Now That He's Out on His Fannie, Has Dan Mudd Become 'Not Our Kind'?

Tough times for outgoing Fannie Mae CEO Dan Mudd, who lost his job when the feds took over the home mortgage giant on Sunday. Mudd's getting the bum's rush out the door -- terrible timing when you're up for membership at the exclusive Chevy Chase Club.

In a letter sent to members by the private club last month, Mudd's name (with 50 others) appears on a list of "candidates who will be considered for membership in the near future" along with a request for "pertinent" info and comments about the applicants.

On the plus side: Mudd, 50, could walk away from Fannie Mae with a severance package worth as much as $9.8 million -- more than enough to pay the club's $85,000 initiation fee, should he be accepted. Then again, denizens of the low-profile enclave are loath to bring unwanted attention such as . . . oh, a walking symbol of the national housing crisis.

Unclear if Mudd (son of newsman Roger Mudd) still hangs his hat at the tony Congressional Country Club up the road. Fannie Mae was footing the bill for his membership costs (about $100,000 to join, plus annual dues and fees) at the Bethesda golf oasis until Jan. 1, 2008 -- when the board cut off country club perks.

Did Mudd leave Congressional for Chevy Chase? Or did he want a second club for rainy days? A rep for Congressional had no comment; Mudd and officials at Chevy Chase Club didn't return our calls.

Love, Etc.

· Born: a son, Henry , to actress Minnie Driver ,38, in L.A. on Friday. The Oscar nominee ("Good Will Hunting") and star of FX's "The Riches" has not ID'd the dad, but bet he's a big guy: Henry weighed in at 9 pounds 12 ounces.

Quote

"I regret calling my wife 'huge' . . . I meant to say that there are specific areas of my wife that are larger than normal and growing every day. All other portions of my wife are quite petite."

--Jerry O'Connell, publicly apologizing for making fun of pregnant-with-twins wife, Rebecca Romijn, People reports. The actor made the joke Friday; been sleeping on the couch since we're guessing.

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"No, he's not too old to be president! No! Of course he's not! And I'm not either! You're looking at a man who could be president -- right now!"

-- Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), at 90 the oldest member of the Senate, when asked about John McCain's age in GQ's September issue.

A Crusader for the Poor Just Got $250,000 Richer

Years of crunching numbers for the common man pays off! Robert Greenstein, founder and executive director of the D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, was named the winner yesterday of a $250,000 Heinz Award -- sort of like one of those MacArthur "genius" grants, just half the amount, but hey, that's still a lot. The annual prizes were set up by Teresa Heinz Kerry in the name of her late first husband, Sen. John Heinz, to honor various do-gooders; this year, prizes also went to a malaria researcher, an enviro-watchdog, an installation artist and a foster-care advocate. Greenstein, 62, who founded the liberal-leaning think tank in 1981, was cited as a voice for low-income families. What does a nice policy wonk do with all that money? Greenstein told us he's "honored and humbled. . . . But this came as a surprise, and I haven't thought yet what to do with the award."