Diplomatic Advice: Cover Yourself Up
"I'm a prude," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tells us, "and I've always been a prude." Mothering three girls did it, of course. Her pet peeve: flashes of flesh like, say, Jennifer Aniston's tummy shots or J. Lo's, well, everything. The former diplomat, who consults worldwide, says it's more than just an issue of sexuality, though "if you dress like a sex object, you'll be treated like one." It can impact how foreign nations look at the United States. "I just cringe that we all run around with midriffs bare," she says. "I personally don't do that," jokes the slimmed-down and toned-up Albright. In fact, she tells us that "I have to control myself" from scolding women on the street who do.
In Dad's Footsteps: a Bush for Veep?
OK, so Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has made it clear that he doesn't want to run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, but that hasn't stopped friends from talking him up for vice president. In fact, allies are pushing him as the perfect match for several Republicans already running for president, including Virginia Sen. George Allen, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes vice president," said a Bush friend and Florida lawmaker. After all, it was good enough for his dad. The two reasons cited: Jeb is wildly popular in Florida, a key electoral state, and he is often called the smarter Bush brother.
Heavenly Perks for Retiring Cardinal
Being the leader of the archdiocese of Washington has its perks. We hear that first lady Laura Bush is planning a party for retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Nothing's set in stone yet, but McCarrick revealed the plans during a recent tour on the old presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia, which he hosted for senior Catholic clergy and new seminarians. While on the boat, famously used by John F. Kennedy, he told the crowd that he has personally known every president since JFK.
Family Values After the White House
They always talked about family values when they worked in the Bush administration, but it has only been after White House duty that many top aides have actually had time to practice them. The latest: former Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer and wife, Becki, also a former Bushie, who just had their second child, son Asa Davis. "Funny things happen when you leave the White House," says Ari. "You get to work a lot less hours, people pay you a whole lot more, and you start having children." Fleischer notes that many Bushies ended up marrying other insiders. Why? "You don't really have a whole lot of time to meet strangers at bars," he says.
