Washington Whispers
The PowerPoint as Running Mate
Mitt Romney, the former Bay State guv now running third in the GOP presidential sweepstakes, doesn't use a BlackBerry or even carry a cellphone. But that's not to say he's not a techie geek. In fact, he's proving to be just the kind of wonk that would make Microsoft's Bill Gates giddy at an issues lunch. Here's the deal: Romney is the first-ever presidential candidate to haul out a PowerPoint presentation at campaign events. He did it recently while addressing the Detroit Economic Club, and the audience went nuts for it. "It was amazing," an auto exec tells us. "I mean he didn't just make claims. He had the graphs to back him up!"
The idea was the candidate's and was a textbook presentation outlined in classic fashion: It opened with the "Intro," wrapped up under the title "Close," and finished with an "End" on Page 21. In between were graphs that Romney tried to soften with descriptions of lines like "squiggle." PowerPoints, says spokesman Kevin Madden, "speak to the competency that [Romney] exudes and the authoritative nature of his understanding of the issues." Plus, he says, the boss just digs them-and is a great presenter. "He's the PowerPoint president. Very few people could pull this off and not look wonkish." And the Mitt-tech doesn't end there: He's started Mitt TV and raises cash on ComMitt, a computer fundraising program.
Could Al Gore Bankroll His Bid?
If you're wondering why, despite his denials, Al Gore remains the most talked about nonpresidential candidate, it's this: His friends think he's done so well in the private world that he could bankroll the start of his own 2008 bid. "If Al Gore wants to run, he will come with all the means necessary," says longtime ally Donna Brazile. "Al Gore is someone who can pull it off at half time,"she said. But he's got competing interests for his wallet: Friends say he also wants to expand his global climate change campaign.
This Candidate Is Used to Running
It doesn't look as if we'll be seeing Sen. Barack Obama, among the leanest Democrats running for the presidency, hanging out at McDonald's. That's because he's big on exercise and healthy eating. "He exercises every day," says an insider. Obama's a runner and a regular on the treadmill. The youthful lawmaker even ran for an hour before announcing his candidacy back in Illinois. Among his snacks: trail mix.
Once Again in the Line of Fire
Can a prosecutor go on to become president? Well, that's what fans of TV prosecutor Arthur Branch, aka former Sen. Fred Thompson,hope. We hear that his buddies are strongly urging him to jump into the already packed GOP race. "The draft- Fred movement grows," says one ally, citing several blogs pushing Thompson, who has been feeding his fans with occasional commentary-laced fill-in work for radio's Paul Harvey.
A New Rambo, but the Same Ending
Suicide attacks dominate the headlines, but here's one that didn't happen. A U.S. Army officer in Afghanistan reports that last month a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden Toyota Corolla up to an Army base in Kabul, where an Afghan nicknamed "Rambo" was guarding the gate. Rambo wears an Army-style uniform but isn't allowed to pack heat, so he uses a big red pipe, which he sometimes slams on car hoods to slow them down. Anyway, as the suicide bomber approached, he got hung up in the gate. Rambo reached into the window and yanked the bomber out before he could detonate the explosives. Rambo's reward: Troops passed a hat and handed him a wad of cash.
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