Washington Whispers
Full Speed Ahead in the East Wing
It's a long way from the deck of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to the East Wing, but new White House Usher Stephen Rochon, a retired Coast Guard rear admiral, is finding great similarities in keeping both shipshape. "My background made me suited for this," says Rochon, who started in March as only the eighth chief White House usher ever. It's a big job: His team does everything, including washing the president's clothes, preparing quesadillas for the first family, keeping up the old house, and even walking the first pets. "I'm still pinching myself," he tells us. As for the dog chores, Rochon says he gets a kick out of petting them in the morning. "It's not a dog's life here. They are taken care of very well."
Presidential Pizza Guy Does It Again
For two straight years, Dennis Tran has been Domino Pizza's speed king, and the Washington area pie tosser is giving the White House a little credit. Tran used to run the store closest to the White House, a big customer (the Bush crowd likes pepperoni). Speed was the theme when those orders came in, which is possibly why Tran was crowned the World's Fastest Pizza Maker with a record time of 49.1 seconds for three large pies. With his kind of speed, he tells us, "an order from the White House even during the dinner rush didn't hurt us."
Shoot the Press? Not This Gunslinger
Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat, had the perfect excuse for "accidentally" whacking reporters: He called a press briefing to stage a shooting to demonstrate new bullet-stamping technology. But instead of holding it in a committee room, he chose the U.S. Capitol Police range in the Rayburn House Office Building. "We just had to do it at the firing range," he says. "I don't think the chairmen of the hearings would be pleased we were firing a weapon in their room." Or reporters and staff: "It's hard to do a press conference if you're going to take a chance the bullet will hit a person."
Paul Bedard's blog is at www.usnews.com/whispers
With Silla Brush and Thomas Omestad
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