At the gym, I frequently see a man I thought I recognized as DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D, At-Large). While I'm often mistaken about celebrity sightings, I have an eagle eye for local politicians, minor media types, and other obscure public figures. I was 100% certain this guy was Mendelsohn- after the first time I saw him there, I image-Googled him and thought it was an exact match. After correctly identifying NPR/PBS film critic Bob Mondello there recently, I was overconfident of my people-spotting abilities. 

The other day, "Phil Mendelson" was walking down the hall to the locker rooms and I was coming out. I stopped him, and said "Hello Councilman." He appeared confused for a minute, then looked at me like I was crazy? "Aren't you DC Councilman Phil Mendelson?" I said. He replied no, but said he knows him and has some professional connection with him (I forgot what the connection was). I apologized and slunk off, red with embarrassment. I'm such an idiot!
 

The newspaper madness that has overtaken DC since the election is crazy! I must be the only Obama supporter in the region that isn't hoping to score a copy of yesterday's Washington Post, with the headline Obama Makes History, as a keepsake. It is pretty cool, but at home, I'm in a major de-cluttering mode right now, and I'm not looking to add a thick newspaper to the pile. In a few years, it will become a yellowed, brittle artifact that will require a special archival sleeve to keep it in, and it will need to be stored flat. I just don't have the shelf space, and if I ever get the urge, I can buy one on eBay.

On the other hand, I wish I had realized that the day's newspaper was going to become a collector's item. At my office, all the copies available to the staff were stolen yesterday morning, and the 25 copies in the little convenience store downstairs were all bought by one guy, apparently. I'm up pretty early, and had I been thinking straight, I could have rounded up several copies and resold them, or given them to friends who are now wandering aimlessly around the city like zombies. Only, instead of saying "brainz..." they mumble "Washington Post..." It's a brief moment of glory for a fading industry, which is nice, but I'd rather have something a little less bulky and more durable as a touchstone for this historic election.

Maybe I'll get a small photo of Obama, a classic portrait, frame it and hang it in my library. Wow, I've never been enthusiastic enough about any sitting President to put their picture on the wall, like the way my grandparents supposedly had a portrait of Mussolini in their kitchen in the 1930s (d'oh!). Hopefully, they replaced that with FDR once WWII broke out. I do have a Theodore Roosevelt painting hanging in the library along with my maps and posters - yes, I am a major history nerd. Maybe I'll pick up a tchotchke or two on Inauguration Day, but for now, I'll stay well clear of the Washington Post scrum. 

Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin recently said this before a crowd of supporters in North Carolina:

We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.

I don't know about you, but that comment has irritated me more than anything else she's said during this campaign. These allegedly "pro-America" areas can be far less patriotic than the "fake" America of presumably the east and west coasts, and the big cities.

Point of fact: you can't get less "pro-American" than Palin's home state of Alaska. It's geographically and culturally distant, hasn't been a state very long, and has a political party dedicated to independence from the United States, of which Palin's husband is/was a member. You can't get much less pro-American than that.

Not to mention that all of the southern states that Palin would consider good pro-American areas actually did secede from the union in the 1860s. You can't get much less patriotic than tearing down the American flag, taking up arms against the Federal government, and firing on and killing U.S. soldiers. They would have been happy to capture or destroy Washington, and kill the President! What do you think all those forts around DC were for? As late as the 1960s, parts of the south resisted and defied the legitimately-elected government when ordered to integrate as part of the Civil Rights movement. The confederate flag is still an issue in places, and is displayed on bumper stickers and elsewhere in small towns in the south. Doesn't sound pro-America to me, Governor Palin.   

I wish that someone would also point out to her that we urban east and west coast residents subsidize the rural areas of the country with our taxes. For every dollar we pay in taxes, we only get a portion back from the government, while in places like Alaska, they get more than a dollar back for projects like that bridge to nowhere. It's us fake Americans who fund most of our military. Governor Palin, please zip it with the hypocritical, divisive stuff, OK?

Update: Palin has since apologized for her comments.

So far, the Democratic National Convention has been OK, but there have been a few disappointments. First of all, ugh, how could Obama have forgotten where he was, first saying "Saint Louis", then changing to "Kansas City"? Of course, he's been traveling and campaigning  all over the country and is probably exhausted, but this is exactly the type of slip-up that will feed into the Republican line that Obama is out of touch with middle America, and everything between the coasts is pretty indistinguishable. His kids are very, very cute though. When they appeared on stage, it showed everyone that, hey, this is the all-American, traditional family the Republicans talk so much about. He should play that up a bit more, in comparison to McCain's more convoluted situation.

Speaking of Presidential kids, I was disappointed in Chelsea Clinton's appearance last night. All she did was introduce her mom, and that's it, she just uttered a few words. I was hoping she'd give a little speech of her own, and explain that she endorses and will vote for Obama as well, and maybe explain how as a younger voter, she arrived at that decision. Hillary Clinton gave a good speech, and any of her supporters left at this point who thinks she can still be the nominee, or who is waffling on voting for Obama versus McCain, really should be tarred, feathered, and sent packing from Denver. the interviews with her diehard supporters are very annoying. Do they not understand that Obama and Clinton's positions are virtually the same, while McCain's are far to the right? Do they not understand that the only liberals left on the Supreme Court are like 100 years old? Just fall into line already, people. If only the Democrats had the party discipline of the Republicans, perhaps we'd have been finishing out the second term of the Gore administration right now.

Speaking of Al Gore, I hope he makes a noteworthy appearance at the convention. Over the past eight years, he's represented somewhat of a government-in-exile for me, the rational, scientific, intellectual opposite of that mentally-challenged cowboy in the White House. I like Obama, but Gore would have made a fine Democratic candidate as well. 

Dear Councilmember Graham,

With the 25% increase in ridership at the Columbia Heights Metrorail Station on the Green Line, as a result of the opening of the DCUSA complex, I'm writing to suggest that service be increased to keep pace with demand. Not only are new businesses and residential buildings opening up in Columbia Heights, Petworth, Fort Totten, and around the U Street Metro station, but the rising cost of gasoline is driving more commuters from the outer suburbs to switch from driving to riding Metro. Another recent study indicated the vast parking garage at DCUSA is underutilized, and most people are walking, biking, or taking Metro to Target.

Typically, during rush hour, Green Line six-car trains run on a 6-7 minute schedule, and every third or fourth train has eight cars. This used to be sufficient, but with the increased ridership, every train is now packed to the gills, and delays abound. Yesterday, I had to wait 9 minutes for a Green Line train home, and it was seriously overloaded. The next Green Line train was due in 13 minutes, according to the electronic display. The Yellow Line didn't provide any relief, with trains going only as far as Mount Vernon Square.

I would very much like to see Metro implement any or all of the following:
(1) more Green Line trains are needed at rush hour OR the Yellow Line should proceed to Fort Totten during peak periods in addition to off-peak service
(2) more eight-car trains are needed on the Green Line
(3) at the Columbia Heights station itself, more faregates are needed, some of them SmarTrip-card only, and
(4) more SmarTrip farecard machines are needed - there are only two at present

In addition to the Metro improvements, it's also about time to dismiss the DDOT crossing guards who were stationed in Columbia Heights in anticipation of the "traffic apocalypse" that never came about. They could be more profitably employed in another location.

Thanks very much as usual for your continuing efforts, and I look forward to seeing you at the next community event.

Best regards,
Mr. T in DC 

The new Madame Tussauds location in DC can't be doing very well, judging by the absence of customers. Unlike the International Spy Museum, there are never any tourists lined up outside. I walk by both facilities on F Street NW every day, and the contrast is striking.

By all accounts, Madame Tussauds is a smallish, low-key affair in a tastefully restored historic building. It blends in all too well with official Washington. Even the Marion Barry figure is supposed to be blandly posed and attired (no crack pipes!).

In order to boost attendance, if I were them, I'd quickly add new exhibits to mirror current events, and make the exhibits much more lurid. Right now, they should have their best wax artisans replicating Room 871 of the Mayflower Hotel, with a figure of NY Governor Eliot Spitzer wearing a robe, taking cash out of his wallet. On the robe is a monogrammed "Client #9." On the bed, a lingerie-clad wax figure of "Kristen" from Emperors Club VIP reclines; her appearance can only be based on the vague description from the FBI affidavit "petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5 inches and 105 pounds."

Just outside the door to the hotel room mock-up, a replica of the Governor's attractive wife Silda Wall Spitzer approaches, looking mad and holding a shoe/brick/frying pan in her hand as if she's about to whack him with it. A fictional addition to the scene, but it would certainly get people in the door of Madame Tussauds! 

On the subject of the Democratic primaries, I've given a great deal of thought to the issue, and will be casting my ballot for Barack Obama. While I see little difference among the candidates, and will definitely be supporting and voting for the ultimate Democratic nominee, I think Obama has a slightly better chance of beating whoever becomes the Republican nominee.

Also, looking past the election, I think Obama would have the best shot at building a little bipartisanship in the government, and would be allowed a longer "grace period" than Hillary Clinton. While it's unfortunate, if Clinton were elected president, right wingers like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, the Washington Times, and Fox News would go berserk. The knee-jerk hostility towards Hillary Clinton by something like 45% of the population is troubling, and would lead to a Hillary Clinton administration being continuously under siege, unable to make any progress towards their goals. The attack dogs would dredge up Whitewater, the travel office scandal, why didn't she divorce Bill, "Hillarycare", with the prevailing undertone being that she's a Machiavellian "shrill bitch" with a fake laugh. At least Obama would be able to avoid some of the flak thrown up by the Hillary-haters. I'm not saying it's right, just being pragmatic here.

If the Democrats win, they should forget about making any progress towards party goals for awhile and just concentrate on un-doing 8 years of the incompetent Bush-Cheney administration. They'll need to go through everything from day one, and work like mad to undo the damage, from logging roads in national parks, to funding for programs advocating birth control, rebuilding America's shattered image abroad, strengthening and re-equipping our armed forces, and revitalizing the EPA. I don't envy the next president, because they're going to be blamed for a lot of the fallout of the Bush administration, but someone's got to clean up the mess, and hopefully Obama will be the person to do it. 

This piece of video really, really needs to be seen. When I saw it the first time on Wonkette, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he used the word "quagmire."

My wife was up extra early Sunday morning, preparing for her weekly long run, when she noticed something suspicious going on outside. A man (older, African-American, pretty big) picked up our neighbor's Washington Post and walked off with it. Worse, he was pushing a cart that was filled with other Sunday newspapers, as if he was going around the neighborhood any stealing everyone's newspapers in an organized fashion. Perhaps he was planning to resell them on the street? J didn't intervene, but told me about it when I woke up, and I emailed our neighbor.

Our neighbor subscribes to the Sunday-only Washington Post, and hasn't received one in months. He kept calling the publisher to complain, and they assured him it was being delivered. Now that he knows what's happening, he's planning to stake the scene out very early next Sunday, and try to catch the thief in the act. 

I don't subscribe to the dead tree edition as I read it every day online, preferring the more interactive format (chats, blogs) and preferring not to get newsprint all over my hands. But I do have a general law-and-order interest in exposing the neighborhood newspaper thief. So, if you get the Washington Post delivered to your home in Columbia Heights, watch out for this guy. And, if you buy your newspaper from a guy on the street, please check to make sure they're an official employee or licensed vendor of the Washington Post.

Speaking of criminals, have you been reading the Washington Post series on Dick Cheney? Pretty good, but I'm sure there's WAY more he's involved in that will never see the light of day. What we know already about Iraq, secrecy, Plame Case, etc is just the tip of the iceberg.