COLUMNS

Hollywood Goes Green, Connie Stevens Touts McCain

  • Capital Connections ®
  • |
  • June 28, 2000

by Karen Feld

“You make me feel young again,” President Clinton told Tricia Leigh Fisher who was in town with her mom, singer/actress Connie Stevens, for 50th anniversary Korean War remembrances. Stevens’ vested interest in the military began when she was a teenager and entertained troops in Korea. Mother and daughter don’t think The President realized that Tricia (Connie’s daughter with Eddie Fisher) played Monica in a stage play about the Clinton- Lewinsky drama.

Connie confided to me that after the Vietnam war one woman, who was on the enemy side, handed her a handful of American dog tags. “I’m the keeper of them-about 30.” But, she never contacted the families. “I didn’t want to open wounds.”

Rahm Emmanuel (former Senior Advisor to The President for Policy and Strategy) to the Commerce Department? Now that Commerce Secretary William Daley has been tapped to head up the Gore presidential campaign, the search is on for his Cabinet replacement. Former California Congressman Norman Mineta would be the first Asian-American in the Cabinet – he left Congress to be a Senior V.P. at Lockheed Martin. Deputy Secretary Robert Mallett is under consideration, as are California Congressman Bob Matsui and former Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard. If Matsui leaves Congress, it would give the Dems one less incumbent in their efforts to re-take the House of Representatives. A decision could be made during the July 4 recess. And it’ s possible that Al Gore could have a hand in that. FYI. . . Mineta turned down President Clinton’s offer back in ’92 to be Transportation Secretary but if Al Gore wins, Mineta could have another opportunity to head the Transportation Department, and who’s better qualified? He Chaired the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.

A very confident Chelsea Clinton showed up at the State Dinner for bachelor King Mohammed of Morocco. She wore a pale lavender dress, had freshly cropped hair, and was most gracious and talkative. She stayed out of the limelight and receiving line, but charmed everyone until the very end of the evening…She hung around the large pavilion on the South Lawn of The White House talking with members of Earth Wind and Fire and a few lingering guests. “This was wonderful,” she exclaimed when asked about the band. Singer Paula Abdul, who sat at Mrs. Clinton’s table called the State Dinner for the King of Morocco, agreed, calling it “one of the most memorable evenings ever… The next time you won’t be able to stop me from running up on stage.”

Hollywood folks – Paul Newman, Phil Donahue, Warren Beatty, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown – are backing Green Party hopeful Ralph Nader… It’s ironic that after years of bashing big business, Nader, worth close to $4 million, is heavily invested in tech stocks, especially Cisco Systems, which makes Internet plumbing. But he doesn’t have a computer or email or a cell phone. Instead he uses a manual typewriter. He hasn’t owned a car since his ’49 Studebaker and still rents a small apartment in the heart of D.C., uses his senior citizens discount to fly – coach – and only recently acquired a small back and white TV set.

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