USNews.com: Inside Washington: Paul Bedard: : Eerie 9/11 mixed with politics

September 11, 2006

Eerie 9/11 mixed with politics

Washington's been weird today, considering that it's the fifth anniversary of 9/11. With the exception of a huge American flag on the Department of Labor and some local shows of patriotism like the little flags stuck in the ground outside the town hall where I live in little Purcellville, Va., there really hasn't been any spontaneous display of mourning around town outside of the staged events. In fact, a quick look finds more people wearing Washington Redskins shirts than yellow ribbons, a sign that the town is ready for some football and tonight's home game against the Vikings. And if anything says the city's moved past 9/11, it was probably the Democratic National Committee's soliciting downtown on M Street across from the nudie clubs between 18th Street and 19th Street. I ran into a perky solicitor dressed in a blue DNC shirt and she 'fessed after her pitch that she expected some nasty comments for seeking donations on the 9/11 anniversary. But, she said, "You're the first one to even raise the anniversary."

Posted at 03:08 PM by PaulBedard

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WHAT IS THIS?

Have you ever wondered what reporters do with all the stuff they collect but never write about? Well wonder no more. The bosses here pay me a good chunk of change and haven't ever choked on my Amex bill so it seems only proper to dump out my notebook every week. It won't be just news we didn't use. The blog will sometimes write about the process of getting stories-like why we choose Charlie Palmer's (quiet, spacious) for source lunches on Capitol Hill over Bistro Bis (crowded and noisy). Or why it's hard to get reporters at U.S. News to answer their phones on Fridays (it's our deadline, silly.) We'll even include pictures of our travels. Don't hesitate to applaud or criticize. We might just run your comments. Go ahead and email me at pbedard@usnews.com.

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Five years ago: Vice President Dick Cheney knows how to keep reporters happy. Flying home on Air Force Two from an energy policy town hall meeting in Pittsburgh, his press corps asked stewards for beer. Breaking with practice, the jet was dry. Scribes whined to Cheney who found two bottles of vino, red and white, to give the pampered pressies.