When Special (Photo) Ops Turn Oops

Miniace, who's the FAA's deputy assistant administrator for strategic labor management relations, in turn sued the PMA, seeking 18 months in severance pay and other benefits and punitive damages. He said that he was fully authorized as head of PMA to take the actions he took and that he was the victim of an enemy board member's "plot to kill the king."

A San Francisco federal judge, ruling on some of the complaints, said PMA acted within its authority in firing him and dismissed his claims of "emotional distress," but other matters are pending.

On March 10, Miniace's lawyers asked the judge not to postpone the trial because it has "taken an enormous emotional toll," and he wanted to have his "day in court as soon as possible" and put PMA's "mean-spiritedness" behind him.

"He does plan to go out for one day," an FAA spokesman said yesterday, "to testify in the trial and should be back the next day." To deal with NATCA.

Reality Check

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has vowed to change the military. And if there were any doubts, check the want ads in last Sunday's Washington Post.

"Senior Air Force Reality Officer," says an ad for a job paying $107,521 to $139,774. Responsibilities are "worldwide." This is a big, quite existential job, calling on a broad array of skills.

Applicants must also be able to handle "disposal of real estate assets."

It's Official . . .

President Bush formally sent up to the Senate yesterday the nomination of Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez to be ambassador to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, based in Rome.

And Bush also nominated April H. Foley, a pal of his from Harvard business school days who has been a member of the Ex-Im bank board, to be ambassador to Hungary.