Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Headline Article Date: Mon, 26 Oct 92 14:37:03 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION;INSIDE THE BELTWAY \BY John McCaslin \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES GOOD MORNING! There's a new name on this column today, and I'm honored to see that it's mine. I can't wait to pick up where my distinguished predecessor, John Elvin, left off last month when he became editor of Dimensions: The Journal of the American Heartland. John's shoes are big to fill, and my feet aren't nearly as large. But I can eat just as many Scotch eggs as John (he's a good friend of mine, you see), and we'll be eating more of them together in the future. In other words, he cares about the continued success of this column, which he so personally crafted for so many years. Therefore, rest assured that you Beltway Irregulars who trusted in John for so long can put your trust - and your scoops - in this John, too. I look forward to hearing from you and can be reached at 202/636-3284. As Ross Perot says, "I'm all ears." GEE, THANKS There's an unsigned list floating around titled "Top Ten ways the country will be worse off only six months from now." Number 2 reads: "After firing everyone in the executive branch, President Clinton decides to retain Dick Darman, Nicholas Brady and Michael Boskin in their current positions as a token gesture to Republicans." FRESHMAN FIRE D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton calls it an interesting if ironic discovery. A computer check shows that during the 102nd Congress, she spoke many more times on the House floor than any other member. "I was very surprised to learn this because this was not my goal, and, indeed, I went to the House floor only to speak in debate on issues I regarded as of special importance to the District and the country," Mrs. Norton said. "Yet the point is clear enough: The member with no vote participated more often." DOMINANT MEDIA Glamour magazine surveyed 300 journalists, "primarily female," on "the doing and daring women who have made an indelible mark on 1992." Hillary Clinton was first, named by 54 percent. No. 2 was Diane English, creator of "Murphy Brown," thanks to 38 percent. Barbara Bush came in third with 25 percent. Votes for Anita Hill were not counted because she had already been named Glamour Woman of the Year. YELTSIN RESPONSE The release of documents in Moscow recently about the 1983 shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by a Soviet jet fighter is being viewed as a personal triumph of sorts for Sen. Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republican. Mr. Helms wrote a letter to Russian President Boris Yeltsin in December seeking the release of the materials. The letter was drafted by former Helms aide James Lucier, who until his abrupt dismissal had been active in researching the fate of the Boeing 747. The transcript of the cockpit voice recorder shows that the KAL-007's pilot was in frequent radio contact with companion KAL-015 during the last 30 minutes of the flight. Mr. Helms was on Flight 015 as it followed some 60 miles behind. "I shall never forget mingling with the doomed passengers of KAL-007 in the transit lounge, including two sweet young girls who waved goodbye to me when they were called to return to their fatal flight," Mr. Helms wrote to the Russian president. Mr. Yeltsin last week said the incident was "the most horrible catastrophe of the Cold War." WITHOUT THE SENATOR This morning's Harden and Weaver show will be the most difficult ever for Frank Harden, who returns to the airwaves less than a week after the death of Jackson Weaver, his popular sidekick of 32 years. The folksy Mr. Weaver would not have wanted to be in Mr. Harden's shoes this morning. In fact, he dreaded such a day. Once Mr. Harden became critically ill and was rushed to Suburban Hospital, where surgery, multiple blood transfusions and a two-week stay saved his life. Mr. Harden tells the rest: "Up until the afternoon that I left the hospital, 'no visitors' was the order. Of course, that didn't include Jackson, who had planned a visit for the next morning. No one told Jack that I had gone home; so, armed with my room number, he showed up at the room - all alone. After a tenuous knock to which there was no response, he entered. "Hospital beds being at a premium, another patient had already been installed. The new man was an octogenarian obviously beset by every common and uncommon ailment known to geriatric medicine. As I was informed later, the poor gentleman had snow-white hair, a skeletal countenance, sunken eyes, and, since he had no teeth, his nose and chin were contiguous. Jackson took one horror-stricken look and screamed, 'My God, Frank, what have they done to you?' He was quite certain that the Harden and Weaver show would be the Weaver show before the day was out." Wrote Mr. Weaver later: "What amazes me is that Frank has been able to put up with me all these years. . . . [But] everything we've ever done has been on an equal basis. Each of us will always refer to 'Harden and Weaver' - never to 'my show.' We know how important we are to each other. When one person is sick and can't work, the other one takes the day off. There's no sense trying to work with someone else, and working alone is just not the same." Godspeed, Harden. Godspeed, Weaver. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM