Useless Information

Politico‘s normally clean shaven Ken Vogel is sporting a new look today with a half-grown beard. Tell us what you think of it. We’ll publish only the answers fit for print. Send to FishbowlDC@mediabistro.com or to Betsy@mediabistro.com

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Cindy McCain, beer distributor heiress, whose only accomplishment of note is being born to rich and famous parents and finding a way to parlay a poorly written blog into a book deal, doesn’t like Newt Gingrich. Why does anyone care what this spoiled woman-child thinks? Because she’s on TV, naturally.

In what can only be explained as a prank that has gotten out of control, Meghan is also an MSNBC contributor who was brought on to represent the Republican Party. Well, it was either a prank or just how far down the food chain MSNBC had to go in order to find anyone willing to call themselves a Republican and regularly appear on their network. Either way, it ain’t right.

Meghan was on “Now with Alex Wagner” earlier in the week to discuss the Republican primary and used the opportunity to unleash fresh hypocrisy on the world.

In addition to claiming that a Gingrich nomination would be “the end of the Republican Party,” McCain decided to attack Newt’s wife Callista, who, in her eyes is a hussy.

Of Callista, Meghan says, “[S]he was a third wife and a mistress and is coming off somewhat icy and [her] reputation of being somewhat controversial within their campaign is doing damage. Maybe just to politicos, but I think it’s something that people, and especially values voters, will bring into the race.”

GUESS WHAT MEGHAN: YOUR MOM IS ALSO A HUSSY.

McCain, herself not a “values voter,” calls Mrs. Gingrich “a mistress.” It’s true, Newt was married to his second wife when they met. But what Meghan neglects to point out is her own mother Cindy, wife of the last Republican nominee, was a mistress herself. Yes, John McCain was married when he met and became involved with Cindy. That this doesn’t occur to Meghan isn’t surprising, since she’s so oblivious to the world around her that she actually thinks people take her seriously.

But that slight to mistresses might make for an awkward Christmas dinner at the McCain house…whichever of the 8 homes in which they’re “Christmasing” this year.

CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Host Howard Kurtz really sharpened his investigative skills in his Media Monitor segment this week as he delved deep into the mystery behind an “exclusive” interview that aired on WNYW, a New York Fox station. Anchor Greg Kelly didn’t disclose that his guest, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, was his father until the nine-minute segment was nearly over. Kurtz found this and the cutesy way the news was revealed egregious. In the end he deduced that — AHA! — most likely it was Greg who persuaded his father to come on the show. “Couldn’t WNYW have simply asked the younger member of the Kelly family to sit this one out?” Kurtz asked. “OR, and I’m just taking a wild guess here, could Greg Kelly have used his connections to land this exclusive interview?” We don’t need to say it do we? Okay, fine. NO SHIT SHERLOCK.

 

Welcome to “Wendy Wednesday,” FishbowlDC’s new fantasy photo feature starring Facebook’s favorite gal about town and local publicist Wendy Gordon.  Because we’ve received such overwhelming response to photos of Gordon in the past…Wendy with a Santa hat, sitting in a giant martini glass, riding a champagne bottle, making out with her gays, etc., we’ve decided to make it a regular weekly feature.  It’s just our way of making your hump day a little happier…eh, humpier.

So without further ado, we give you this week’s “Wendy Wednesday” fantasy photo. We call this one “Caged Cougar.”  Enjoy!

Oh, and if it’s Wednesday, it’s Wendy Wednesday. (We’ll learn to say this with all of the finesse of NBC “MTP’s” David Gregory.)

Here we go. The feature’s back with a vengeance with a brand new pair of shoes on an unsuspecting Washington journalist. As usual, we’ll provide hints throughout the day. Send your guesses at FishbowlDC@mediabistro.com, to Betsy@mediabistro.com or @FishbowlDC. And no, it’s not RCP‘s Erin McPike!

Hint #1: He’s male.

Hint #2: He once wrote an impatient story about POTUS’ pooch Bo before there was a Bo.

Hint #3: He once went dog sledding in the Arctic.

Hint #4: He can wiggle his ears.

Hint#5: He can still recite his fifth grade class in alphabetical order.

Hint #6: He refuses to tell me anything else.

It’s always fun to see how a politico handles a Hollywood-style paparazzi ambush. Such was the case yesterday when Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan was approached by Celebrity Q & A’s Colin Drummond outside the T.C. Williams High School.  Seeking a salacious story, Drummond tried to get Duncan to comment on porn star Sasha Grey‘s new pass time: reading books to public elementary school students in California.  Arnie denied any knowledge of the “actress” or her extracurricular activities and quickly flipped the pap’s tongue slip to deliver a motivational message about literacy: “I love people reading books in school.  We’re all supposed to read books in school.”  Point Duncan.

This weekend FNC’s Ed Henry briefly turns his sights away from sunsets and ocean views and settles on his White House colleagues ABC News’ Jake Tapper and NBC’s Chuck Todd. Nice use of natural light, Ed.

Do you have a taste for the finer things?  …luscious gardens, exquisite pools, chef’s eat-in kitchens and hotel housekeepers?  If so, you’re in luck!  For a sensible $5.2 million you could live the DSK dream in Washington because Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair’s Georgetown home is on the market.  Power realtor Nancy Taylor Bubes (best name ever) nabbed the 3-bedroom, 4.5 bath listing and is now hawking the house via glam, glossy postcard.  See the mailer below and more about the scandal-ridden residence here.

To the delicate sounds of Prince’s “Oh Sheila” we learn through MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown” that the White House Soup of the Day is…

Crawfish Corn Chowder.

Host Chuck Todd seems rather indifferent towards it today. “It’s get out of dodge Wednesday at the White House,” he says. He promised to find out what the Soup of the Day is on Air Force 1 later and report back.

The White House Soup of the Day, as reported by MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown” is…

Tomato.

Memo to Deep Broth: Is this some kind of f&%king joke on host Chuck Todd who is already suffering from a serious shortage of tomato soup jokes?

“The President is not there, so they know they can mail it in,” Todd said with a deadened voice. “What does that mean? Come on, Tomato.”