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 It's Feed Corn, Not Sweet Corn
* Some thoughts about the Guns of August: That footage of the policemen leading the children, hand-in-hand to safety made me consider what must go through the minds of the cops, the firemen, and the paramedics who have to go in first - knowing they're going to find injured and possibly dead children. They are much, much stronger than I and they don't get nearly enough credit.
* A reporter called to ask whether I thought this violence would cause political trouble for George W. I said I didn't know that anyone had come up with an answer to these attacks but, in any event, they were occurring on Bill Clinton's watch, not George W's.
* I also suggested that anyone who tried to make political hay out of five-year-old children being shot at a daycare center ran a real risk of being pilloried by the electorate - and rightfully so.
* Two Clinton Cabinet Secretaries, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, have been fined a combined $625,000 for what a Federal judge called: "Contumacious misdeeds." On top of Bill Clinton's fine of about $90,000 last week for lying under oath, this has been a pretty expensive month for the "most ethical administration in American history."
* As a public service, I already looked it up. "Contumacious" is defined in law as being "willfully disobedient to the summons or orders of a court." You owe me.
* Would someone travelling with Al Gore get him on the record about this pesky recurring obstruction of justice thing in his administration?
* The Public Television station in the Washington, DC area has begun its semi-annual membership drive. I am hereby offering to swap lists.
* This is true: The California Democratic party has issued its rules for the make-up of the 434 delegates to next summer's Democratic National Convention. According to a memo, 26 percent of delegates must be Hispanic, 16 percent black, 10 percent disabled, 9 percent Asian-Pacific Islander, 5 percent gay, 5 percent lesbian and 1 percent Indian. Half should be men, and half women, the memo says.
* As yet another public service I have already done the arithmetic. There must be: 112.84 Hispanics; 69.44 Blacks; 43.4 disabled; 39.06 Asians; 21.7 gays; an identical number of lesbians; and, 4.34 Indians. It was not immediately clear how the .84, .44, .4, .06, .7, .7, and .34 attendees will be parsed. I will leave the permutations and combinations of two-fers and three-fers to you.
* The Iowa Republican party is preparing to welcome dozens of campaign staffers, hundreds of reporters, thousands of attendees, and Mullings to its Straw Poll on Saturday. I think its going to be covered live - on ESPN2.
* I was in New York City on Monday and my route took me past the Algonquin Hotel. I couldn't think of anything clever to say to my cab driver.
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