Quotes of the Day

WHOSE SHOES? “Footwear of the fashion forward men of POLITICO Video.” — Politico‘s Christine Delargy.  Hints: The guy in yellow has been known to frequent Pete’s, a pizza eatery in D.C.; his colleague showing off his fancy boat shoes, meanwhile, frequents Peregrine in the Eastern Market neighborhood of Washington. We’ll tell you later. But send your guesses and commentary to fishbowlDC@mediabistro.com or to Betsy@mediabistro.com.

“I’m wearing pajama bottoms, you can’t see it.” — Daily Caller and The Week‘s Matt Lewis, joking (we think) during his appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” this morning.

Burning the midnight oil

“hey @woodhouseb do you think holder should resign? what if ashcroft had investigated MSNBC reporter? you wld have been ok with it? comment?” — BuzzFeed‘s Michael Hastings to Democratic Party Spokesman Brad Woodhouse. Noteworthy: The tweet was sent at 3:25 a.m.

Just in case you think you’re having a bad day…“Not something you see everyday. A plane sticking out the side of an apt building. @ABC7John is live at 4:32am!” — Sara Van Aernum, executive producer of ABC7′s “Good Morning Washington.” The plane ran out of fuel and had to take a pit stop into this Herndon, Va. apartment building. Can you imagine waking up to this sh-t?

Anxiety-ridden TV watcher

“I need a xanax just to watch this thing.” — NPR freelancer Lizzie O’Leary watching yesterday’s Spelling Bee.

Just a normal day at work in Washington

“We are ALL CLEAR !” just received via email at @wusa9 after bomb threat. Broadcasts never interrupted. No evacuations.Thanks @DCPoliceDept” — WUSA9′s Russ Ptacek.

“Weird coincidence. #Tornado drill in #Senate, while #oklahoma has real thing.” — CQ Roll Call Staff Writer Alan Ota.

Reporter wishes she was better versed in car mechanics

“Wish I knew about cars so when mechanic went on ‘If you don’t give me all your money, you will DIE in a fiery mess’ spiel, I could check him.” — NBC Washington Social Media Editor Cheryl Thompson.

From the Dept. of Bragiculture…

“I was only reporter to ride 100k over 3 days w/George W. Bush on mountain bikes w/wounded vets on his ranch last week. 4k words posting soon.” — HuffPost‘s Jon Ward. In case you don’t think he’s the most humble reporter in Washington, he is. Just ask him! Read more

Journalist Lizzie O’Leary got Twitter all excited on Friday afternoon when she casually tweeted, “Pregnanté.”

Naturally, several people on Twitter assumed this was O’Leary announcing that she was with child. This would have been big news considering that, not long ago, O’Leary spoke to Cosmo about her battle with endometriosis, which puts a damper on baby-making. The congratulatory tweets started coming in. Bloomberg’s Ryan Sutton tweeted, “ZOMG congrats! counting the days until your offspring annihilate(s) the competition on teen jeopardy!” WaPo’s Jim Tankersley responded, “!!!!!! that’s great news.” WSJ’s Victoria McGrane kept up the overuse of exclamations by tweeting, “CONGRATS!!!!!!!!”

So, what’s the problem? Read more

Quotes of the Day

“I hate that bitch.” — Lesley Murphy, the Washington, D.C. political consultant who was sent home last night on ABC’s “The Bachelor” after ultimately deciding not to tell the Bachelor that she was falling in love with him. She was talking about the villainous Tierra LiCausi, an emotional woman who was sent home last night because she couldn’t stop crying and fighting with the other women in competition for Sean Lowe‘s love.

“Living large at 42, Joe.” — Politico Executive Editor Jim VandeHei on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” this morning. His birthday is today. Amazing, he got a rather low-key mention in Politico Playbook, curiously coming in just after Robert Griffin III and USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page. What the hell, third?

SOTU guest suggestions

“Waiting for a Dem to invite a homeless penguin b/c of climate change and Republican to invite a destitute coal exec b/c of EPA to SOTU.” — BuzzFeed Washington Bureau Chief John Stanton.

Politico Playbook publish time: 7:40 a.m.

NPR freelancer sick of unruly toddlers

“Oh lady who sets her toddlers free in the lobby every day, we may have words.” — NPR freelancer Lizzie O’Leary, who recently opened up to Cosmo mag about her painful bout with endometriosis and why she left CNN — obviously she can’t go on the air on Vicodin. In the story, she mentioned her intellectual prowess. The quote: “I got the amazing chance to be a CNN correspondent, but my body just wasn’t capable of doing that. But it’s also been this very strange gift. For so long, I defined myself as a journalist, and in the time when I’ve been sick, I’ve learned to define myself as a daughter and a sister and a girlfriend and an intellectual.”

Catholic newsflash for the media

“Dear Media — just because a group has ‘Catholic’ in its name does not mean it speaks for Catholics. i.e. Catholics United.” — John Kartch, spokesman to Americans for Tax Reform Prez Grover Norquist.

The Observer

“I believe Maria Cantwell got a new haircut (or at least is styling a little differently) and I like the side bang.” — Roll Call‘s Meredith Shiner on the Democratic senator from Washington state.

Media writer fully expects CBS to blow him off

“The Erik Wemple Blog has reached out to CBS News for perspective on all of this. We expect absolutely no response.” — The conclusion of WaPo Erik Wemple‘s story on CBS Major Garrett‘s unexpected explosion of “shirty” profanity Monday. Garrett, CBS’s Chief White House Correspondent, hasn’t yet responded to the torrent of eager reporters. But he did say this: “Monday before SOTU is always slow. Pity. I was speaking to @JOSreports. He knows why. I hear S#%* is REALLY hitting the fan in Damascus.”

Important Q to Ponder from the R media: “Is surgical removal of @Toure‘s lips from @BarackObama‘s posterior covered by ObamaCare? #justcurious.” — Newsbuster‘s Ken Shepherd. Touré c0-hosts MSNBC’s “The Cycle.”

Which Washington reporter just went on book leave?

Read more

For much of the time she was at CNN, Lizzie O’Leary was virtually non-existent. We’d heard that she had taken a prolonged leave of absence, but no one could or would say more. Now we learn all the gory details in a profile on Cosmopolitan.com in which Lizzie discusses her extremely painful bout with endometriosis, a condition that can cause infertility. In Lizzie’s case, she’s had her eggs frozen, she has a serious, understanding boyfriend. She hopes to one day be a mom.

In the story, they explain that Lizzie’s gynecological condition has, at times, caused her severe abdominal pain. She tells Cosmo, “I asked my gynecologist for 10 years:  ’Do I have endometriosis? I was told, “No, no, no, no.  You’re young. You’re fine.’ A lot of damage was done to my body in that time.”

The piece doesn’t hold back on personal details. “From her teens to her early 30′s, Lizzie battled nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and exhaustion. …After logging a half-dozen hospital visits, (doctors’ misdiagnoses included ovarian cysts and hernia), Lizzie prepped for a 90-minute appendectomy in 2011, and woke up almost six hours later with no appendix and five inches of her intestines removed.”

As far as CNN is concerned… Read more

Quotes of the Day - the Oprah-Lance Armstrong edition.

From the Dept. of Bragiculture…

“WE BEAT GAWKER BY 25 MIN ON BANGS STORY!” — WaPo‘s Reliable Source on finally getting a story within spitting distance of another gossip outlet. The item concerned first lady Michelle Obama’s new hairstyle, which involves bangs.

The Media Observer

“Favorite line from inaug committee warning abt Metro: ‘You will have to stand in close proximity to several thousand people’” — NYT‘s Washington Deputy Bureau Chief Carl Hulse.

Editor wants Christian Mingle to leave him alone

“Dear Christian Mingle, stop sending me emails.” — Eboné Bell, Managing Editor of Tagg magazine, Hip Hop Cardio Instructor, & Founder of Capital Queer Prom.

Oprah’s masterful interview skills

“Oprah rules. She is REALLY good at this. Just a master interviewer.” — WaPo‘s Chris Cillizza. Also: “Lance is the least sympathetic apologizer possible. I feel ZERO empathy with him.”

“Oprah is a hell of a good interviewer.”– CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin.

“This is as much am exercise in journalism as confession. The packages Oprahs guys are dropping in help people who are new to the story.” — NYT‘s David Carr.

“I’m not feeling Lance but I’m loving Oprah. She is a first class interviewer.” — Washingtonian Publisher Cathy Merrill Williams.

“I love Oprahshe just goes straight in! #BOOM” — Essence and theGrio columnist Sophia Nelson.

The Best of… on Oprah & Lance

“Oprah tells crowd to look under their chairs where they discover rotten vegetables to throw at Lance. That interview I would watch.” — Reuters‘ Sam Youngman.

“Every asshole should get to do an interview with Oprah.” — New York Daily News‘ Josh Greenman.

“Mike Wallace would have filleted Lance Armstrong like a fish.” — Politico‘s Roger Simon.

(Fake Oprah Question): “Did you ever have sex with a dead wizard’s body for magical powers?” “Yes” — The Guardian and Salon freelancer Jim Newell during the “yes or no” only portion of the interview.

“For the judging media, remember the ‘culture’ that allows for enhancements that help your job (whisky, Adderoll, whisky).” — FNC’s Greg Gutfeld.

“I read his book, I supported LiveStrong- so awful to watch him tonight – he seems mostly sorry he got caught!” — NBC4′s  Doreen Gentzler.

“So Lance’s drug use was real and Manti’s gf was fake. Got it.” — USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich.

“I feel like this is a public therapy session.” — CNN AC360′s Devna Shuka.

“If I’ve learned anything from this Lance Armstrong interview, it’s he’s a high school girl. Stab you in the back without breaking a sweat.” — Social Media Editor for NBC Washington Cheryl Thompson.

“If Lance Armstrong cared about ratings, he would have done interview on 60 Min. Not a cable network nobody watches.” — Alex Conant, U.S. GOP Sen. Marco Rubio‘s press secretary.

“You did not just make a fat joke to Oprah.” — Lizzie O’Leary, whose Twitter bio says simply, “apsiring Hildy Johnson.”

“When does Oprah roll out the wagon of fat?” — ClearChannel‘s Colby Hall. Also: “First clue that I am not on one of my regular viewing channels: seeing ads referencing transvaginal mesh.”

“Fun continuity game: watch water levels in Lance & Oprah water glasses for edit jumping. Straws are an odd touch, too.” — Politico‘s Steve Friess.

Daily Caller reporter takes nasty swipe at CNN’s Piers Morgan...

Read more

Quotes of the Day

From the Dept. of Bragiculture…

“I have more Twitter followers than my hometown congressman.” — New York magazine’s Social Media Coordinator Stefan Becket, whose hometown congressman is Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa). Becket hails from York, Pa. He has 6,950 followers; the congressman has just 942.

Strange coincidence?

“There is a gastroenterologist at my doctor’s office named Martin Bashir.” — CNN’s Lizzie O’Leary.

CNN’s Tapper stops and smells the roses

“I haven’t covered the news over the last week, but I have been spending a lot of time with a 3- and 5-year-old. So don’t feel I’ve missed much.” — CNN Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper.

FNC producer praises Omni hotel

“Wow, quite impressed with the Omni in NOLA. Didn’t even realize I left a pair of earrings in the room and they mailed them back to me.” — Fox News Senate producer Kara Rowland.

Pre-dawn Politico Playbook: Mike Allen is burning the midnight oil again. This morning’s Playbook emerged at 5 a.m. If he snaps at you today, you’ll know why.

Confessional.

“Okay, so maybe I am as deep as the skin on an apple. Oh yah, and materialistic. At least I admit it. I’m still a nice person.” — ABC7′s Stephen Tschida.

An unusual fact about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… Read more

Quotes of the Day

Brave TV journo reports on wild dogs

“Story on wild killer dogs. I’m live in their favorite hunting ground. Nah… I’m not nervous. but looking forward to gettin out a here.” — ABC7′s Stephen Tschida.

A reporter’s gratitude for bottomless iced tea

“Thanking Schreiner’s Restaurant in Fond du Lac. they let me camp all afternoon (& gave endless iced tea refills) while I wrote a story.” — WaPo‘s Karen Tumulty.

Chuck Todd wants to rename ‘Peeping Tom’

“Saw report on WRC about “peeping Tom” at Ballston mall. Can we call them “Peeping pigs”; “peeping tom” makes me laugh and it shouldn’t.” — NBC Political Director Chuck Todd.

Deck of the Day: “Official fatwa says jihadis may defy Quran to make room for butt bombs.” The story by Daily Caller Executive Editor David Martosko concerns a Muslim cleric who said sodomy, normally prohibited in the Islamic religion, is perfectly acceptable when preparing to place a bomb in one’s ass. In other words, says the story, “gay sex” is okay in the face of jihad.

From the Road

“In a Hawaiian salon with New Kids on the Block blaring, not even at my request. #livinthedream” — TPM‘s Sara Libby.

“Hello, McGrath’s Pub in Harrisburg! The third time I ask a waiter for a glass of water, I expect a glass of water.” — Slate‘s apparently impatient but no less weigelicious Dave Weigel.

Editor’s son proudly eats Chic-fil-A

“Raised him right! Here’s how my son Marcus ordered at CFA today: ‘A bottle of water and some free speech please.’” — Washington Examiner Executive Editor Mark Tapscott.

Baier Vomit

“Good morning-Just landed in DC from LA-those red eyes are a little rough. Home to be with the fam for awhile-then into the office-good trip.” — FNC’s Bret Baier, whose devoted followers were up and ready to respond. Ohio’s Sylvia Levine writes, “When do you sleep?” And horsefly1013 chimes in, “Welcome back. Glad you had a good trip. Most importantly, glad you had a safe landing.”

What puts a huge smile on NBC Luke Russert‘s face? Aside from a solitary dragonfly, talking a few decibels too loudly and filling in for Chuck Todd on “The Daily Rundown,” this: “Huge smile on my face right now, I got an email from the @Nationals asking if I wanted to buy postseason tickets. Awesome. #Natitude” (If anyone missed the spellbinding dragonfly that Luke photographed during a game and tweeted the following day because God forbid we don’t know the profound things Luke witnesses on a daily basis, see at right. In the world of woo woo, the dragonfly symbolizes change and emotional maturity.)

In potentially embarrassing news…“The frequency with which I send @jaketapper emails meant for my brother (Jake) is comical.” — CNN’s Lizzie O’Leary.

Congratulations to… FNC’s Juan Williams on the births of twin granddaughters Wednesday. “Yesterday Pepper and Wesley came into my world,” Williams remarked this morning on Fox & Friends. To which Steve Doocy goofily replied, “Congratulations Grandpappy.”

Peter Ogburn contributed to this report.

Quotes of the Day

“Just got to the green room @LiveKelly! Hanging with Buck & Rory, everyone’s so nice! #cohostsearch” — Markette Smith to appear on ABC’s “LIVE! With Kelly Ripa” this morning at 9 a.m. Smith is a top 10 finalist in the contest to be Ripa’s co-host. She reports on the radio for the NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5FM and on-camera as an entertainment correspondent and red carpet host for AMC Theatres.

Journo catches man choking chicken in public

“Yo, guy on P st., masturbating in your Lexus near a park with kids and joggers, I took your plate # and called the cops.” — CNN’s Lizzie O’Leary.

Jason Mattera: classy as ever

“The dude who got head in the Oval Office now doesn’t seem like such a bad president after all #WhatObamaTaughtMe.” — Author and conservative spouter Jason Mattera.

Russert V. Hamby: Ratings competition?

“@PeterHambyCNN I’m in for @WillieGeist1 on Way Too Early. I challenge u to a ratings dual good sir.” — NBC’s Luke Russert, who is also scheduled to be in for MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown’s” Chuck Todd on Monday. (Psst Chuck, Luke is making White House Soup of the Day bland. We need you back and soon!)

Kiss Kiss

“Gotta admire @chrislhayes‘ Javert-esque dedication to nerdfighting. 20 min with the Bain guy, and still no @MittRomney questions. #uppers” — Mediaite White House Correspondent and Chairman of the I love Chris Hayes Fan Club Tommy Christopher.

Something else we couldn’t care less about…

“Email from Mrs. Oster my kindergarten teacher! ‘Saw u on TV. U have the same name & smile as a girl I taught Kindergarten to. Are u her?’” — The Daily Caller‘s Michelle Fields.

And now for something genuinely cute…

“My 5-y/o watching McLaughlin Group: ‘how do you know when it’s your turn to talk?’” — Washington Examiner Senior Political Columnist Timothy Carney.

Roland’s mom gets down with Beyonce

“Why is my mom in the middle of my young nieces on Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’? She’s been married 45 years! Crazy sightings at #familyreunion” — CNN Commentator and Washington Watch’s Roland Martin.

Journo weighs growing beard

“In my time off, I flirted with growing a beard. Now it’s time to shave these three whiskers and head to the studio for @washingtonweek” — Reuters‘ Sam Youngman.

Weiner fever ignites

“The Weiner-for-mayor rumors are now swirling. I say, why not run? He made a personal error and lied. That’s not disqualifying for all time.” — New York Daily News Opinion Editor Josh Greenman.

Crumpling Howiella? Oh no!

“Friend told me he crumpled my face as he used copies of The Hill to pack up his moving boxes. Sweeter words have never been spoken.” — Howiella Kurtz (a.k.a The Hill‘s Judy Kurtz.)

Peter Ogburn and Eddie Scarry contributed to this report.

Quotes of the Day

Journo turns “Rachel” into a verb

“Will ‘Rachel’ at 9:15pmish. My @maddow debut.” — WaPo‘s Jonathan Capehart.

Question to Ponder: “How big does your house have to be to be a compound? #kennedys #romneys” — TPM Founder and Editor Josh Marshall.

Humblebragalicious Shuster has friends on the right?

“Look, when I do talk to my more intellectual friends on the right, and I do have some…” — Lefty journo David Shuster filling in as host of Current TV’s “Full Court Press” this morning in a segment bashing Fox News. Later he added, “By the way, full disclosure, I worked at Fox News in 96 to about 2001, but the organization changed and it was starting to trend in a certain way that I felt uncomfortable with. So it was sort of a mutual agreement that I would leave. I was eager to leave. I had caused enough trouble over there that they were eager to have me leave.”

Whoa! Journo praises Amtrak?

“Endless #Amtrak ride wasn’t endless after all. Remarkably gracious staff, calm passengers made slow, dud-engined ride oddly pleasant.” — National Review‘s Kathryn Lopez.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper hints at sexual orientation

“Anderson Cooper sort of outed himself on Kathy Griffin‘s show. Woman jokes they’re dating. AC: ‘Hate to break it to you, not gonna happen.’” — Politico‘s Jennifer Epstein.

Convo Between Two Journos: Cillizza to face dental procedure

This morning’s conversation is between WaPo’s Nurse Jackie impersonator Chris Cillizza and CNN’s Lizzie O’Leary. Let’s hope to God Cillizza live tweets the procedure.

Cillizza: Things I would rather do than get a wisdom tooth pulled tomorrow: anything.

O’Leary: Don’t be a wuss. plus, the drugs are awesome.

Cillizza: I am a wuss.

Politico producer weighs in on color of green tea

“Green tea is really more of a yellowy-orange, wouldn’t you say? #thursdaythoughts” — Politico web producer Leigh Munsil. She may have a point here.

Bureau Chief unashamed of liking ‘The Newsroom’

“So it seems I am destined to be the only person that will like @HBO’s #Newsroom. But I’m prepared for that.” — Yahoo! News‘ Washington Bureau Chief David Chalian.