Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Biden's In - Meet Wife Jill

Jill Biden is the latest to join the race for America's Next First Lady (after hubby Senator Joe announced he's making a run for 1600 - and managed to ignite a nasty Obama-versy at the same time). No photos on the senator's official website of madame Biden that I can point you too - so this will have to do. It is Jill's "four buttoned pink suit" that was up for auction on ebay.
Mrs. B. was probably trying to get rid of this frumpiness to make room for more tight leather pants and low cut blouses with which to seduce and frighten visiting Iranians.

Pro: She's an unknown outside the beltway - no baggage.
Con: That whole Iranian thing is the first thing that pops up upon "the google" when you search "jill biden".
Tip: Do more to publicize your Biden Breast Health Initiative.

What about Bill?

The media scrambles to find a moniker for potential eastwinger Bill Clinton.
CNN's says he could be called the "First Gentleman". And while Senator Hills was in Iowa this past weekend someone suggested this.

"First Lady's Man".


(from the Washington Post)








And that wasn't the only allusion to Big Willie's philandering past. Everyone went nuts analyzing Hillary's response to a question about whether she is equipped to deal with "evil and bad men". The senator handled it well.

From the National Ledger...
"The question is, we face a lot of dangers in the world and, in the gentleman's words, we face a lot of evil men and what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men," Clinton said. She paused to gaze while the audience interrupted with about 30 seconds of laughter and applause.

It was a great moment. Is it evil and bad to lie to your wife and the country about diddling the help? Hilary tried to explain for the rest of the day that she didn't mean her hubby was the one to which she was referring.

Meeting later with reporters, she was pressed repeatedly to explain what she meant. She insisted it was a simple joke. "I thought I was funny," Clinton said. "You guys keep telling me to lighten up, be funny. I get a little funny and now I'm being psychoanalyzed."

How about President Emeritus?

Sunday, January 28, 2007

More on Rudy and Judi

New York's Newsday on the Giuliani's visit to New Hampshire

"he also appeared intent on quieting questions about his marital history by giving wife Judith Nathan an unusually high-profile role here. She barely left his side in public, and he called her a "partner" whom he leaned on for everything from getting through 9/11 and prostate cancer to understanding the science behind possible anthrax attacks."

Saturday, January 27, 2007

The Guilianis Take the Show on the Road

(from AP via cbsnews.com)
Rudy and Judi spend a snowy Saturday in New Hampshire getting some love from the Republican faithful. The Political Insider takes a little poke at the former Mayor - who has been raking in millions as a headliner- for-hire. Today's speech was gratis but don't get used to it. It costs a lot of money to keep Mrs. G 3.0 looking like this.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Toodles Teresa

Alas, we must bid adieu to Teh-rehhhhzzzza Heinz Kerry. Hubby, Senator John says he's out, so she is no longer a candidate for queen of the East Wing. Too bad. I was really looking forward to her crazy-old-rich-lady- forced-to-ride-on-a-campaign-bus-ramblings. Those are always fun times. Oh well. If we're lucky, Elizabeth Edwards will take on that role. She's been laying low after lobbing some bombs at both Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.
We can only hope for more.

  • Lizzy Edwards suddenly remembers the power of the Clinton machine and supplicates herself after questioning Hillary's 'happiness" (AP/ABC7)
  • Elizabeth Edwards v. Laura Bush (America's Next First Lady)

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Forget the Speech: Look at Laura

Lame duck George W. went on for a good fifty minutes about the same stuff he usually goes on about during his sixth State of the Union snore-fest. (Although I particularly enjoyed the reference to them Hy-brid Vee-hickuls) What's the only thing that kept the TV audience from dozing off? The all too few shots of Laura who dazzled in a Red-State-Red suit with just enough sparkle around the buttons to give it a little kick.
Take that Edwards.


Too bad the Democratic triumvirate below wasn't close enough to get a good look, because they desperately needed something to shake them out of their slumber.





(Pic snatched from barackoblogga.com)

Eventually, they did wake up, and the camera caught Obama clapping for a man who many in his base consider evil incarnate.

Note to Michelle: Tell Senator BO that yes, he has to look bi-partisan blah blah blah...but when he applauds- he should take a tip from Sen. Clinton and keep his hands low so it's hard to tell. Now Hill can say to those who talk about the need for reaching across the aisle 'see, I clapped for parts of the Bush speech'...and she can tell George-haters 'see, I didn't.' Genius.

Michelle Obama's Team Deserves a Raise

You can't buy press like this. Well you can - but that doesn't make it any less fantabulous.

The Chicago Sun-Times (left) calls Michelle Obama's anchor .
"Obama, 45, would never make a run for president without his 43-year-old wife's approval and careful counsel, those close to her say. Rest assured, Michelle, a devoted mother, has weighed the impact on daughters Malia, 8, and Natasha, 5."

The New York Post dubs her "Barack's Better Half"
"Michelle Obama - a striking 5-foot-11, with high cheekbones and a dazzling smile - is a classic beauty in the mold of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."

The Boston Herald says she "makes Obama look good."
"Michelle Obama, on the other hand, (all over Ebony magazine this month) makes Obama look good. She’s been compared to Jackie Kennedy for good looks and class and to Hillary for smarts. Like Deval, she’s out of Chicago’s tough South Side, off to Princeton, then Harvard Law."

All that plus a profile in the next issue of Newsweek?
These are not blog props - this big ol' main stream media in first tier city fawning. A five percentage point boost right there.





Coincidence? Martha Wash Thinks Not!

The New Zealand Herald jacks the swagger of America's Next First Lady with its article
"Never mind the candidates, they're off in the race for first spouse."

No really. See?









But ok. Let's see what mister Paul Harris has to say on...

"Michelle Robinson Obama, the wife of Barack Obama. Just as her handsome and youthful husband has created excitement among the political establishment, so his glamorous wife has caused a stir among fashionistas and glossy magazines."

and on Teresa Heinz Kerry...

"A less happy reminder of the Democrats' 2004 campaign is the spouse of candidate John Kerry, who is still considering a run in 2008. His billionaire wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, was a controversial figure in 2004 because of her outspokeness and public gaffes."

oh and on Elizabeth Kucinich and "Ann" Vilsack...

"One is an English-born statuesque redhead, Elizabeth Harper, wife of Dennis Kucinich, another a highly successful banker and Blockbuster board member, Jackie Clegg, wife of Chris Dodd, while yet another is a former newspaper columnist, Tom Vilsack's wife Ann. All in all, the field of candidates is one of the most unusual in history."

Yawn. Men.
Oh and by the way Peter...Mrs. Vilsack's first name is CHRISTIE.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Fox News Slams Elizabeth Edwards for Slamming Laura Bush

From Foxnews.com

"...Meanwhile, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards campaigned in Iowa on Saturday, repeating his call for members of Congress who oppose escalation of the war in Iraq to cut off funds to support it. Wife Elizabeth Edwards also had harsh words for first lady Laura Bush, saying, "I am sure Laura Bush is a really nice woman, but she has not used that megaphone that somebody put right next to her for any of the things she cares about," and calling Bush's inaction "a tremendous disappointment to me."

Click here to watch Fox slam-fest

Candidates In, Potenetial First Ladies Left Out

Clinton. Brownback. Richardson.
All three made web-announcements this past weekend about running for president and NONE of them mentioned their First Ladies-in-waiting.

Senator Hill's speech-ette had the best opening line. "I'm in. And I'm in to win."
(vid from hillaryclinton.com)
It also had the best slow pans from side to side to make it more interesting visually. But what it didn't have was any mention what so ever of Bill...although the photo behind her (on the table, screen right) was a subtle reminder that Big Willie is always in the background. So even if it turns out she doesn't actually really know how to win the presidency after all - he does dammit.
(Nice red state jacket too, by the way.)


There wasn't even a picture of Mary Brownback in the web video announcement of Kansas republican, Senator Sam Brownback.
He mentioned America's "culture" five times and praised God three times - but he couldn't squeeze in a "Mary" or two?
Unlike the other candidates, he did add a little folksy guitar under a photo shopped pic of him in front of the White House. Should go over well in the reds.

(vid above from brownback.com)
(vid below from richardsonforpresident.com)
And New Mexico's democratic governor Bill Richardson made his exploratory committee announcement in English and Spanish without a word in either language about wife Barbara. Nada. He was more than willing to pimp her to win re-election as governor last fall - but I guess now he's gotta prove he can carry the weight by himself.
They all want to project that image. (Obama too.) That is of course until word leaks out about their affairs with the 20 year-olds. Or until they're actually in office and their approval ratings drop to the lowest levels in the history of approval ratings. The stingy bastards want to hog all the glory, until the public can't stand their asses...then it's the First Lady who has to hit the second-term campaign trail to Kalamazoo for f!@#'s sake to convince people to vote for bonehead. Just ask Laura Bush. Oh well. The price of being FLOTUS.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

A Pelosi Primer on Washington Fashion

The New York Times devotes a whopping 1,400 words to the style and substance (but mostly style) of women in Washington.
Welcome.
As I noted back in November, First Lady of the House - Nancy Pelosi - is Grand Marshall of the D.C. fashion parade.
Now, the NYT:

"On Jan. 9, a Tuesday, she wore an impeccable black and white tweed skirt suit, with strong shoulders and the jacket nipped at the waist; on Wednesday, she draped a red shawl insouciantly around a red suit outside the White House; and on Thursday, she appeared in a mod, deep-blue velvet, slimming pantsuit."

Insouciantly?
Jesus. The New York Times. Trying to get all high-brow while essentially blogging about clothes.
Fun isn't it?
Yes, Pelosi happened to push through House legislation that upped the minimum wage, and took on the rising cost of Medicare drug prices...but more importantly, she did it while looking like a million bucks...literally. Armani ain't cheap.
I mean Armani isn't cheap.
But it is well worth it for a label that imbues its power-silhouettes with a soupson of insouciant femme-fatality. Bitches.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Remembering a First Lady of Civil Rights

Can't let the holiday pass without remembering one of the all time great First Ladies. Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

Billary

Pic e-ganked from Freakingnews.com

While all the other First Lady wannabes bring their own assets to the race, NOT ONE of them brings what Big Willie brings. And the Clintons are counting on the political machine they spent decades building to work just as hard and successfully for Hill as it did for Bill.
Christie Vilsack, you think you were good in New Hampshire last year?
Well, more than a decade earlier Hillary was there learning the lay of the land and making some very industrious friends.

From
(Forbes):
'Nancy Richards-Stower, a New Hampshire attorney, said she'll work just as hard for Sen. Clinton as she did for Clinton's husband.
Richards-Stower recalled her first meeting with Mrs. Clinton at a restaurant where her husband was making his first campaign appearance in New Hampshire. As they climbed a staircase, Mrs. Clinton mentioned how eager she was to campaign for her husband.
"Mrs. Clinton, forgive me, but you've not done a New Hampshire campaign before," Richards-Stower told her. "The people you need to get aboard the campaign are going to want to spend time with your husband, not you."
Clinton responded by pinching a sizable section of her own hand.
"Nancy, my skin is this thick," she said. "If you think that I shouldn't do an event, I'd like you to tell me."
"Of course, the very first event she did was a sellout crowd," Richards-Stower said, laughing at how much she underestimated the wife who would like to become the nation's first female president.'






Sunday, January 14, 2007

Bill Dodges Cookie Bomb, Hil Dodges Real Bombs

A box addressed to potential First Lady Bill Clinton caused quite a bit of commotion in White Plains recently. The Secret Service and a bomb squad were called in to investigate the "suspicious package".
Turns out it was a box of cookies.
Meanwhile Senator Hillary made a very presidential trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan with
a couple other members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee.
Is this officer talking to his next Commander-in-Chief?

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Michelle Obama in Inner Political Circle, But Not

The Chicago Tribune has a Sunday extravaganza on Senator BO's inner circle.
On wife Michelle's placement:

"Although she is a Harvard-educated lawyer who once worked for Mayor Daley, Michelle Obama doesn't play a day-to-day role in her husband's work, associates say. Instead, says Jarrett, she is the "true north" on his compass.
She says exactly what she thinks, friends say, and when others might tell Obama how to get elected, she reliably advises him not to calculate that way.
"She always asks Barack, `What do you think is the right thing to do?' "said Jarrett.
`Forget about what polls say. Do your homework. After you've done all the due diligence, what's the right thing to do?'

Translation - "don't bother me with the details. You've decided you want to try to be the most powerful man in the world...fine. I'll support you. I'll also speak the unvarnished truth to you because I know you. Know you like none of these hero-worshipers do. I know where all the bodies are buried - and I'll protect you. But I've go two kids to raise. Alone. On the talk shows and on the dais in New Hampshire you give lip service to being here for dinner and putting me and the girls first. But you and I both know - that's not true. Mounting a world-class power chase doesn't allow it. And that's fine. I'm on board because ultimately it could benefit us all. But spare me obsessive strategizing you and your cronies are so fond of. I'm busy."

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Michelle Still Suffering for Barack's Rezko Stupidity

From: Stella's Column (Chicago Sun-Times)

"THAT'S CLASS! U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were spotted seated in coach for the eight-hour trip back from their Hawaii vacation. This is one smart couple! ... They are on the cover of the February issue of Ebony, hitting newsstands Monday. Michelle's birthday is Wednesday."

We get it. Senator BO is the common man. He loves the little people. Yes, he's got a 1.7 million dollar mansion and two New York Times bestsellers but dammit he will not buy first class plane tickets with what everyone will assume are his ill-gotten Rezko gains.
Understandable. But Jesus. Honolulu International to O'Hare in coach - when you don't absolutely have to? Just take a deep breath Michelle. Air Force One has a looootttttttaaaaa leg room and M&M's with the presidential seal and your name on the box.

Cindy McCain Wins One, Loses One

Cindy looked great at this week's BCS Championship in Glendale, Arizona - where she succeeded in keeping her eyes away from the players butts...but failed to get Senator John to not embarrass her by going to a football game in a suit.

Babs and Bill Richardson Make Moves on the Down Low

Well well well. Looks who's quietly building his foreign affairs cred in Sudan while everybody back in the U.S. is fixated on Clinton and Obama. It's New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Just days after taking the oath for another term in office (a very low key affair so it doesn't look too much like he's bailing should he decide to run for 1600) his office says Big Bill even secured a 60-day cease-fire in Darfur.

Meanwhile wifey keeps tooling around in her hybrid Ford Escape to show the greenies the Richardsons are down with their cause. Take that Al Gore. Of course all of these good and presidential deeds are getting buried under mounds of ObamaMcCainClintonGiuliani press.
Announce already you two. Go on. Get you some.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Ebony: Obamas Next First Couple?

Now this is more like it. The beach pic could be spun but in essence was a tad horrifying - so it's good that very soon afterwards the Obamas get an image out there like this. The junior senator from Illinois all suited and tied up and Michelle in Nancy Reagan red.
You can count on Ebony for some glossy pics accompanied by a nice short, non-taxing, no hard questions asked interview. Bonus.

Tip: Next time Michelle, don't let them photograph you gripping Barack from the back a la Pauletta and Denzel - in that let me hang on to my man for dear life pose that the mag is so fond of. (And yes I am that kind of familiar with Ebony Magazine covers. I make special trips a few times a year over to my granmama 'nem's house to read both Ebony and Jet. That way you can go through a stack of them in about 15 minutes. Fun times.)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Obama Uncovered

Okay. So it's clear from this People Magazine pic that Senator BO doesn't join Michelle in those daily 4:30 am workouts. But good call Michelle in not demanding that he shape up. Yes it's a drag when you get all fine and ish - and he's about two
poo poo platters away from needing a Bro, not to mention those cheechos happening around the middle. And somehow it's even worse to roll over and feel that on a thinnish man (been there). However, the flab says "I'm just too busy, too dedicated, working too hard for the people of the great state of Illinois (and would do the same for all Americans as president) to find the time to stay in shape."
Overall assessment: The squishiness, while a little gross, works. Good move in getting that out there.

Christie Vilsack Spins Her Web

Watch and learn from a master ladies. Self-described spider Christie Vilsack has already snagged Ken Fuson at the Des Moines Register. This article is 2,500 words of goodness and light. Christie loves the kids, Christie is a champion for literacy, Christie is Iowa's best First Lady in 50 years. But the most telling thing about her skills is this little vignette about her recent pilgrimage to political holy ground:

"I think she is just a splendid person," says New Hampshire state Rep. Jim Ryan. He said Vilsack sent books to his three daughters after she met them, and he expects New Hampshire voters to like her as much as his children now do."

Uh-huh. Jim Ryan is on the come-up in New Hampshire...he's the newly minted chairman of the state house's transportation committee even though he's served just one term. And now the children of a man with growing influence in primary central just love the Vilsacks who just happen to making their long shot run for president.
Genius.