Washington Whispers
Some random tidbits: Scott McClellan, the former White House spokesman, is shopping a book proposal around and hopes to land a deal this month. He tells us that it will be a "candid look at the president, the press, and defining events." Also writing a book: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, on his roots in Searchlight, Nev.-"13 brothels and no churches"-and how he got to Washington. And what about this news from former Sen. Fred Thompson, the Law & Order star who's thinking about a presidential bid: He's planning more fundraisers for convicted perjurer Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Friends say it will help him show conservatives that he not only believes in the Bush team but is not a fair-weather friend.
This Tom Clancy Walks the Walk
Every military thriller writer wants to be compared to Tom Clancy, but to be called better? That's what Aiden Rocke is hearing about his first work, Rogue Threat, and the upcoming sequel, Hidden Threat. Military writers say his books, filled with terrorist tales, are very realistic. So how does he make them so authentic? Rocke is a pseudonym for the real author: a member of the Army brass who has fought in Afghanistan. "The primary heroes," he tells us, "are amalgamations of role models I've observed from private to general." We can't tell you Rocke's real name or, you know, we'd have to kill you. Let's just say he doesn't want his hobby to interfere with his day job, though he does give a percentage of profits from book sales to the Army emergency relief campaign.
A Vote From the Secret Service
Here's one group not crying over the speeded-up presidential primary process: the U.S. Secret Service. Instead of protecting more than a dozen candidates during the early months of the primary season, the agents might have just two candidates to oversee by the middle of February. Why? A quickened primary process could cull the list of nominees that early. Agency officials say they had expected to have a crowd of candidates to protect through April, so this change could save them millions.
Tony Snow, Best of the Boomers
Nobody loves the baby boomers more than the baby boomers, so it shouldn't be a surprise that one of the generation's notables, White House spokesman Tony Snow, takes a center-stage role in PBS's two-hour special, The Boomer Century 1946-2046, on March 28. It will show three pics of Snow: as a kid, playing his rock flute, and dressed up as the prez's spokesman. He comes across well-not too boomer-boosterish-though he says, "What you have with baby boomers is a kind of sense of excitement about life that distinguishes us a little bit from other generations." One example: trying several jobs. The newsman and radio host turned spokesman says, "I've been through about six different careers and I'll go through one or two more before I'm done." Then there's his rock band. "If I didn't have that band, I'd be playing the room and disturbing my wife and neighbors."
Paul Bedard's blog is at www.usnews.com/whispers
With Anna Mulrine
advertisement
