Joseph Curl - FishbowlDC

TWT‘s Curl Slaps At ‘Sniveling’ Weigel

Eddie Scarry — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:55:15 +0000

Slate‘s Dave Weigel is a “sniveling liberal,” according to Drudge Report editor and TWT columnist Joseph Curl.

A Sunday op-ed Curl offered a wide-ranging critique of the national media for “falling well short of what the Founders envisioned when they sought to ensure a democracy kept honest by a free and vibrant press.”

After he read the piece, Weigel (not at all concerned with his image) wrote Curl to “check in.” Weigel tells FishbowlDC he hasn’t heard back.

Curl took issue with a short post by Weigel regarding the recording of a meeting that took place inside Sen. Mitch McConnell‘s (R-Ky.) campaign headquarters. Weigel’s post centered on McConnell’s immediate reaction to questions on the tape, in which McConnell’s aides can be heard mocking then-potential candidate Ashley Judd‘s self-admitted depression problems. McConnell had initially deflected reporter inquiries on the content, opting instead to question the ethics and legalities of the recording. He said it was the product of a “the political left,” specifically Kentucky Progress, a group that had previously tweeted racist remarks about McConnell’s Asian wife.

“Right now there’s no evidence that reveals the origin of the tape,” Weigel wrote in his story, “whether it was produced by bugging (which is illegal) or a recording from an errant staffer (less illegal). But this is McConnell’s fight back story.”

McConnell’s hunch turned out to be right. It was Kentucky Progress behind the recording.

Just before calling Weigel a “liberal sniveler,” Curl wrote… continued…

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Curl’s Secret Gig with Drudge

Matt Dornic — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:03:01 +0000

First on FBDC: Despite what you may have heard, Washington Times senior White House correspondent Joseph Curl did not set sail for Bali after mysteriously submitting his resignation to the floundering paper back in May.

FishbowlDC hears that the former author of the Times’ “Political Theater” column has kept a thumb on the DC political scale by teaming up with Matt Drudge to edit the Drudge Report. Sources tell FishbowlDC that Drudge lured his longtime friend away from his TWT gig this spring and Joe’s been working for the famed conservative news site ever since.

We contacted Curl for confirmation but he would not comment on his employment status, instead saying only that he was “working on my golf game, learning how to hit a power draw.”

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Our Cirque Du Soleil Prize Winner is…

Betsy Rothstein — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:45:33 +0000

Joseph Curl, former White House correspondent for TWT.

Congratulations Curl! You win two tickets to the “Ovo” performance of Cirque Du Soleil on Sept. 8. The show, we’ve learned, is an immersion into the world of insects.

The question: What does “Ovo” mean?
The answer: “egg” in Portuguese.

Coming in close was another reader, Michael Rader, who came within a minute of Curl’s response with the correct answer of “egg” in Portuguese. But Curl wins. We thank Rader for playing.

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TWT’s Curl Peaces Out

Matt Dornic — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:32:08 +0000

We hear that Joseph Curl, senior White House correspondent at The Washington Times and author of the paper’s “Political Theater” column, resigned this morning, effective immediately. No word on where Curl’s headed. He’s probably sleeping in, but we’ll track him down and get some deets.

Curl’s last interview with W in January 2009.

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TWT’s Curl’s Snowy Hell

Betsy Rothstein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:04:35 +0000

While many scribes are already back on the beat, we decided to check in TWT’s White House correspondent Joseph Curl, mainly because he lives waaaaay out by Warrenton, Va. He told us a tale that could elicit sympathy if it wasn’t just a tad funny.

In short, Curl’s been shoveling for days.
But let’s hear it in his own words:

“I’ve been shoveling for three days now. We got 27 inches of snow, which means it take three scoops just to clear a 3-foot by 3-foot patch of driveway. The driveway’s 400-feet long. That’s 1,200 feet of shoveling, times eight feet wide (someone out there, figure out the volume of THAT!). It’s all pointless, though. At the end of the driveway begins a quarter-mile gravel road out to what my dad would call ‘the hard road.’

“On Day 2, a plow couldn’t even make it onto the gravel road because the VDOT rig had left a five-foot wall of snow at the main road. On Monday, we dug a hole in the wall. My house is at the end of a quarter-mile gravel road. Our plow guy got stuck, so I’ve been digging him out over and over. This is now my full-time job (went to sleep around 9 to rest up for a full day of shoveling). New plan: front-loader coming in.

“By 2 p.m. Tuesday, I’d made it to the end of the driveway, and some neighbors got the guy with the front-loader to scoop a path down the gravel road. Freedom!”

Or, not.

“Right now, at 4 p.m., the first flakes of what is expected to be 10-20 inches of snow are just beginning to fall. I might be dug out by the spring. Really not looking forward to more shoveling. Whole body aches. Who needs weight rooms and treadmills? I’m sure I’ve lost five pounds just shoveling. But then again, I may drop dead at any moment.”

(FishbowlDC wishes Curl a safe, upcoming, alleged snowstorm.)

> Update: A friend tells Curl he moved 7,200 cubic feet of snow. In other words, he says, “All I know is it was a f–kload of snow.” Indeed.

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BBC’s Beale Takes Doublemint Commercials Literally

Matt Dornic — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:02:45 +0000

We all know it’s brutal out there, but are times so desperate that the BBC’s top State Department correspondent can’t afford a fresh pack of chewing gum?

We told you that TWT‘s Joseph Curl had traveled with a pack of reporters down to Guantanamo Bay to cover several pre-trial hearings for the 9-11 terror suspects. Curl ragged on his British buds from the BBC in a postcard he sent us on Wednesday. Now another another source (we swear it wasn’t Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) has stepped forward with this:

“Just before the plane took off from Gitmo’s airstrip to head back to Andrew’s Air Force Base, someone noticed this small, white glob stuck to the back of the ear of the BBC’s Jonathan Beale. After puzzling with a few colleagues, someone asked him, ‘Hey, what’s that behind your ear?’

‘Oh,’ said Beale. ‘That’s my gum’ — and then he snagged it with his finger and popped it into his mouth!”

DOUBLE, DOUBLE YOUR REFRESHMENT, I guess!?!?

Please, people, we know it’s tough for you reporters (maybe even tougher for us). But can’t we rally together and send Beale some fresh packs of Juicy Fruit or Doublemint? If you can find it in your heart to chip in a pack or a quarter– just 25 lousy cents — we’ll send Beale enough gum to get him through this recession.

Dig deep, people.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Curl Goes to Gitmo and All I Got Was This Lousy Post

Matt Dornic — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:51:33 +0000

A gaggle of reporters took off from Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday ($400 round trip from what we hear!) aboard a DoD plane headed for Guantanamo Bay.

Among them was TWT’s resident silver fox, Joseph Curl who’s currently kicking it at the U.S. Navy base while covering preliminary hearings for several Sept. 11th terror suspects. Lucky for us, our pal found a few moments to pen us a post[card] from his plush pad. Curl writes:

“First, an ironclad pledge: I will never, ever, again say, ‘Man, it’s hot!’ — not even wearing a dark wool suit on an August day in downtown Washington. From now on, I will only say, ‘Hey, at least it’s not as hot as Gitmo in July!’

“The heat here is like a hideous cross between DC and Arizona: 100 degrees, plus 100 percent humidity. You sweat walking a few feet from one building to another. You sweat in the shade. You sweat sitting still — in the shade.

“But you don’t sweat in your sleep. There, you freeze. The media is housed in Tent City, square in the middle of Camp Justice (on a burning hot tarmac, the base’s old airstrip). The tents, shaped like quonset huts, have six beds in them, separated by sheets of plywood. But unlike the rest of Gitmo, they’re freezing. Huge, puffy nylon pipes blast in a steady stream of ice-cold air, which really does keep the mosquitoes out — or numb your flesh so you don’t feel their bites.

“The dark walk to the bathroom at night, though, brings dangers bigger than a skeeter. There are huge iguanas lurking in the tall grass, and banana rats skitter across the runway from time to time. But the iguanas eat the banana rats, so at least there’s that.

“By Day 2, though, standing downwind from other reporters was the most serious danger. I don’t want to mention any names, but man, that guy from the BBC? Ripe! He most definitely would benefit from some ‘enhanced hygiene techniques.’

“But getting to skip the Sotomayor Scrum at 216 Hart: Worth every drop of sweat.”

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What’s Next For The Washington Times

Patrick — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:40:10 +0000

FishbowlDC has obtained this internal staff memo from Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon, in which he says, “In the shadows of this historic election, we now must ready ourselves to shine again with our coverage of the new administration and the new Congress.”

Solomon details some key changes, including new gigs for Joseph Curl (reported yesterday by FishbowlDC), Chris Dolan, Stephen Dinan, Christina Bellantoni, Jon Ward, David Sands, S.A. Miller, Kara Rowland, Sean Lengell and Tom LoBianco.

Join us after the jump…

continued…

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Morning Reading List, 03.05.08

Patrick — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:14:09 +0000

Good morning Washington.

Quickly navigate Morning Reading List:

Visiting the Newseum at some point is on most of your to-do lists.

REVOLVING DOOR

FishbowlLA’s Tiny Dupuy makes a visit to D.C..

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NEWSPAPERS

Reuters reports, “Lawyers who represented book publisher Judith Regan in a $100 million lawsuit against News Corp sued her on Monday, saying she did not reimburse them for fees and cut them out of her settlement payment.”

“Hillary Clinton’s complaints about a pro-Barack Obama media tilt helped prompt examinations of Obama’s record and catapulted him to a first-place finish in the competition for media exposure the week of Feb. 25-March 2, according to a Project for Excellence study of campaign coverage.”

Crain’s New York reports, “Under a new Wall Street Journal policy revealed to staffers last week, authors such as Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Golden — whose series of articles on the college admissions process led to his critically-acclaimed book, The Price of Admission — would have to fork over some of their book proceeds to none other than Rupert Murdoch himself.”

War and Peace offers reaction to The Washington Post’s piece titled “We Scream, We Swoon. How Dumb Can We Get?”

SABEW announced, “Floyd Norris, The New York Times’s chief financial correspondent, will receive the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) at its 45th annual conference in Baltimore, Md., on April 28.”

His Extreme-ness shares “a couple of fascinating tidbits from the Post’s preview of the Newseum grand opening”

“Politico’s tussle with Obama campaign shines light on how sausage gets made.”

Dana Milbank writes, “It took many months and the mockery of ‘Saturday Night Live’ to make it happen, but the lumbering beast that is the press corps finally roused itself from its slumber Monday and greeted Barack Obama with a menacing growl. The day before primaries in Ohio and Texas that could effectively seal the Democratic presidential nomination for him, a smiling Obama strode out to a news conference at a veterans facility here. But the grin was quickly replaced by the surprised look of a man bitten by his own dog. Reporters from the Associated Press and Reuters went after him for his false denial that a campaign aide had held a secret meeting with Canadian officials over Obama’s trade policy. A trio of Chicago reporters pummeled him with questions about the corruption trial this week of a friend and supporter. The New York Post piled on with a question about him losing the Jewish vote.”

New York Daily News reports, “Angry Barack Obama bombarded by media”

Rush and Malloy write, “Power lawyer Robert Bennett got to be one of Washington’s top litigators by knowing how to keep his cool. But the highly paid scandal-fixer barely conceals his rage toward some people in his new memoir, ‘In the Ring.’ Bennett heaps scorn on New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. in the chapter in which he recalls his defense of Times reporter Judith Miller, who went to jail rather than reveal her sources in reporting on CIA operative Valerie Plame.”

Slate’s Jack Shafer asks, “As a leading indicator of the newspaper biz’s health, what does the chain’s bad news portend for the rest of the industry?”

Washington Times’s Joseph Curl reports, McCain skewers pork for press.

The New York Sun reports, “It’s not every day that one finds a tax policy argument in the world-famous gossip column of the New York Post, but there it was yesterday in ‘Page Six’: The news was that the publisher of the New York Times, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., had sold his Upper West Side apartment to his wife for $3.25 million for what a Times spokeswoman described as ‘estate-planning purposes.’”

Slate’s Jack Shafer asks, “As a leading indicator of the newspaper biz’s health, what does the chain’s bad news portend for the rest of the industry?”

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A NBC release announced, “According to Nielsen Media Research data, ‘NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams’ won the February 2008 sweep in total viewers and homes. For the sweep, ‘Nightly News’ averaged 9.532 million total viewers.” Also, NBC announced, “According to Nielsen Media Research data, ‘NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams’ was the most-watched network evening newscast, winning the week of February 25, 2008. The Williams-led newscast averaged 9.171 million total viewers”

An ABC release announced, “For the just-completed February Sweep, ABC’s ‘World News with Charles Gibson’ was the #1 evening newscast among Adults 25-54, averaging a 2.4/9 and 2.96 million. This marks the second consecutive February Sweep that ‘World News’ has placed first among key demo viewers. It is also the fourth time in five sweeps periods the ABC broadcast has won among Adults 25-54. Among Total Viewers, ‘World News’ averaged 9.28 million.”

Crain’s New York reports, “For the past few months, people across the United States have taken part in a closely fought contest, full of twists and turns, that has finally produced an unexpected winner. That’s right: There’s a new front-runner in the cable news race. Buoyed by a historic Democratic primary season that has drawn new votersâ€”and new viewers — CNN’s prime-time audience of 25- to 54-year-olds soared 150% in February over year-earlier levels. The boost gave the Time Warner-owned channel its first victory over the Fox News Channel in six years.”

We hear NewsChannel 8 would not air last week’s Q&A Cafe interview with NBC 4′s meteorologist Bob Ryan, because they consider him the competition. The program will, however, air on DC Cable/TV 16 this Friday, because they don’t think of him as competition. The full interview is now available on YouTube.

Bloomberg reports, “A federal regulator today called for an investigation into why an Alabama television station lost its signal as the CBS News program ’60 Minutes’ aired a segment questioning the jailing of a former Democratic governor.”

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ONLINE MEDIA

Forbes.com reports, “The value of merger and acquisition deals in the U.S. media industry could reach record levels in 2008 if pending mega deals like Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo! are completed, PriceWaterhouseCoopers said in a report released Monday.”

E&P reports, “Earlier this month, Kiyoshi Martinez started an experimental website that gives journalists a chance to vent their feelings about their profession and their work lives. And have they ever. AngryJournalist.com is a simple yet powerful concept: a gripe board where journalists are asked to say what’s making them angry today. It’s the modern-day equivalent of the anonymous suggestion box in the company lunchroom. All posts to the site are anonymous. Everything submitted goes through Martinez, who screens out trolls and spammers and non-relevant stuff.”

The Horses Mouth reports, “Most Media Observers Side With Hillary Campaign Claim That Press Has Been Harder On Her”

“Yeas & Nays has learned that the Center for American Progress’ Grant Ginder was recently ghost-writing for gossip Web site TMZ.com.”

NPR’s On The Media reports, “Campaign correspondents tread a narrow path between political analysis and outright prognostication. Once quick to predict the future (Google these words: wrong about New Hampshire), are reporters now more circumspect? And is all coverage created equal? New York Magazine’s John Heilemann weighs in.”

Mark Glaser asks, “I struggle nearly every week with an identity problem: Am I a blogger or a journalist? Most times, I can take the easy way out and think of myself as the nouveau blogger/journalist or journalist/blogger — but which one comes first? nags my inner pigeon-holer.”

The Weekly Standard asks, “Who Lost James Fallows?” And, “It was sort of stunning to listen to, and the response from the Defense official was not unlike Tony Snow’s famous quip to Helen Thomas, ‘Well, thank you for the Hezbollah view.’ Whatever angst the left once had about these calls, they can rest assured that the propaganda isn’t going from the Pentagon to the bloggers, but vice versa.”

Hot Air.com reports, “It’s only the first day of the Tony Rezko trial, testimony has yet to be heard, and already the press has gotten to Barack Obama. Faced with a new focus on his ties to the defendant in a corruption case and exposed missteps in his NAFTA dance, Obama stalked out of a press conference with questions ringing in his ears”

MSNBC’s First Read reports, “Obama Tangles with the Press”

Politico’s Chris Frates reports, “The oh-so-unhip world of business trade associations took a small shot at edginess Monday when nearly a dozen groups launched the blog BizCentral.org, aimed at Washington’s influencers.”

CQ Politics reports, “Mike McConnell’s Temporary Spokesman Has a Full-Time Job”

Portfolio reports, “Digging Digg’s Grave? Changes to the popular content-ranking website threaten to alienate its most dedicated users.”

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MAGAZINES

MinOnline reports, “This Friday (March 7), ‘USA Today’ Gives Readers ‘Openair.’”

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BOOKS

A release announced, “Oxford University economist Paul Collier has won the 2008 Lionel Gelber Prize for his book The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It (Oxford University Press), Judith Gelber, chair of the Lionel Gelber Prize Board”

The father and son team of Lou and Carl Cannon wrote Reagan’s Disciple: George W. Bush’s Troubled Quest for a Presidential Legacy. Check out the New York Times review here.

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WEST WING REPORTAGE

Playbook reports, “ABC’s Ann Compton, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, shows both experience and judgment in announcing the menu for this year’s dinner, which features a rejuvenated and expanded scholarship program: spiced tenderloin, followed by white chocolate drowning in raspberries.”

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JOBS

National Geographic News is looking for a Copy Editor.

SIGNAL Magazine is looking for a Managing Editor.

The Roanoke Times is looking for a Healthcare Reporter.

Philip Merrill College of Journalism is looking for an Abell Professor in Baltimore Journalism, a Knight Visiting Professor in Digital Innovation and a Shirley Povich Chair in Sports Journalism.

Alliance for School Choice is looking for a Grant Writer for Major DC Nonprofit, Education Reform.

Sidwell Friends School is looking for a Director of Publications.

Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC is seeking experienced reporter.

The Daily Press is looking for a Features reporter and an Education Reporter.

The Seattle Times is looking for a Washington, D.C. reporter.

PBS is seeking talented candidates for the position of Digital Producer.

Arcom Publishing, Inc. is looking for an Ad Layout Coordinator.

Patuxent Publishing Co. is looking for a General Assignment Reporter.

American Architectural Foundation is looking for a Communications Manager.

The World Bank is looking for someone in Communications/Public Affairs.

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Hat Tips: DCRTV, TVNewser, IWantMedia, Romenesko, MediaBistro, JournalismJobs, JournalismNext

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This Week In Pool Reports

Patrick — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:56:20 +0000

Hopped up pine cones decorate the White House this holiday season, Miss Beazley is lonely, Barney is packing on the holiday pounds and who knew attending church is so expensive?

“The president, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, stood in front of the fireplace. The mantle was festooned with greenery, gold ornaments, and gigantic pine cones that looked like they had been on steroids.” — Dave Cook, Christian Science Monitor

“After his meeting, Bush allowed the pool in at the bottom. When we arrived, he was sitting at the head of a U-shaped table. You will have the transcript shortly; the only unscripted moment came at the end when Bush ignored a shouted question about Iran’s demand for an apology but grinned broadly. ‘You can mark down I chuckled,’ he said.” — Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post

“First honoree was Scorsese. Kind words offered by Cameron Diaz, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert DeNiro. Ms. Diaz said Scorsese’s genius lies in his ‘understanding of the depth and disturbance of people’s ambitions.’ Said DeNiro to Scorsese: ‘If you were directing me tonight I would have already whacked Steve Martin.’” — Ken Herman, Cox Newspapers

“Rev. Leon also reminded all that it’s budget time at Saint John’s and pledge cards conveniently were placed in the programs. For the math challenged, the card includes a handy by-income annual gift chart. For example, if your annual household income is $150,000, your ‘approximate annual gift’ would be $4,500 if you opt for 3 percent and $15,000 if you opt for 10 percent. Please submit your cards ‘as soon as possible,’ says Rev. Leon, ‘so we can prepare a sober budget for our parish.’ Which brings us back to today’s attempted pool-report theme, which is sobriety and why it’s good for you. By way of theme development, we note these schedule items in the church program. On Wednesday, there is an AA meeting at noon and, at 7 p.m., a champagne tasting. Ideally, nobody will be at both events.” — Herman

“While all of you were still sound asleep (you missed a spectacular sunrise, plus a wicked cool pattern of vapor trails in the cold blue sky over the White House), your pool was herded into press vans on the South Lawn. Your commander in chief, unlike you, was not abed (no visions of sugarplums dancing in his head). He was in the Sit Room at 7:30 a.m. (not clear if there was a ‘situation,’ or whether he was there in a suit, his biking outfit, or a bathrobe). No word if he talked on the Maxwell Smart Code of Silence phone there, either.” — Joseph Curl, Washington Times

Two Marine One choppers flew the river as the motorcade crossed the bridge, fueling speculation that the President would, as rumored, head off to catch the noon Army-Navy game in Baltimore. But as The Most Powerful Man in the World waited at the light at 14th and C Street, press wrangler Chris Byrne said nuh uh, full lid coming. As the stream of suspicious black vehicles turned onto Pennsylvania Avenue, the standers on the sidewalks figured out who was behind the tinted windows of the SUV loaded with Trek bikes, and waved. It was noted in the Press One van that every one of them waved with all five fingers. Back at the White House, Miss Beazley sat alone in the sun on the South Lawn next to a soccer ball, and got quite yappy as passersby petted the portly Barney.” — Curl

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Ward’s Baby: The Back Story

Patrick — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:48:54 +0000

A couple of reporters for The Washington Times had a hectic day yesterday. It all started when the White House announced a surprise press conference by the president. With senior White House correspondent Joseph Curl having just moved to the presidential campaigns, that left Jon Ward to cover the presser.

But Curl got an e-mail from the White House asking if he’d be at the event. No, he said back, Ward’ll be there. But then another White House message came back: “Don’t think Ward can make it this time. Looks like his wife is having the baby.”

A flurry of phone calls followed; Curl was across town covering Rudy Giuliani, who was speaking at the Club for Growth meeting at the Grand Hyatt. Ward was heading to the doctor with his wife, Ali, and then, it turned out, over to the hospital. Curl got there in time, and even got a question in to the president.

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Curl Switches Beats

Patrick — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:47:58 +0000

Joseph Curl, senior White House correspondent for The Washington Times, is moving on from the beat he’s covered for nearly seven years. Word is that he is jumping over to cover the 2008 presidential campaigns full time for the paper, focusing on the GOP slate of candidates, effective immediately.

Curl, who writes some of the more colorful pool reports in the biz (he actually won a FishbowlDC contest on the subject), has covered President Bush since his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2001.

Curl tells FishbowlDC that, as he ditches the White House charter’s first-class pod for the back seat of a campaign bus, he only has one regret: He traveled to 49 states with Bush…but not Vermont. “And now I’m trading Hanoi and Sydney for Des Moines and Manchester, but this is going to be a blast.”

Question: Is this a record for a print reporter covering the president for the same newspaper? David Jackson was there in 2001 but moved from the Dallas Morning News to USA Today. Ed Chen left the LA Times and is now with Bloomberg.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This Week In Pool Reports

Patrick — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:53:53 +0000

Tourists complicate a presidential car ride, POTUS speaks out on Libby, FLOTUS looks “hip” and Maine experiences a Russian invasion.

“POTUS’s little pre-4th afternoon jaunt to Beltsville was significantly complicated by holiday beachgoers and — we were told — a traffic accident. The trip to Beltsville ended up taking about an hour and 10 minutes, compared to 30-35 minutes on typical weekends. It was literally a crawl for the first half hour or so. For the return trip police held traffic off the parkway at least momentarily, significantly speeding our progress.” — John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal

“He took two questions, both on Libby. In response to the first, he declined to rule out a complete pardon for Libby at a later time. ‘As to the future I rule nothing in and nothing out,’ he said. But he also reiterated that he thought Libby’s non-prison punishments should stand. He described the commutation of prison sentence as a ‘very difficult decision.’ He reiterated that Libby’s punishment was ‘severe.’ He said he took into consideration Libby’s background and service to his country.” — McKinnon

“Fresh from his face-to-face with leader-for-life Hugo Chavez — in which the Russian president nodded grinningly as the Venezuelan president told him ‘the empire must understand that it cannot dominate the world’ — Vladimir Putin today came to the empire to visit its soon-to-depart, lame-duck president at dad’s place. And the former KGB man with the see-through soul was all smiles, presenting bouquets of flowers to first lady Laura Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, double kissing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and heading out (without your pool) for a boat ride with the Most Powerful Man in the World — and his dad.” — Joseph Curl, Washington Times

“As the pool milled about near the flag pole (whipping in the wind, four flags: U.S., presidential seal, Texas, Maine), Barbara appeared at the door of the main residence, stepping out to chat with a few people gathered at the circular driveway, including Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin. At about 5:30, Rice and FLOTUS came out another door, walked down a driveway, and
posed for pictures with Barbara (Hagin the shooter). FLOTUS was wearing a quite hip Hoodie, Condi, an orange sweater and white slacks.” — Curl

“Last: The little squire of Kennebunkport has gone Cyrillic — everywhere, signs are written in Russian (including the Clam Shack, with it’s 1-lb. ‘cahabny 43 onapa’ (lobster 43 roll) at $15.50 — a bargain for Russians with phonies Franklins). Stuck in the roll: A U.S. and Russian flag on toothpicks. On Saturday, a trio of Russian press poolers (wearing their official badges) shot everything — a pair of black bikers parked by Dock Square (‘Look, Boris, black people! In Maine!); the village’s lone horse-and-buggy carriage (‘Well, the last superpower is still horse-powered, hmm?’) and even took a picture of your pooler eating a cahabny roll, which
he expects landed well in the motherland.” — Curl

“As the press walked out, the pool passed a sign that said: ‘CAUTION: PRESIDENT ON SEGWAY — SLOW DOWN.’” — Curl

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Wolffe on the Queen’s Visit

Patrick — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:51:40 +0000

From Joseph Curl, writing for White House Weekly (unavailable online):

Three White House reporters were among the 130 guests this week at President Bush’s white-tie state dinner to honor Queen Elizabeth II, and one said afterward that they all felt a bit like fish out of water.

“I’m sure we all thought,’Can you believe we’re actually here, doing this?’ ” said Richard Wolffe of Newsweek, a Brit who was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the social event of the century (at least so far).

The other reporters who attended the state dinner were Steve Holland of Reuters and David Gregory of NBC News. But the White House Weekly went to Wolffe to get a fill on the evening.

First, how do you even prepare for such an event?

“I do not own a white tie and tails; I admit it, I had to rent one,” he said, noting that there are a few shops that specialize in such attire on L Street near the White House. He paid “a hundred and something bucks” for his formal rental.

“I’ve never worn one before, and I doubt that I’ll ever wear one again. But I’m sure the queen can distinguish between tails that are owned and tails that are rented. My wife does, however, own her long dress, although she borrowed the diamonds,” Wolffe said.

He first got wind of the possibility that he might be invited to the state dinner about a month ago. But it was all very tentative: “Well, you know, it could happen; don’t want to get too excited, don’t tell your wife yet.”

“I didn’t lobby for it–unlike some people,” he said. (The White House Weekly, speaking this week to a little White House birdie, heard that there were several reporters pushing hard to be included in the elite crowd. No one would name names, of course, but for the record, this reporter was not one of them.

…

How were your colleagues in the press, as you walked up the red carpet?

“A couple of things were weird, being on the other side of the rope line. Walking into a wall of cameras–it does take you by surprise. A couple of photographers were less than respectful,” he said with a laugh.

…

Still, all his editors “wanted to know about the food. I was very rude about it–I’ll never get invited again.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This Week In Pool Reports

Patrick — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:55:51 +0000

Another slow week for the pool. President Bush has a quiet Easter Sunday, gives Shadegg a shout out and consults Bloomberg’s Ed Chen on his speech.

“Before leaving Yuma, the president met with the family of a fallen Marine. No other details provided. At the base before takeoff, Bush worked a fenceline of cheering, enthusiastic base personnel, most of them in camo. He shook hands and posed for pictures, his back drenched in sweat. Turning to head up the steps of the plane, Bush spotted Ed Chen of Bloomberg. ‘Hey Ed, did you hear my speech?’ Bush asked.” — Julie Mason, Houston Chronicle

“After a left on Avenue E, your pool could see a huge Mexican flag waving in the wind. Past a prison (signs around it said: ‘State Prison — Do Not stop For Hitchhikers’).” — Joseph Curl, Washington Times

“As the pool was led away, Bush yelled ‘Shadegg, waddaya think?’ The president then headed to the speech. There was virtually no one on the streets, and no one along the long stretches of desert highway. A group of about a dozen people, one waving a small U.S. flag, stood by Desert Valley mortuary. A few miles later, in a small field, a foal ran circles around his mother, who looked bemused.” — Curl

“During the part of the service where congregants are encouraged to greet one another, POTUS strayed far from his seat to shake hands, and at one point looked over his shoulder by Graves is everyone else was back in place and said: ‘I’m breaking the rules, I know.’” — Michael Fletcher, Washington Post

“Today is Day 64 — the 64th day since POTUS announced his request for funds. And, he said, the Democratic leadership has spent 64 days passing legislation ‘that would undercut our troops’ because it contains ‘arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq.’” –
Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor

“There were about 120 American Legion guests in the hall, many of them elderly vets from Korean War and World War II. Bush’s 37-minute speech was followed by a standing ovation. After speech, Bush greeted audience members in front row.” — Feldman

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