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the breakfast table
entries
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from: Bill Turque
to: Melinda Henneberger

Powderpuffs Pound Arthur

Posted Tuesday, July 2, 2002, at 4:06 PM ET

Who are these people?

Melinda,

You know, you're right. You shouldn't have added just one more thing about Gore. I take your point. But the problem with him running a McCain-style crusade on the environment is that Gore's not McCain.

My only political thought of the day was about J.C. Watts, the lone black Republican in the House, who announced his retirement. What got my attention was the mention in Juliet Eilperin's Wash Post story that three major black Democrats in the House—Charles Rangel, John Lewis, and Eva Clayton—had called Watts, the fourth ranking Republican in the House, and asked him to stay. It first struck me as a peculiar act of desperation. But then, looking at the roster of possible successors as chairman of the House Republican Conference, it's clear that they have something to be desperate about. Say hello to J.D. Hayworth. They had major differences with Watts, yet he was there for them on issues like funding for historically black colleges and affirmative action in highway projects. He'll be back. They love their football heroes in Oklahoma. Your pal Steve Largent will probably be the next governor.

Your confessions of laxity as a culture cop hit a nerve. I've also been back on my heels eating cornetti when I should have been pounding the culture beat for our kids. I plead guilty for letting the Cartoon Network fill the gap left by PBS. Although I suspect that even if we could pull PBS in on our trusty satellite dish, it would be a tougher sell now. Toward the end of our time in Washington, I liked watching Arthur more than they did. Had we stayed, I think Dexter and The Powerpuff Girls would have begun to make inroads. But I did feel like we blew it taking them to see Spider-Man a few weeks ago. A couple of parents here had told us that it was OK, but it was clearly too scary for 6-year-olds. So, time to tighten up. Want to rent White Christmas this weekend?

Bill

the breakfast table
entries
123456789101112
from: Bill Turque
to: Melinda Henneberger

Powderpuffs Pound Arthur

Posted Tuesday, July 2, 2002, at 4:06 PM ET
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Melinda Henneberger, a former New York Times reporter, is writing a book about a lost da Vinci fresco. Bill Turque is a former correspondent for Newsweek magazine and author of Inventing Al Gore: A Biography. They live in Rome with their 6-year-old twins.
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