The first thing I saw when I got to my office this morning was a fellow who had “Capitol Hill wonk” writ large all over him, impatiently cooling his heels and glaring at my private secretary, who, despite that, maintained her composure and professional demeanor admirably. My visitor practically leapt out of his seat when… Continue reading Taking a Flying Leap off the Bridge to Nowhere
Category: Tom’s Life and Times
Unsportsmanlike Behavior
It’s been an incredibly busy week, and more remarkable because it’s a week in July, and the stock market has traditionally waited until autumn to deflate the fantasies of greedy investors. The gods of commerce apparently decided to get started early this time, handing all those starry-eyed dreamers the stock market’s worst performance in five… Continue reading Unsportsmanlike Behavior
Patrician Pinhead Pajama Party
Wednesday, I had a lunch date with Connor, an old college chum – we were both reporters on the campus newspaper. These days, Connor is a Senate staffer, and consequently we shared a table in the Senate Dining Room. The food there, if not up to my usual standards, is nevertheless wholesome and acceptable. Furthermore,… Continue reading Patrician Pinhead Pajama Party
The Hunch Backer of DHS
Here inside the Beltway, when invited to a Sunday brunch at an undisclosed location, one attends. Given his recent behavior, I would have expected everybody to give Mike Chertoff the cold shoulder this afternoon, and they pretty much did. He cut a rather lonely figure, standing in the middle of the room, staring longingly at… Continue reading The Hunch Backer of DHS
Severely Surreal Safari
Yesterday when I got back to the office after lunch, my private secretary put through a call from Mr. Punda Limpopo, a Finance and Economics Attache stationed here in Washington at the Embassy of Zimbabwe. I can’t say I was pleased to hear from him. I considered my dealings with Mr. Limpopo to be concluded. … Continue reading Severely Surreal Safari