Diplomacy Turns a Profit

Ambassadorial wives are often hard-pressed to find something to do when overseas.

But it seemed Lisa Vershbow , wife of Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, had found her niche, picking up on her abilities as a costume jewelry maker.

At diplomatic receptions, she handed out name cards that said "Lisa Vershbow Jewelry Design" and gave her address as the U.S. Embassy residence, according to the Korea Times.

Vershbow set up a workshop in the residence and sold her work through a Seoul gallery. Over a two-week period, the Times reported, the gallery sold $20,000 worth of her pieces and, after deducting sales taxes, split the net with her.

She told the Times that she'd gotten an okay with embassy staff to do the exhibit. But the Korean Immigration Bureau says she didn't get a required work permit, a violation of the Korean Immigration Control Act.

And, she said of her customers, "I always wonder, would people still come if I weren't the U.S. ambassador's wife?"

No.

Sex, Lies and the White House

And now, a Loop public service item. This month's special cheesecake edition of Esquire magazine features actress Scarlett Johansson as "The Sexiest Woman Alive." It's part of a fine photo display of "The Women We Love" from various fields -- movies, news, television commercials. The section includes "Women We're Ashamed to Love," topped by White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino .

"Hotter than Tony Snow and Scott McClellan combined," Esquire says of Perino. "Plus, the executive branch seems so much more capable in her dulcet voice. Lie to us, Dana. Lie to us."

Oddly, there is no picture of Perino included. So for Loop fans who don't read Esquire:

Forgive and Forget

Former president Bill Clinton , talking to Democratic contributors here last week, recounted how he had earlier chatted with Jim Webb , a Virginia former Republican who is running for the Senate as a Democrat.

"He said: 'I can't believe you're going to campaign for me after all the terrible things I said about you,' " Clinton said.