Washington Whispers
Practicing Therapy That He Preaches
It's a rare politician who actually takes the policy medicine he prescribes, and luckily the pill that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pushes isn't bitter. "Simply put," he once said, "music can heal people." That was 15 years ago, and while Reid's bid to make "music therapy" services available to frail, older Americans failed, he's become an addict himself. His preferred method of delivery: the biggest Apple iPod made. "He loves music," says aide Jim Manley. "And he loves his iPod."
And just because this old-school politician is 66, don't write him off as a sock hop twister. Far from it. On Reid's playlist is an eclectic group of balladeers and blue-collar, blues, and indie bands like Wilco, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., and the Fruit Bats. "That's nice to hear," says a Wilco publicist. "Who knew?" While many of Reid's favorite artists share his political views--Springsteen especially--music really is the therapy for Reid. The Nevadan tells us this recent story. Restless on a Reno-to-Las Vegas flight, he was told by his wife to tune out by turning on his iPod. "I got off the plane feeling rejuvenated, ready to go."
Unlike other notable iPod-ers, like President Bush, Reid has also become a master of downloading from iTunes and file sharing. And he's getting into podcasts, putting two on his re-election website. "Now," says Reid, "if I could only get my picture on the cover of Rolling Stone."
Enough With "Speaker Pelosi"
Boy, you'd think having a chance at electing the first-ever female House speaker would have the Democrats bragging about "Speaker" Nancy Pelosi, but we hear there's an effort to stop that talk. Dems worry she's so liberal it will scare moderates away and energize conservatives going into the fall elections.
United 93 Pushes One Man to Tears
We caught Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his wife last Thursday at the Georgetown Loews for the 5:05 p.m. showing of United 93, where they sat in the front row. Our Chris Haines says Joyce Rumsfeld offered, "People have been telling us we have to see it." Afterward, it looked as if Rumsfeld--who pulled victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon to safety--had a tear on his cheek. "That," Rumsfeld says, "was really tough to watch." Of the issue on ordering United 93 shot down, the SecDef says it's not just the president who can make that order. He can, too. And, he adds, a week doesn't go by in which he isn't asked at least once to make that call on what normally turn out to be lost aircraft.
Social Security: Democrats' Turn
Social Security is baack! But this time Democrats are going to ride it, attacking the failed reforms pushed by President Bush. It's an old scare tactic, but it works. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, plans a "big discussion" about how the Republicans would use their re-election to majority power this fall to privatize the program. And at a time when many are worried about their economic security, Democrats say, they don't want their retirement benefits messed with.
Love From Daddy's Political Daughters
Karyn Frist, wife of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, has an interesting hobby: collecting anecdotes about dads from prominent daughters and daughters of prominent people. And so far, she's landed a pretty good list for her upcoming book, Love You, Daddy Boy: Daughters Honor the Fathers They Love. She tells us that Condoleezza Rice, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and even former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have contributed to the book, out this fall. "This is a way to honor not only my dad but the special relationship between fathers and their daughters," says Frist. "It's not even a Democrat or Republican issue."
100 Women, 100 Frocks
There's still one exclusive group in Washington that has little time for partisanship: the political women's club. We hear that the gang of 100 who make up the Spouses of the Senate Luncheon are working with first lady Laura Bush to raise money via an eBay auction for Gulf Coast school libraries. Inspired by the book The Hundred Dresses, about a little girl taunted for wearing her only dress to school every day, the spouses have donated 100 dresses for an auction that ends May 26 for the Laura Bush Foundation library initiative.
Ugly Americans, in Black and White
Maybe one reason Americans are often disliked overseas is that many of the foreign correspondents assigned to the United States arrived with negative preconceptions. The Brookings Institution's Stephen Hess says in his book Through Their Eyes that nearly half of these correspondents view America as a haughty, arrogant superpower. Many like covering the United States,but not Mexico's Jesus Esquivel. "It's very difficult to accommodate yourself [to American life]," he tells Hess. "I cannot say culture, because obviously there is no culture in this country; there is no history."
A CNN Vet and an Off-Camera Home
Maybe it was the graying temples, but CNN's ousted NewsNight anchor Aaron Brown always reminded us of a folksy college professor. Well now, after trolling for a new TV job, he is a college professor. Arizona State University says he'll be an honors professor teaching journalism for its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Barrett Honors College. You'll remember Brown: He was labeled CNN's next big thing until Anderson Cooper grabbed that title and got Brown's show, even though Cooper delivered lower ratings. "I thought he was one of the top" news anchors, Cronkite says, especially Brown's editorial asides. "I was surprised when he left [CNN]. I still don't understand what that was about." And Cronkite says he hopes Brown stays in teaching. "I hope it will be a very long and prosperous addition to the school."
With Kenneth T. Walsh and Suzi Parker
This story appears in the May 29, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.