifer." When it comes to lobbying pet issues, there's only one celebrity duo that rules in Washington: "Jo-No." " Angelina [Jolie] and Bono have great influence,"says a senior State Department insider. "I guess you call it the 'Jo-No' effect." While they follow in the footsteps of other celebs to push AIDS research (Jolie) and Third World debt relief (Bono), it's how the actress and singer have approached Washington in the past few months that is winning kudos from both political camps. Instead of blasting the establishment like Barbra Streisand, sending antiwar E-mails like Martin Sheen, or just mouthing off like Ted Nugent, they're working inside the system to get what they want in attention and money.
GOP image man Terry Holt recalls helping Bono on his first trip to D.C. in 1999. Holt's top tips: Avert partisanship and learn the issues. "He is smart enough to understand that he has to stay disciplined and not get drawn into other people's battles," says Holt. "You need to know when to keep your mouth shut." A West Wing bigwig praises the duo for avoiding cliched name-calling. "It is the new civility, and it works." A key Democrat agrees, suggesting that Hollywood follow the Jo-No model. "They do their homework," says the Dem. "It's not just some passing fancy for a spoiled celebrity ... they don't just show up at an event and smile for the cameras."
The Army's Return to a Classic Look
Those cheap-looking polyester Army dress greens are most likely headed for the trash heap. Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, tells us that he "very much" backs a proposal aired last week in Army Times to favor the Army's dress blues as the only traditional uniform. "You might remember the blue uniform is our traditional uniform,"he says. The green dress uniform was adopted in 1954, but some soldiers think the polyester fabric makes it look cheap. Soldiers currently wear dress blues for ceremonial occasions, green for office work. "We don't need so many uniforms," the chief says.
Too Much News That's Fit to Print
Marine Corps Commandant Michael Hagee didn't like recent New York Times stories detailing problems with the military's body armor. Hagee says the military asked the Times not to reveal the vulnerabilities but was ignored. "I don't want snipers knowing where to shoot at our marines," says Hagee. The Times says it "worked to strike a balance between reporting on vital information while not increasing the risk to troops."
In Car No.4, Mr. Secretary
For next year's Daytona 500, don't be surprised if one of the new drivers is Carlos Gutierrez. We hear that the commerce secretary was at IBM in North Carolina last week touting the president's American Competitiveness Initiative when he got a chance to play the new IBM-chip-powered Xbox 360 game Project Gotham Racing 3 and was hooked. His day job, however, will probably keep him from driving the oval, because Gutierrez has taken the lead in pitching the president's initiative. In fact, he has become such a go-to cabinet member that some Republicans want him to run for elective office.
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