Ex-Rep. Northup just can’t win

In November, former Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.) lost her congressional seat to Rep. John Yarmuth (D). Last week, she lost the Kentucky gubernatorial primary to sitting Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R).

Adding insult to injury, a new book about the 2006 midterm elections managed to spell her name wrong. Not once, but thrice.

In The Thumpin’: How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to Be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution, author Naftali Bendavid, deputy Washington bureau chief at the Chicago Tribune, spells the former congresswoman’s name Northrup on pages 196 and 197. Those are the only two times she’s mentioned in the body of the book.

But it gets worse.

If Northup wanted to give the book a Washington read — go straight to the index and look for her name — she’d find it misspelled there too.

Give the man credit for consistency.

Pooches get special treatment on Capitol Hill

It was a dog-day afternoon last Wednesday as reporters, photographers and security types cooled their heels outside a Department of Defense briefing in a Rayburn hallway.

First an aide walked by with a Jack Russell terrier on a leash, apparently bringing the pooch back from a little, um, relief outside. “Whose dog?” a reporter asked. “Congressman Whitfield.” That would be Rep. Ed Whitfield’s (R-Ky.) dog, Nigel.

Five minutes later, another aide came in with Bosley, a little black   Scottie. Again, “Congressman Whitfield.” The assembled press corps was  sensing a pattern.

Just a few minutes later, the sound of claws on tile was heard once again, this time the paws belonging to a small white terrier. “Congressman Whitfield?” the press corps asked.

“Congressman Lantos,” the aide replied, referring to Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), as he pulled the lawmaker’s pooch along.
The dogs apparently are privy to high-level briefings as they are often brought to work where they spend long days in the congressmen’s offices. “I highly doubt they were in the briefing,” Whitfield’s spokesman, Derek Fink, remarked, adding
that the dogs are well behaved and everyone in the office loves them.

Cleaning up after dogs seems like good training for life as a lobbyist, or a congressman.

Rep. brad Sherman’s green oatmeal ritual

It may not be the breakfast of champions, but it is how Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) gets started each morning. In an ITK exclusive, Sherman recently revealed that before he heads off to the Capitol to change the world, he eats oatmeal mixed with soy protein powder.

“It’s green oatmeal,” he said. “It tastes great if you put some frozen blueberries on it.”  

Bon appetit, congressman. We’ll take your word for it.

Sherman’s other daily ritual: tea. He drinks Lipton black tea all day long and has it prepared for him by the young aides who sit in his reception area.

“As far as I know, there’s no bourbon involved, although it’s the same color,” said David Prestwood, Sherman’s spokesman. “He drinks it for the anti-oxidants — 175 milligrams according to the package.”

With good reason, Rep. Wamp pushes former Sen. Thompson’s new book   

It seemed the favorite accessory among Republicans departing for the Memorial Day recess was a paperback titled The Fred Factor, sporting a giant mug of Fred Thompson. He’s that “Law and Order” actor guy who might be willing to run for president if, aw shucks, anyone asks him to.

“Zack Wamp was handing them out,” House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) said. “Which might be explained by this,” he added, pointing to a line on the cover stating that the introduction was written by none other than Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.).

It didn’t sound like Putnam was planning to put the book in his waterproof tote for some poolside reading over the break.

“You give me $13.95,” Putnam said after looking at the manufacturers suggested retail price, “and I’ll give it to you.”