Washington Whispers
Retirement Living, Minus Shuffleboard
He was 66 and just plain bored after over 40 years with NBC and the Today Show. "I'd covered four presidents," says John Palmer, "and there's a lot of 'Been there, done that' to it." So in 2002, "I went to [Washington Bureau Chief] Tim Russert and said, 'I just don't want to do this anymore.'" A bachelor until he was 46, Palmer still had three school-age daughters and worried he was missing too much time with them. "I was married to NBC all of those years. I was the guy who always had the suitcase by the door," he tells us. In retirement, a new life called: family, golf, and writing.
Then last year, with his youngest a senior in high school, he got a call from a new cable station, Retirement Living Television. "I didn't even know what it was," he laughs. He does now, hosting three shows and acting as a real-life demonstration of many in today's retirement class: working for fun, not just a paycheck. Geared for the 55-plus crowd, the network created by Maryland retirement community bigwig John Erickson is growing fast. And covering real, major issues. "We don't do shuffleboard shows," says Palmer. Now a sharp-looking 71, Palmer sounds almost giddy about his 10-day-a-month work schedule. And, he adds, "my wife has noticed a new spring in my step when I get up."
Many Pols Ignore 'Click It or Ticket'
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine isn't the only politician who shuns seat belts. He's just the unlucky one who got caught violating his state's seat belt law when he suffered severe injuries as his SUV crashed while doing 91 mph. We're told that seat belts aren't a priority even at the top, though President Bush tries to click in. Few aides recall former President Clinton using them often. And it's typical for top lawmakers to ride unstrapped. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert didn't use them. One top aide explained the leadership's poor habits this way: "They trust their security." But we're told that Speaker Nancy Pelosi does "75 percent of the time" and that Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is religious about strapping in.
Just Flapping in the Capitol Breeze
Before forking over the $13 to $22 for one of those U.S. flags ceremoniously flown over the Capitol, consider this: Witnesses say it's being mishandled. House staffers, who can see the operation from their offices, say that the flags are being attached only by the top ring, not properly at the top and bottom. It just flaps in the breeze, hardly a scene from Iwo Jima. "If you're not going to do it right, then don't do it all," says our tipster, a senior House staffer. "When people order the flag, they want to feel like it's something special," says the aide. "This is just a way to fly it fast." A spokesperson for the House architect, who oversees the program, was unaware of the problem but said it would be fixed.
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