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Wednesday, November 8, 2006

The Architect

By Ken Herman | Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 02:55 PM

President Bush, who opened today’s White House news conference, by gazing at the press corps and saying “Why all the glum faces?”, later lobbed an apparently good-natured zinger at political adviser Karl Rove.

Rove, the record will show, did not have one of his best days on Tuesday as the Democrats gave Republicans what Bush called a “thumpin’”.

Bush was asked for an update on his contest with Rove to see who could read the most books this year.

“You know,” Bush said, “I’m losing. I obviously was working harder in the campaign than he was.”

A good laugh was had by all in the East Room, including Rove from his front-row seat (as if he had a choice as to whether to laugh).

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The Morning After

By Ken Herman | Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 11:04 AM

On the morning after the evening of the White House’s discontent, the sun came up (albeit cloudy, drizzly and generally dreary in DC) and the administration went about the business of cranking out paper.

The first release of the day brought the news that dancer Cyd Charisse is among those selected for the coveted National Medal of Arts, to be presented Thursday in the Oval Office.

Could this be an effort to show that the admininstration still has legs?

Charisse trivia: Born in Amarillo, Texas as Tula Ellice Finklea.

Other winners: composer William Bolcom of Michigan, photographer Roy DeCarava of New York, arts patron Wilhelmina Holladay of Washington, conductor Erich Kunzel of Cincinnati, literary translator Gregory Rabassa of New York, industrial designer Viktor Schreckengost of Cleveland, bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley, the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

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