- Sun. Nov 8, 2009
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WHAT'S NEWS
•Apparently unaware of a hot mic before an appearance on FNC 7/6, Rev. Jesse Jackson said he wanted to cut Barack Obama's "nuts" off for "talking down" to black people. With FNC poised to air the video last night, Jackson "raced to get ahead of his own story," calling his remarks "hurtful and wrong" (Chicago Tribune).
•The Obama camp released a statement saying Obama "of course accepts Rev. Jackson's apology" (release). Jackson's son/Obama nat'l co-chair/Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), was less forgiving, saying he was "deeply outraged and disappointed" in his father's "ugly" comments (Chicago Sun-Times).
•Obama "stoked" the VP speculation flames by making an "unannounced" visit to his VP vetter Eric Holder's office, and sharing a flight to NY with Hillary Clinton (AP).
•At one point during Obama's fundraiser at the Grand Hyatt last night, "he was supposed to appeal for donations" for HRC's "debt-relief fund," but "evidently forgot and circled back to do so" at the end of his speech (New York Times).
•Obama aides say Michelle Obama "will be ramping up her event schedule and targeting" the "working women" demographic (Wall Street Journal).
•Obama has brought on ex-Gephardt comm. dir/Dem strategist Erik Smith to help with the "coordination" of the camp's TV advertising ("The Fix").
•Aside from the "blogosphere and some newspaper columnists," reaction to Obama's FISA reversal has been "notably mild" (Los Angeles Times).
•John McCain made another swing through OH yesterday, where he "trumpeted patriotism and low taxes" during a town hall meeting (Columbus Dispatch). Yesterday was his fifth trip to OH in four months, with another planned for next week (AP).
•McCain Victory chair/ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina recently said: "There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice" (Los Angeles Times).
•After a reporter asked McCain a question about insurance companies and Viagra yesterday, there was "nervous laughter," an "extended pause," and another "long pause, clocked at eight seconds" (NBC/National Journal).
•Ex-MN Gov. Jesse Ventura "quickly dismissed news reports" yesterday that he's going to run for Senate, "saying that he won't decide until next week" (Minneapolis Star Tribune).
•The only states where the GOP "anticipates trouble" from Bob Barr's bid are OK and WV (Politico).
•Iran "test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises," according to Iranian state television (AP).
•For more headlines, see today's Earlybird: Top News; Campaigns; Pundits & Editorials; Network News; TV Guests; Today In Washington.
PLAY OF THE DAY
G-8: The Movie, starring Papa Smurf and Patrick the Starfish on Play of the Day!
HAIR OF THE DOG
McCain "has cast 36 of the Senate's 169 votes this year," according to a USA TODAY analysis.
GOSSIP BUFFET
•The intersection of Sunset and Cahuenga Blvds. in L.A. will be named "Larry King Square" today (Los Angeles Times).
•Denny's is jumping into the WH race with a new contest: Impersonate Obama or McCain -- while also praising Denny's "full service, made-to-order, prepared fresh experience" -- and win one free meal every month for the next four years ("Yeas & Nays").
•"And I asked her (for) her name and phone number and she started to say, 'Sarah,' and I was like, 'Oh, man, you are Sarah Palin, aren't you?'" -- a man involved in Palin's "four-car fender bender" (Anchorage Daily News).
•After attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Las Vegas this weekend, NV Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) was spotted on the dance floor at The Venetian's Tao nightclub, chatting with actor Billy Zane (Las Vegas Review-Journal).
•Meanwhile, the "woman who's been seen stepping out with" Gibbons in recent weeks, "is under investigation in connection with a hit-and-run accident" (Reno Gazette-Journal).
•Fifteen Code Pink members in "three canoes and an inflatable raft" attempted a "blockade" outside Rep. Gary Ackerman's (D-NY) houseboat yesterday (Newsday).
•Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer likes to cook risotto, crab cakes and chicken salad. But yesterday, he stopped by the new HQ of "Hebni Nutrition Consultants to try his hand at something different: soul food, healthy style" (Orlando Sentinel).
•Sen. Ted Kennedy "arrived surreptitiously through a side entrance of the Capitol," waiting in Harry Reid's office until the vote. Obama was so distracted by Kennedy's presence that Dick Durbin "had to nudge him, reminding him to vote on the Medicare bill" (Boston Globe).
•"There was a lot of talk about God" last night when Sam Brownback showed up in the front yard of Capitol Hill's Jonathan House -- a home for Christian men (Wake-Up Call! sources).
•"You are my lord, you're my darling. You're my orgy" -- lyrics from French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's new song, "Ta Tienne," that seems to describe her whirlwind courtship and marriage to Nicolas Sarkozy ("The Reliable Source").
•A "handful of bloggers" went to Capitol Hill yesterday to personally deliver copies of their LiebermanMustGo.com petition with 43K signatures to Sen. Debbie Stabenow ("Washington Whispers").
•Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) "bounded out of a Capitol elevator on Tuesday with a smile on his face, singing" the Grateful Dead's "Casey Jones" (The Hill).
ROOSTER'S CROW
•Dir. of "Boys Don't Cry" attends a press conference with Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) (385 Russell, 11:30 am).
•Roundtable Discussion: Race and Class in Hip Hop Theater (Flashpoint Gallery, noon).
•Code Orange Happy Hour (Omni Shoreham Hotel, 5:30 pm).
BREAKFAST FLAKE
"Amigo! Amigo!" -- Pres. Bush calling out to Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi during a G-8 luncheon this week, apparently not knowing that Italians don't speak Spanish (New York Times).
Nora McAlvanah, Editor
Maura O'Brien, Associate Editor
About Wake-Up Call!
- A morning news briefing on politicians and the press.