Act Now: Snow Machines Are Standing By

By Al Kamen
Monday, November 17, 2008

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lost no time getting down to work upon her return to gubernatorial duties, despite the distractions of having to cook meals for television reporters interviewing her. Job One: counteracting the effects of plummeting oil prices on state coffers.

A die-hard Democrat in town got this note last week from the governor:

"Dear Neighbor," it began. "As Governor of Alaska, I am pleased to tell you about a very special offer: now you can receive an official Alaska travel guide -- absolutely FREE."

Lest you elite East Coast types start guffawing about how this must be some cheapo flier, Palin quickly notes: "This isn't some skimpy brochure -- this is a full-color publication, as bold and exciting as Alaska."

"Just imagine: Watchable wildlife," she writes, as opposed to wildlife that you can't watch, "fishing, clamming" and, of course, "hunting." Hunting by air is not mentioned. There's also "a dog sled ride, Eskimo blanket toss, panning for gold . . . and discovering our Alaska Native and Russian cultural roots." Vladimir Putin rears his head from time to time, so maybe you'll get a lucky peek.

You need the guide, Palin notes, so "you'll learn about our comfortable weather," which these days may not be as cold as you thought it was.

There's a card you can mail back -- no postage necessary -- to get the guide. It includes a little questionnaire about when you might go to Alaska, whether you have children at home, your age and education level, and how you might want to travel. (If you check the box next to "Cruise ship" and go with a political group, Palin might even invite you to the governor's mansion for dinner.)

There are boxes for you to check on what you'd like to do in Alaska. No option for drilling or for visiting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- but surely arrangements can be made.

"Please write today," Palin urges, "we've run out of copies in the past."

Scalpers Beware

Any lawmakers or congressional aides thinking of making a few bucks by selling their inaugural tickets had better think twice, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office warned last week.

It's clearly against the rules and may even be against federal law. The notice said:

Members and Congressional employees are reminded that tickets for the inaugural ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol are being distributed for official purposes only, and the tickets may not be sold to the public.

As a general matter, conversion of official Senate or House property or resources to private purposes may violate federal law and Senate and House rules. Moreover, the conflicts of interest provisions of both the Senate and House Codes of Official Conduct specifically prohibit even the appearance that Members or staff are "cashing in" on their official position (i.e., using their Senate or House position for personal gain). These provisions are intended as a broad prohibition against Members, officers, and employees deriving financial benefit, directly or indirectly, from the use of their official positions.

The Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) considers the sale of tickets provided to Members, or distributed to Congressional staff for personal use, to be inappropriate and to give rise to an appearance of impropriety. Congressional personnel selling tickets will be reported to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics or the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for appropriate disciplinary action.

Keep that in mind. Don't sell them cheap.

Enter Already!

And don't forget to enter the Loop Pick Four contest. Guess who the new president will name as secretary of state, secretary of defense, secretary of the Treasury and attorney general. Bonus question: Name the members of the opposing party who will be in the Cabinet -- in those posts or others.

The top 10 winners -- and you may not even need to guess all four correctly -- will receive our coveted In the Loop T-shirts, plus bragging rights.

As always, entries may be submitted "on background." Send yours via e-mail to looppickfour@washpost.com or mail to In the Loop, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. You must include a phone number -- home, work or cell -- to be eligible. The deadline for entries is midnight tonight (Nov. 17), or the moment President-elect Barack Obama fills one of the positions. He's moving quickly, so don't delay!

He's Not a Fan

Should Hillary Rodham Clinton be nominated as secretary of state, she's likely to receive a friendly reception on the Hill, especially given all the wonderful things Republicans were saying about the senator from New York in recent months. But should anyone need fodder for an old-fashioned grilling before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, they can get all they need in a blistering memo that Obama campaign aide Greg Craig put out on March 11.

After a passing shot at Clinton's "failed effort" on health insurance, Craig, a senior State Department staffer during her husband's presidency, argued that her "claims of foreign policy experience are exaggerated." He then delivers a claim-by-claim rebuttal, from her helping to broker the peace in Northern Ireland -- "gross exaggeration" -- to helping open Kosovo's borders, to urging President Bill Clinton to intervene in Rwanda and so on, including that sniper-fire thing in Bosnia.

In contrast, Obama, Craig wrote, "does not use false charges and exaggerated claims to play politics with national security."

Yikes. Well, this was all in the heat of battle. Probably just as well that Craig is heading to the White House counsel's office.

Hold the Rice

Reporters at the State Department's background briefing Friday wondered whether Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might be going to the fancy G-20 dinner that night at the White House to kick off the global economic summit.

After all, everyone who's anyone was expected to be there, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and various Euros.

State's press office issued the following response: "In response to the question that came up in the background section of today's daily press briefing, Secretary Rice will not attend tonight's White House dinner, nor is she scheduled to attend any official G-20 events tomorrow. She will, however, be available to the President should he need her advice."

Hey! We're available, too.

Just When He Thought He Was Out . . .

Back in 2005, we wrote Luke S. Albee -- longtime chief of staff to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and one of the most highly regarded aides in the Senate, on both sides of the aisle -- was heading off to the private sector to work for Democratic strategist Steve Ricchetti. Albee, a 20-year Senate veteran, is perhaps most remembered for his prescient intervention in 2001 in stopping mail deliveries to the office before an anthrax-laced letter addressed to Leahy could be delivered.

He's coming back to be chief of staff to new Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.).