Washington Whispers
A New Language for the Top Teach
Making the climb to education secretary hasn't meant an end to Margaret Spellings's schooling. And it has given her access to special tutors. We hear that the Ed boss is learning Arabic. Since January, she has studied weekly with a State Department tutor and was able to speak a few words during last month's meeting of education ministers in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. She got the Arabic itch last year while traveling in Jordan and Afghanistan and now wants to be able to read aloud a children's book in the language by next year. She says it's a language that's critical to better relations.
Fight for Taiwan? Fuhgeddaboudit
Conservatives are growing restless with assumed U.S. buddy Taiwan cozying up to archrival China. And after years of America's spending money and attention on the island nation, authors and former Pentagon execs Jed Babbin and Edward Timperlake have a proposition. In their new book Showdown: Why China Wants War With the United States, the duo suggest dumping Taiwan. "My point is this," Babbin tells us: "If Taiwan isn't willing to defend itself, maybe we shouldn't either." What irks Babbin is that the nation's legislature won't buy the U.S. arms it says it needs to defend itself as it is warming to China, all the while knowing Washington will jump to its defense. "It sounds like they're willing to fight to the last drop of American blood," he says.
If He Builds It, He Will Come
Bill Clinton likes the finer things in life, Arkansas-style of course: Steaks and fries, short-sleeved shirts, and bowling. So it should come as no surprise that he put his Urban Enterprise Initiative to work in Harlem, home of his presidential office, to help Harlem Lanes on Lenox Avenue get started. And now his staff is practicing to get ready for league play. Just last week, 38 staffers and friends bowled, and Bubba himself showed up after a speech to cheer them on. "We're glad to have the former leader of the free world on our side as an extra intimidation factor," says Clinton aide Jay Carson. Now, if he could only get Little Rock's famed steak and tamale restaurant Doe's Eat Place to open a branch.
Cooking for Votes Among Buckeyes
If, as Napoleon once said, an army marches on its stomach, then why not voters? Just ask Fran DeWine, wife of Ohio Republican Sen. Mike DeWine. Ever since he got into politics 25 years ago, she's junked the idea of distributing those boring political fliers and instead handed out favorite recipes to voters. She's printed a new edition of the cookbook Fran DeWine's Family Favorites every year but one, 1992, when DeWine lost in his challenge to Sen. John Glenn. "It was the only year we didn't do it," she says, "and we lost." This year, with her hubby facing a tough re-election, she had 100,000 copies printed up early, adding healthy new recipes, like roasted carrot sticks. "It's a good-for-you french fry."
With Dan Gilgoff
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