This FEMA Chief Knows Hurricanes

Here's one ray of sunshine from the cloud-darkened Federal Emergency Management Agency as it braces for the storm season. New Director David Paulison knows hurricanes. And we're not just talking about waiting one out in a beach house. He was chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, always living in hurricane alley. So it should come as no surprise that Florida locals respect his disaster experience--and say we should, too. One example:

He went shopping a few weeks ago near his Florida home for hurricane supplies. You know--duct tape, canned chow, bottled water. He was also in the market for a new generator. So he's at Wal-Mart, "and this guy walks up alongside of me and he goes, 'Are you the FEMA director?'" Paulison tells us. "And I go, 'Yes sir,' and he says, 'Well, I'm going to buy the one you buy.'" Within minutes, there's a crowd of other buyers milling around waiting for Paulison to make his pick, a portable McCulloch. "I'm just gonna pick the best one that suits my needs," he tells them, "and you do the same."

This self-described Mr. Be Prepared means it. "One of my pet peeves is people getting ready for a disaster," he says. "There are people out there who simply can't take care of themselves, and those are the ones we should have to focus on and not necessarily the ones who are able-bodied who care not to take care of themselves."

Better Late Than Never for Kerry

It came two years late, but the awarding of Democratic Sen. John Kerry's controversial Vietnam War Silver Star has been publicly blessed by the man who was Navy secretary at the time--Virginia Sen. John Warner. It came during last week's heated debate over Kerry's plan to set a deadline to start withdrawing troops from Iraq. After Kerry made reference to Vietnam, the Republican chimed in about how the whole Silver Star episode went down and how then Navy Lt. John Kerry deserved it for killing a Viet Cong who was lugging a rocket launcher. "I know that," says Warner. In 2004, critics said Kerry didn't deserve the medal because they claim he shot the foe in the back. "I went to the Pentagon in February 1969 and was there for five years in the Navy secretariat," Warner recalls. "I remember when his Silver Star came through," he adds. "I went back and checked for accuracy, and it was accurate."

'First Biker' Turns TVs to the Tour

Come July 1, the TVs in the White House, at Camp David, and on Air Force One will be tuned to the OLN cable outdoor sports network. That's so the "first biker" can keep up with the Tour de France. "He's always watching it or asking about it," says an adviser to President Bush. "He tries to watch it all the time, even on Air Force One." No surprise. Bush is a well-known mountain bike fanatic and longtime friend of fellow Texan and tour winner Lance Armstrong. And like everyone, Bush is itching, aides say, to see who will be the next Lance, a national curiosity OLN is hyping as it tries to build attention for the race. "We've got the potential for several Americans in the top 10," says OLN President Gavin Harvey. And if the winner is an American, we hear, a White House invite will follow. Bush will very likely present what has to be the most exclusive trinket ever: socks from the president's biking group that read "Peloton One."