Wonkette

After getting the boot for trying to interview Algeria’s revolutionary army in the 1950s, the French have finally forgiven Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of the Washington Post. Bradlee, 86, received the Legion of Honor from France last week. [NYP] MORE »

By guest contributor Ben Bradlee

Sometimes I am embarrassed at how satisfied I am with my life.

I’m 85 years old.

My doctor has just told me I’m in good physical shape. Actually, he said, “wonderful” shape.

I am surrounded by the people I love. I live in fabulous houses, spectacular enough to be featured in national magazines, yet comfortable enough for someone who values “comfortable” above “beautiful.”

My kids are healthy and apparently happy. And the same for my 10 grandchildren.

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Post executive editor Leonard “Junior” Downie sent out a scary memo today saying reporters would be forced to have actual beats, learn to write reasonably short articles and help make him feel like Ben Bradlee as the paper continues to lose circulation. MORE »

* Reliable Source: Fox News will not stage a party after the Radio & Television Correspondents Association Dinner. . . White House to host small “social dinner” tomorrow night to celebrate Ben Franklin’s 300th birthday. [WP]
* Under the Dome: “Law & Order” plot line strikes the GOP the wrong way. . . Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) seek temporary memorial in the Capitol Rotunda for soldiers killed in Iraq. [The Hill]
* Page Six: New book claims that Laura Bush took “hormone adjustment” to conceive twins. . . Blind item asks, “Which political reporter attends so-called ‘circuit parties’ while flying high on ecstasy?” [NYP]
* Inside the Beltway: Ben Bradlee is visiting the South Pacific for The New Yorker. . . PETA wants Antonin Scalia to stop killing fish. [WT]
* Rush & Molloy: Giuliani hits the ground in Iowa. . . Photos of Pataki’s daughter downing tequila land on the Internet. [NYDN]

* Ben Bradlee says Richard Armitage probably revealed Valerie Plame’s identity to Bob Woodward. [NYT]
* Sen. Feingold’s call for a censure of Bush has caused a “fierce debate on Capitol Hill that is likely to persist throughout the congressional campaign season.” [WP]
* Fellow Democratic senators refuse to comment on censure resolution; Sens. Clinton and Kerry deflect inquires. [WP]
* Rumsfeld suggests that troop levels in Iraq could temporarily increase to coincide with religious pilgrimage. [NYT]
* Senate Judiciary Committee takes testimony from executives of top oil corporations, this time under oath. [WP, NYT, W$J]
* Bush, on brief tour to tout Medicare, says drug plan is “a good deal” and “makes a lot of sense.” [WP, NYT]
* FBI photographed Pittsburgh antiwar group in 2002. [WP]
* House Republicans support temporary restrictions on lobbying. [NYT]
* Senate Republicans reject new budget rule that would have made fiscal changes harder to pass. [NYT]

* Reliable Source: Bush will divert Air Force One today to vote in the Texas primary. . . David Boies‘ wife chartered two planes to bring 50 of his best friends –including Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, Ted Olsen, Walter Isaacson, Tom Friedman, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn and Margaret Carlson– to Vegas for his surprise 65th birthday party. . . Alan Greenspan turned 80 yesterday; book advance could reach $8m. . . George Stephanopoulos gets manicures. . . Jenna Bush dined at the Capital Grille on Saturday. . . Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) attended the Oscars. . . Martin Sheen seen praying at St. Stephen’s Church. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) has cast 17,532 roll-call votes. [The Hill]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Katie Holmes‘ character in “Thank You for Smoking” was inspired by Maureen Dowd. [NYDN]

We know know what Sally Quinn does in those hours when she’s not being the fabulous semi-employed spouse of Ben Bradlee: She’s about two Reynold’s Wrap-tubes short of being a member in the tin foil hat brigade, an ultra-prepared, paranoid (”Federal emergency authorities ‘not only lie, they don’t tell the truth.’”) urban survivalist who always carries a “N95 particle mask” and a jar of peanut butter. (Kinky.) On Monday, apparently between Chalabi-stalking appointments, she gave a talk to the Citizen’s Association of Georgetown, and she made it clear the lengths to which she’ll go to ensure her household is adequately prepared: “[S]he’d tried putting an N95 on Sparky, her now-deceased Shih Tzu, but it didn’t work.” We’re sure she’ll get right on a solution. Meanwhile, one quibble: Quinn has designated her laundry room as emergency shelter because it’s “easy to seal off.” However, “her food supply is heavy on the beans, ‘because they’re nutritious.’” No doubt, but sealing off a room full of people eating mostly beans? Maybe that’s what the masks are for. MORE »

• Reliable Source: Angelina Jolie proves a distraction at Capitol Hill conference on HIV/AIDS. Richard Branson also testifies: “If this were the U.S., there would be a war room set up.”. . . Lynne Cheney visits and revisits Pottery Barn. . . Connie Mack (R-Fl.) is divorcing. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Five Hall of Fame baseball players dragged out to talk about steroid legislation. . . Letter from two Democrat lawmakers regarding Plan B may have influenced FDA commissioner to resign. . . John Dingell (D-Mich.), Mark Foley (R-Fla.), Pat Roberts, ABC’s John Cochran, Howard Fineman, Matt Cooper, and Ben Bradlee attend screening of “Flightplan” hosted by Dan Glickman. [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents found themselves hounded for ice by confused hurricane victims. [WT]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Gloria Steinem says ‘08 is too soon for Hillary. [NYDN]
• Rush & Molloy: Ari Fleischer is working for Bud Selig. [NYDN]