Buzz told you about Sudoku before it became so widespread in D.C. Now, with the first hint of spring in the air, letterboxing has caught on as an outdoor sport in D.C. If you’re curious or just beginning your treasure hunt, here’s a hint: One resident has hidden a box in Cleveland Park along the Melvin Hazen Trail. This pastime combines navigational skills along with rubber-stamp artistry. Hints are arranged by state and posted at letterboxing.org, the North American Web site. If nothing else, this jaunt will get you out of the office and burn a few calories while you walk. But in this age when folks are wary of terrorism, the Web site offers a disclaimer waiving responsibility.
POLICY TALKS AS SPORTY AND SEXY
Earlier in the week, sexpert Dr. Ruth Westheimer had a front-row seat during a policy conference hosted by the American Israel Public Af- fairs Committee — AIPAC is America’s pro-Israel lobby — at the D.C. Convention Center. Ron Barness, a co-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Bob Diener, founder of hotels.com, were spotted in the crowd mingling with presidential hopefuls from both sides of the aisle.
FORMER SENATOR COULD BE TAPPED FOR NORTON’S JOB
Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., is among the names leaked to replace retiring Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who is heading back to Colorado at the end of the month. Campbell, a jewelry designer, was a Democrat and Gary Hart supporter who switched parties. Another likely candidate is Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, a former senator and a popular conservative, whose gubernatorial term is up this year.
GWB’S FELLOW BONESMAN TO GO DOWN UNDER
Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum, the new ambassador-designate to Australia, just happens to have been President Bush’s roomie at Yale and a fellow member of Skull and Bones. McCallum, the No. 3 official in the Justice Department, is working with the mediators. He has come out against the American Indians in the ongoing and much-publicized multibillion-dollar lawsuit Cobell v. Norton (as in Gale). It’s a class action suit against the federal government that alleges mismanagement of Indian land trusts. Ironically, in Australia, one of the issues is alleged discrimination against the Aborigines, who have problems similar to the American Indians in the U.S. The ambassador position has been vacant since 2004, when another Bush friend, Tom Schieffer, resigned and was then named ambassador to Japan. Schieffer, brother of CBS newsman Bob, was a former business partner of the president and ran the Texas Rangers for him.