Mullings by Rich Galen | Issue for November 15, 1999

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Why Don't We Talk Anymore?

Monday, November 15, 1999

A front page article in the Saturday Santa Fe New Mexican reported the wife of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) received $2.5 million in fees as a lobbyist on behalf of the fiber-optic company, Global Crossing. The paper reported that Anne Bingaman's office released a statement in which she stated she, "never met or spoke at any member of Congress or congressional staff on behalf of Global Crossing."

Remember the amazing assertion last week by Hillary Clinton that she and Bill had never discussed whether he would actually live in the $1.3 manse in suburban New York? This Bingaman couple sets marital communications back to the stone age. This is way, way more than "Lobbyists are from Venus; Senators are from Mars." Jeff Bingaman must be from Andromeda:

"Say, honey? Where'd this $2.5 million come from in our bank account?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh. Ok. Well, then I'm just going to go on into the office and finish up that legislation directing the FCC to allow a new direct undersea fiber optic cable to Asia. What do you want for dinner?"

"Sushi."

Speaking of marital communications, Suha Arafat, wife of Yassir used a visit by Hillary Clinton to claim the Israelis have been using poison gas against Palestinians. Hillary, standing right next to Suha, waited until the next day to suggest those remarks might not have been helpful to the peace process. After she was hung out to dry by NY City Mayor - and probable Senatorial opponent, Rudy Giuliani - Hillary whined she had received an incomplete translation and, in any event, she was not, NOT on a political trip but on an official trip and she certainly expected "every American to support" the peace process.

Wait until Giuliani's people get a full translation of Hillary's remarks suggesting he is un-American.

Bill Clinton called Yasser Arafat over the weekend. We can only assume the exchange was something like "Cheers" character Norm Peterson's line: "Women. Can't live with 'em, pass the beer nuts."

Bill Bradley appeared at a fund-raiser at Madison Square Garden yesterday which was supposed to raise some $1.5 million from the 5,000 attendees. That works out to $300 per person which is about the average cost of a ticket to an NBA game at the Garden on a regular night.

Bradley (6'5") was endorsed by basketball greats Julius Erving (6'7"), Bill Russell (6'9), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7'3"), Bill Walton (6'11") amongst others. On Monday, Bradley is scheduled to be endorsed by former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich who is something less than average height for an NBA starter.

At first glance, the AP headline announcing the Former Labor Secretary's decision: "Reich to Endorse Bradley" made me think Pat Buchanan was switching parties yet again.

The American telephone industry continues to wreak havoc on its customers by adding or changing area codes because they are continually running out of phone numbers. The guys who figured out the internet addressing system (rich@mullings.com) invented a system with an infinite number of combinations. Not only that, but it uses letters and words, not an incomprehensible series of numbers like the MODERN phone system. I'm old enough to remember when a telephone number could be lyrical: Floral Park 2-8959 was my home number growing up on Long Island.

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