Wonkette
If you want to see DC’s most famous stars, you are best off visiting exotic locals such as the BWI airport and New York City’s Central Park. There you can find two of the most lovable party hounds in the history of American government! If you must stay in town, though, you might just spot the departing rump of one very famous ex-Clinton staffer …
Here is your mission: Wander around town for at least ten (10) minutes and then write down on a tiny scrap of paper the name of the most famous person you saw. Roll up that scrap of paper into a little tube and stick it in a ball-point pen for safekeeping. Smuggle it through Canadian customs and then back again. Six weeks later, as you’re going through your luggage, remember that you wrote this thing down once. Retrieve the little paper tube, write down whatever it says in an email, and here is the very important part: send it to tips@wonkette.com with the subject line Wonk’d. If it does not have that subject line then all your efforts will have been for naught.
- Jenna Bush at BWI: Picking up bags at AirTran baggage claim off a 6:45am flight from Portland, ME, must have been comjng from a weekend in Kennebunkport They were standing next to me as we both waited for our bags. Jenna looked tired and had her ubiquitous “FEED” bag slung over her shoulder.
- While walking to Central Park to see the (Charles) Mingus Dynasty perform AND watch the 2009 Short Film Festival, the g/f and I spotted none other than white-hot hostage negotiator du jour and ex-President Bill Clinton, in his vehicle and waving to onlookers, after just exiting a Park Avenue hotel. He was smiling affably, beet read, and probably engorged. As is his wont.
I offered a weak and regrettable ‘Hey Mr. President’ which he sort-of acknowledged as he continued smiling at the gawkers. And the film fest was quite good.
- Seen last night, approx 8:40 pm: DC at-large council member (or his driver). Leaving his Mercedes with the fancy “at-large council member” plates in a busstop at H and 7th.
- I saw fake-Preznit NOBAMA’s political guru, David Axelrod, in the vicinity of 15th and P Streets, NW. Immediately recognizable by his voice and moustache, he was accompanied by a young man (HENNNNNGH???). From the friendly tone and content of the conversation, I’m guessing the guy was family. Maybe they were heading out to brunch, or to the Whole Foods, or maybe to the Yoga studio? Who knows. I could tell that he recognized I recognized him, and even I think these guys should enjoy a private life, so I decided to pretend to fumble around looking in a bag I was carrying instead of harrassing him about NOBAMA’s birf certifcaet. Also, I hope the First White Sox Fan (White Sox Fan In Chief?) didn’t see him wearing that Cubs hat.
- Axelrod, Favreau and a bunch of anonymous staffers at the bar at Corduroy on Tuesday night. DA was wearing jeans, so either the WH is very casual or he went home first. Blackberries were omnipresent.
I saw a Beast-like limo yesterday, right around the corner from the White House. It didn’t have enough of a police-and-black-SUV escort to be the president, but they *were* going with the green traffic light. It was probably some sub-Cabinet person. Undersecretary of Truck Nutz, most likely.
- I swear that’s Stephanopolous on the left there. My buddy and I saw him outside our office on 17th and M while on a smoke break. He was
walking in the rain without an umbrella, which is kind of badass. He did not stop to talk when we waved. - I saw Paul Wolfowitz walking on 17th Street today, right in front of National Geographic. His head was down as he was looking at his BlackBerry, trying to figure out which Middle Eastern country was irresponsibly holding our oil under its soil so that we could invade it. Er, spread democracy to citizens yearning for freedom.
- Just flew back from New Orleans on Monday and right as everyone was lining up to board, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and her crew hopped in front. I knew it was her for two reasons: she was wearing the same sassy blue number as in these pics and I was struck by how surprisingly small her lone secret service guy was. The first thought I had was that I could probably take him. Apparently she was in LA for a public forum on health care. Good luck trying to sell reform to a crowd waving “No Socialized Medicine!” signs.
Thanks to “Lucas,” Magic Titty, “Jessica,” “Anonymous Axelrod Watcher,” “Scott,” “Jon,” “Jeff,” and “El-Train” for the sighting reports! Seen somebody “famous for DC” wandering about town? Send your report to tips@wonkette.com with the subject line WONK’D.
If I saw Wolfowitz on the street, I’d be hard pressed not to run him over & claim he was just trying to get the oil out of my car. Alas, no one cool ever comes to Austin for me to rubberneck…but love reading these.
Jenna carrying that FEED bag still annoys me. You buy them at Whole Foods and each purchase sends support to a Third World country to feed 200 people. That’s fine, but Miz Jenna could have worked on her father a bit and gotten him to do a lot more good than just those 200 people. It’s so much easier to carry a bag that says you are concerned about people going hungry than it is to actually use your access to power.
What is with the Bush-ites and the National Geographic museum? My office is across the street from it, and there were annoyingly frequent Secret Service blockades of the whole area when Bush was in office because he or Cheney were going inside. This is (sadly) the closest I’ve ever come to seeing anyone famous - Dick Cheney surrounded by burly guys with huge guns, through a window. Yes, he really exists! Not actually a phantasm born of humanity’s darkest and most malevolent impulses! I was surprised too.
Texan Bulldoggette: Ha — I was going to congratulate the spotter on not pushing him into traffic. I think that would be justified if there was so much as a 1% chance that he was going to whip out his comb and lubricate it with his mucus glands prior to grooming.
I hear Stephanopopopolopolous is even shorter that Ted Koppel.
nice alt-tex there…Stephanopoulass indeeed. George is cute in that Michael J. Fox kinda way.
I never see anybody famous- or maybe I just wouldn’t recognize them. Maybe I will just start lying about famous people showing up at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring.
Yeah, the most famous person I have seen in years was Seattle’s mayor, and he’s only famous in Seattle, and then, only at one of our Arby’s.
Hooray! I’ve finally made it. Thanks Bill Clinton!
finallyhappy: yeah liberals wouldn’t be caught dead shopping there now…careful you would ruin someone’s career.
At a Hudson Institute (read: Douchebag) conference a few weeks ago I met Doug Feith of the fudged intell in the Pentagram office, and the light of my life Scooter Libby. I thanked Libby for his service to which he looked genuinely surprised. I did make a slight gaffe’, I said glad you landed on your feet. Ah well, you took it like a champ Scoots.
Yes, let’s not forget that Whole Foods is run by a sock-puppet, WSJ writing, douchebag!
If anyone is still reading this, I did see Ann Richards & her entourage with then Austin mayor Lee Cook(e?) at the movie theater to see the Hunt for Red October (yes, it’s been a while ago). But, good news, we could see the movie through her blue, cotton candy hair.
Texan Bulldoggette If we’re going pretty far back, I sat next to Doris Kearns Goodwin (her hubby Richard next to her) at “Donnie Brasco” at the Burlington Cinema in Burlington, Mass. Also saw Alan Dershowitz in Harvard Square a few years ago. They should team him up with Tom Delay on “Dancing with the Stars.” Talk about a team that wouldn’t work well together as a team! And I think he’s even shorter than Delay.
Texan Bulldoggette:
I would have love to have known both Ann Richards and Molly Ivins. Two of the very best people Texas ever produced.
So that is why Stephanopolous is so short.
I was fortunate enough to have seen Ann Richards, Molly Ivins and Barbara Jordan (separately) around Austin back in the ’90s. I also once picked up Mark Spitz at the Austin airport. And I was on a plane with Warren Moon once. He is large.