Hollywood on The Potomac
by Janet Donovan
FRIENDS
There are many definitions of friendship, but
none I like better than "True friendship isn't
seen with the eyes, it's felt with the heart."
Such was the enduring friendship between CQ
Publisher Bob Merry, Chicago Sun-Times Columnist
Bob Novak and Steve Neal. It came as no surprise
then that the two Bob's picked up where Neal
left off by hosting a book party for his 11th
and last book: "Happy Days Are Here Again".
Following on the heels of two infomercial
conventions, this gold nugget for political
junkies is particularly momentous. The subtitle
"The 1932 Democratic Convention, the Emergence
of FDR--and How America Was Changed Forever"
plays back to a crucial moment in history that
remade the Democratic Party, marking the end of
an era and the birth of modern America. The
backroom deals and drama between political
heavyweights and personalities eventually led to
the nomination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but
a surprising close call for the man who went on
to be America's most beloved and legendary
President.
"Among the dazzling and influential
personalities Neal weaves into this high-stakes
drama are Joseph P. Kennedy, William Randolph
Hearst, Huey Long, Bernard Baruch, Will Rogers,
Clarence Darrow, Amelia Earhart, Duke Ellington,
and John Dos Passos. All of these players
gathered during a Chicago summer to do battle
over the leadership of their party and,
consequently, the White House." (William Morrow)
The author, a savvy Chicago Sun-Times political
columnist who died in February at the age of 54,
left behind his own legacy. Both his penetration
into the political landscape as well as his
ability to transport that into a conversational
style of his own will be missed by friends and
readers alike.
Fascination with the book's historical political
replay was not lost on UPI's political columnist
Peter Roff who chose to remain at Teatro
Goldoni's bar where the book launching took
place, totally engrossed and up to chapter five.
The same could be said for political buff Bill
Moorehead who picked up a copy and soon fled the
scene to put in an all night reading session.
Guests appreciating the life, times and talent
of Steve Neal included The Wall Street Journal's
Washington Bureau Chief, Al Hunt; pollster Frank
Luntz; political operative and former Press
Secretary to the late Robert F. Kennedy, Frank
Mankiewicz; CBS's White House Correspondent Bill
Plante & Early show producer Penny Britell;
David Bass of Qorvis Communications; CQ's Susan
Benkelman; Deborah Grosvenor; best selling
author Larry Leamer & wife Vesna; Afghan
Ambassador Ishaq Shahryar; Fox News Host Rita
Cobsy with musician filmmaker Tomaczek; John Fox
Sullivan, President of Atlantic Media; famous &
former NBC journalist Sandy Vanocur; The
Hotline's Editor, Danielle Decker Jones; Kay
Evans, widow of Novak partner Rowland Evans; and
most of all, a serene and appreciative widow,
Sue Neal.
To order "Happy Days Are Here Again", just
click on the photo.
SHENANIGANS
"For more than a decade, John McCaslin has
covered the Beltway beat for the Washington
Times, in his extremely popular, widely quoted,
award-winning column."
For more than a decade, women in the Washington
area have been covering John McCaslin.
So you can see my dilemma: Do I put up
McCaslin's photo or the book jacket? Tough call,
but reason prevailed.
You couldn't recognize guests by their name tags
at the Ritz Carlton Hotel book launching in
Georgetown which included 'Martha Mitchell';
'John Dean'; 'Fanny Fox', 'Elizabeth Ray' and
'Monica Lewinsky'. They read like a who's who of
Washington scandals, bewildering many younger
guests who asked me to identify the
personalities. This should be a reminder to both
sides to give a Swift Kick to the Swift Boat
saga that not everyone old enough to vote
remembers. Enough already.
The most colorful thing being passed around
beside the Mojitos were the tidbits in the book
itself.
McCaslin recalls the day that Clinton's
secretary of state, Madeleine K. Albright, was
mistaken for a house-keeper during the Kosovo
peace negotiations.
"Give us five minutes and please go away!" one
negotiator abruptly dismissed Albright,
mistaking her for the maid. Albright became
furious." Fortunately, no one could translate
her remarks into Albanian.
"Hers wasn't the only case of mistaken identity.
Take the time former Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev was visiting Washington and the ample
White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater was
literally hoisted off his feet and carried out
the door of the Soviet embassy by members of the
KGB Ninth Guards Directorate who mistook him for
the average Joe."
Inside the Beltway is indeed as described, a
cornucopia of the funniest, most bizarre, and,
at times, very heartwarming stories about life
in Washington, D.C.
"John McCaslin's "Inside the Beltway" column is
always an eye-opener- especially when you read
something about your own husband you never knew
before!" - Mary Matalin, former assistant to
President Bush and counselor to Vice President
Dick Cheney.
To buy the book or just check out McCaslin,
click on the adjacent photo.
SAY WHAT?
I got my first lesson in dancing 'with attitude'
last week when I dropped into Jamie Foster
Brown's Sister2Sister Magazine party at Columbia
on 19th Street.
Say what? You heard me (that's an attitude
response), I got my first lesson in dancing
'with attitude' last week.
Say What? is the facial expression that
synchronizes with the body movements and
depending on your partner can be expressed in
several dimensions such as Say Whaaaaaaaaa? or
more emphatically put: Say WHAT?
I love it!
For six years now, Jamie has hosted the S2S
Intergenerational Celebration which bridges the
communication gap between generations with the
hope of uniting the hip-hop generation with the
establishment without colliding. No easy feat.
This year was no exception as Master of
Ceremonies Kwame Jackson of "The Apprentice"
paired up soul crooner Musiq with Congressman
Chaka Fattah (D.PA) and singer Brandy with
political movers and shakers.
It was at the traditional late night "Afterglow"
party that it became obvious that indeed
everyone had gotten the message and of course
where I got my first lesson in dancing 'with
attitude'.
If you think there's no late night in
Washington, you obviously need to know Jamie.
Check out her magazine by clicking on the photo.
Well, gotta go now and sign up for my next
lesson. Say what?
