Wonk'd: Remains of the Day
Throughout the day, we've delivered celebrity sightings of Bob Novak , that human-animal hybrid; more Supreme Court justices than you can shake a stick at; and the man that everyone's talking about, Jack Abramoff .
Now we bring you an added bonus: a sighting of a possible future POTUS, Senator John McCain!
Sitting in National, waiting to catch the shuttle flight to NYC, when McCain sits down in front of me. Multiple people keep coming up to him to talk. A woman in her mid 50's comes up and says, "Why, Senator McCain, you are so much better
looking in person!" McCain says thank you.
As she leaves, I lean in and say, "Senator, I know how hard it is to be so devilishly good looking." McCain starts cracking up, and I continue by saying, "I'm glad that worked -- it was that or a Jack Abramoff
joke!"
The laughing stops; McCain proceeds to raise his paper over his face. I get up and walk away.
Good stuff! And the fun's not over yet. Go the jump page -- click on that pointing finger -- for sightings of such boldface names as Susan Collins, Tony Williams, Mark Warner, Karl Rove, Joe Lockhart, Paul Begala, Bill Frist, and many more!
* Karl Rove at Les Halles on 1/31 at lunch time. Nothing like a little red meat while you are plotting the end of civilization as we know it!
* Former Gov. Mark Warner (and a couple of daughters or other kids) attended the Washington Auto Show on Sunday afternoon, January 29, at the DC Convention Center. Just like the rest of us, he stood in line for tickets. Couldn't some VA car dealer comp this guy??? He must be in the market for new wheels now that he's given back his government car.
* January 20, 2006, 6: 30 pm - Saw Christian Campbell (totally hot co-star of iconic gay film "Trick") having dinner at Georgia Browns with a friend and some woman. Also, watched as a queen [ed. note: lowercase "q" in original] sheepishly interrupted to get his picture taken with Christian, who looked absolutely thrilled to finally have someone recognize him. At least he was as hot in person as he is on screen.
* In a town known for its bipartisan partisanship, it's increasingly surprising to see people spending downtime together across the aisle, and smiling while they do it. Last Monday I spotted the tough but elegant Rep. Jane Harman (D-Ca.) and moderate Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins (who, for her part, looked trim and stylish and much hipper than she does on TV) at the opening night of the Shakespeare Theater's brilliant new production of Don Juan. They seemed to be having a very pleasant time. Of course,
Harman's husband Sidney is backing an expansion of the theater, making her royalty around those parts, so perhaps that had something to do with it.
* Saw Bill Frist having dinner with a group at Nora on Wednesday night. They all seem to be out and about this week.
* Tues. 1/31. Went to breakfast at the Willard Room this morning and figured someone exciting would be there. Only person I recognized was the Mayor. Sitting at a table of about 6 -- mostly older white guys, presumably talking baseball? Couldn't hear the conversation. Acoustics in that place are amazing. Go Nats!
* I spotted Ethan Zohn from Survivor at the corner of 17th and Eye St NW today. He was on his cell phone, and far too well-dressed to be from DC.
* Bob Novak, spread expansively across a highly visible table, having a leisurely lunch with someone about twenty years more ancient than he was. Knowing that Novak's major Democratic source is Bob Strauss, I googled Strauss. I can't be positive, but I'm fairly sure it was him. Novak has regained the weight his medical misfortunes helped him lose.
* On Wednesday I spotted Joe Lockhart and Paul Begala at National Airport. They saw each other and struck up a conversation. I overheard Lockhart asking Begala if he thought the Begala/Carville book would make the New York Times bestseller list this week. Begala could have been spotted a mile away in a Texas Longhorns orange t-shirt and jeans.
* I saw Webster Hubbell having a drink at the bar at Panache (By ABC News) on Monday, January 31. Didn't say anything, just watched Lou Dobbs on the TV, finished his cocktail, and mosied on out the door. Pretty boring, actually.
* This is pretty lame, but saw Juan Williams and some
woman coming into Charlie Palmer's on Thursday 1/26. Then my beer arrived and when I looked back up, they were gone.
* I saw Jim Cason, the associate deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior, grabbing lunch at the Corner Bakery in the National Press Club yesterday around 1: 30pm. His posse got to-go -- they took the food back to 18th and C, not wanting to eat with the rest of us. I don't know what he ordered but he seemed pretty cranky. (Who's Jim Cason you ask? He's not even on DOI's list of Key Officials . Jim Cason was appointed back in August 2001 and pretty much runs DOI. He is like Dick Cheney!)