"I don't have to get elected to a bloomin' thing. And I don't have to do things that are politically correct. The hell with everybody. I'm free at last" -- from a 1992 speech following his election to a sixth term. (No wonder he won when he ran again in 1998.)
SQUIBS
• Lovebird update: Yes, Rush Limbaugh and CNN anchor Daryn Kagan are still going strong. The media power couple were spotted together at the massive Christmas party that the White House threw Thursday evening for press, TV and radio types. Some 1,400 journos and their family members availed themselves of eggnog, shrimp, lamb chops and opportunities to pose for photos with President Bush and his wife.
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• No vetting, thank you: Former General Electric chairman Jack Welch has ruled out taking a key government position like, say, Treasury secretary. "First I would hate the work and, secondly, I have a little scandal," he told Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto last week. "I was married and I fell in love with another woman and I married her, so I don't want to have that dragged around again, for another week, month. That's silly."
• A Manhattan landscaper is suing Star Jones, co-host of ABC chat show "The View," for $7,189, claiming she stiffed him after he did work on her penthouse terrace. Dimitri Gatanas says Jones promised he'd get a credit in an Architectural Digest photo spread on the 1,400-square-foot garden last year and, when he didn't, offered him an autographed picture as compensation. Jones denies the allegations and argues in a countersuit that Gatanas did shoddy work, anyway.
Yule Log
The approach of the holidays caused the following to happen:
• A Finnish labor union wants Santa Park at the Arctic Circle to provide full employment rights to seasonal workers. Without better working conditions and benefits, the union said, "Santa's reputation is damaged and Finland's reputation as a tourist destination is damaged."
• To promote business, a Santa Cruz, Calif., adult products store has hired pole dancers clad in Claus-themed outfits to perform in its window. Customers who spend more than $100 will be entered in an hourly lottery in which the prize is a free lap dance.
• Christmas spending on dog apparel has surged in New York, where cashmere sweaters priced at $100 and alpaca sweaters from $55 are reported to be big sellers. "My dogs have bigger wardrobes than most people," said one owner of an upscale pet products store. Nationwide, 54 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners are expected to buy their pet a holiday gift.
With Anne Schroeder
