Potomac Confidential

Washington's Hour of Talk Power

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion by Metro columnist Marc Fisher of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

Fisher was online Thursday, Feb. 2, at Noon ET and discussed Tim Kaine's bobbing eyebrow, new hope for the District's libraries, and a D.C. Olympic team?

Today's Column: Bid for Olympic Curling Team Casts a Stone for D.C. Voting Rights (Post, Feb. 2)

Check out Marc's new blog, Raw Fisher .

In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

Archives: Discussion Transcripts

A transcript follows.

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. Curling, anyone? Bobbing eyebrows? Dueling T-shirts?

This political polarization business has gone too far: There are actually people arguing today that one of the two women ousted from the gallery at the State of the Union address was ok, while the other got her just punishment. Excuse me? Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young both expressed their political views through a message on a T-shirt, a tried and true form of speech that has been argued in every court in the land--and the answer is it is protected speech, whether it's in favor of the troops in Iraq or opposed to the war. An apology from the Capitol Police is a minor gesture in the direction of honoring one of our basic freedoms; the real gesture would be to remove from the proposed renewal of the Patriot Act new language that would expand the power of law enforcement to level felony charges against demonstrators at any "special event of national significance," which is so broad as to include anything from a presidential appearance to the Super Bowl to a political fundraiser.

How about it--a D.C. Olympic team? Are we ready for pasty interns and gawky kids trying their hand at ski-jumping and figure skating? Is this the way to win attention to the lack of D.C. voting rights?

Did Gov. Tim Kaine make an impression on you in his address to the nation? Can he get past the silliness about his bouncing eyebrows and focus the Democrats' attention on issues that really hit home--growth, development, education, transportation?

Is Maryland following Virginia's path by using gay marriage as a cynical election year weapon? Can Gov. Bobby Haircut continue to tack to the center while also making a nod to the anti-gay crowd?

All that and more, right now on the big show....

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The State of the Union T-shirt Scandal.: What kind of madness it going on?

So security was overzealous. Happens all the time.

But let it happen a gov't official's wife and suddenly we got all kinds of apologies and people threatening legal action against, I am assuming, the Capitol PD.

Again, why should I care about this woman being, in her words, "publicly humiliated"? Why should anyone?

Marc Fisher: Seems to me both of them were humiliated, but it's also true that both got far more recognition for their cause than they would have had the cops just let them be. So there's no harm done, except to the Constitution and the notion that Americans are free to express their views and to do so not penned off in some perverse "free speech corner" of a college campus but directly to those in power.

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Silver Spring, Md.: So Marc,Why was Sheehan immediately arrested and the congressman wife not? It seems to me if they had not removed the congressman's wife the charges would have never been dropped. After being held up in traffic this morning for the Prayers Breakfast across the street from my workplace, I have a lot of disdain for all the political fools.

Marc Fisher: A congressman's wife is a heck of a lot less likely to be arrested than a known radical with a passion for drama. That's not equal treatment under the law, but it reflects the reality of life. That said, the fact that both were ejected speaks well for equal (mis)treatment.

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Arlington, Va.: Loved the article on the D.C. Olympic team. Two questions spring to mind: is anyone taking them seriously (because if Guam can have a team ...) and what, no team from the Northern Marianas Islands?

P.S. I have visited the curling club in Laurel and they are very nice. It was fun to try curling and I'd even consider doing it again sometime.

washingtonpost.com: Bid for Olympic Curling Team Casts a Stone for D.C. Voting Rights (Post, Feb. 2)

Marc Fisher: I'm eager to get out to the National Curling Center in Laurel--they have two open houses a year, but alas the next one isn't til April.

It's way too soon to know if this group has the staying power to push the bid through--it's a multi-year process, but my bet is that the Olympic Committee would give the District a fair hearing, if only because the IOC members tend to loathe the United States and would be thrilled by the opportunity to stick it to the administration.

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Herndon, Va.: Hey Marc: The D.C. curling team idea is a stroke of brilliance! Does one need to be a resident of the city to be on the team or does being born there qualify you? I have experience watching curling (which puts me on par with many of the members of the team) as I became mildly obsessed with it during the last Olympics. I'm sure I could be an asset, but alas I live in Virginia now.

Marc Fisher: All you'd have to do is move into town, a small price to pay for Olympic glory. The mayor could make this a new corollary to his campaign to expand the population: Use public housing money to build an Olympic Village of housing for athletes, and he'd lock up the sportster vote. Oh, right, he's not running for a third term. In fact, Tony Williams might not even live here after he leaves office--after all, he never did buy property here.

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D.C. Olympic Team? : How did pot hole filling become a demonstration sport?

Marc Fisher: Our own Olympic team means our own Olympic events:

Procurement. Swimming across mammoth potholes. Hiding campaign contributions. Petition-signing. Others?

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District of Columbia: Marc, in the D.C. curling article, I believe you meant to describe Mike Panetta as "hunky", not "chunky". It's okay, we all make typos.

Marc Fisher: Right. Next: Hunks of the D.C. Olympic Team. Get yer calendars right here.

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Washington, D.C.: It's hardly an original observation that Tim Kaine was a little schmaltzy and perhaps even snooze-worthy in his response to the SOTU, and my god, that eyebrow. My question is, why on EARTH didn't Barack Obama do it? Every Democrat I know would be on pins and needles to hear Obama recite the alphabet, let alone respond to the SOTU. Was this even considered?

Marc Fisher: Dunno if Obama was considered--didn't he give the Dem response last year? No, turns out it was Harry Reid with Nancy Pelosi. Well, the Dems are focused on '08 and the need to reach out beyond the true-blue states. Kaine's victory in a red state, and his moderate appeal and emphasis on faith made him very attractive to the party.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc -- Am I the only one who would absolutely love to see the groundhog bite that fat dork one of these years already? Maybe even give the guy rabies. I'm usually not much of an animal rights advocate, but jeez, that poor thing looked scared to death this morning. We all know you're not big on dogs but what about groundhogs?

washingtonpost.com: Video: Punxsutawney Phil (AP, Feb. 2)

Marc Fisher: The only good groundhog is....

No, I'm sure they're lovely creatures, even if they do look like bloated, overdressed rats.

They made a great movie, though.

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Silver Spring, Md.: So where are we on baseball in D.C.?

The so-called collapse of the Deutsche Bank funding is such a good illustration of the folly of the Council and what members don't understand about doing business. As your Post business colleagues have pointed out in several pieces, so-called private funding IS NOT the way to go on this and never should have been on the table. The District is much better off issuing bonds to fund this. Of course, now the blame game between Cropp and Gandhi is underway.

Marc Fisher: The collapse of the Deutsche Bank deal is a terrific step forward that will save the District many millions. It's also a powerful message to supporters of Linda Cropp's mayoral campaign, demonstrating the folly of her insistence last year on what was quite obviously a bad deal for D.C.

Most amazing quote of the day: Cropp's denial that private financing was ever her idea. Somebody please roll the videotape on her repeated insistence on private financing, because there must be miles of it.

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Columbia, Md. : Marc,

Great chat!

What's the deal with the stadium? Is this thing dead or what?

Marc Fisher: Thanks--no, it's not dead, but it's not going to be resolved next week, either.

The bad news is that because the city went about trying to solve a political problem by bringing in teams of lawyers who, naturally, produced a 600-page lease, we're now going to have weeks of renegotiations and recriminations and on and on. I can't imagine that we'll get a deal or a team owner by the start of this season. That will sentence the Nats to a miserable season, certainly on the field and quite possibly at the gate too. You may have noticed, the front office is comatose. Zero marketing all off season. No TV deal. The TV coverage may even be worse than last year.

The good news: The team isn't going anywhere. Baseball knows it has a fab deal here, and a baseball-crazed, affluent, well educated fan base. This is incompetence pitted against arrogance, and only time and shame (and expensive legal penalties) will break down the players and force them to a deal.

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Arlington, Va.: I heard that firebrand Mark Plotkin on WTOP suggest today that Anthony Williams should not have sat with Laura Bush during the SOTU. If D.C. is not represented in Congress, then the mayor shouldn't be used for photo opps.

Isn't that exactly the wrong logic? Isn't national visibility for the mayor of D.C. much more useful?

Marc Fisher: The mayor had an exceedingly good reason to sit next to Laura Bush at the State of the Union and by the end of business tomorrow, you will know why.

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Washington, D.C.: Congrats to our new Metro voice. I hope though that she will re-record her message to say "exit" instead of "eggs-it".

Marc Fisher: Yes, that was why I thought Linda Carducci should have won. But the winner's voice is also quite attractive and will go well with a morning commute.

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Bowie, Md.: Marc, I can't be the only person who noticed that all of the finalists for the new Metro voice were White. Don't you think they could have added a token minority or two, just for the heck of it?

Marc Fisher: I got a bunch of mail on that point, and Lyndsey Layton's story today includes a comment from Metro in response. Metro gave the judges the soundbites of the candidates, without identifying pictures or other information about them. That seems fair--a truly blind contest. That's how orchestras pick their new members--the musicians sit behind a screen and play their audition pieces. You could argue, as some have, that Metro showed its bias by picking finalists all of whom had a "stereotypically white" voice, but that raises an important question: What is a white voice? What is a black voice? There are speech patterns we identify with all kinds of different ethnicities, but there are also many folks of all stripes who speak a standard English that fits our idea of the professional announcer.

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Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: You wrote: "The mayor had an exceedingly good reason to sit next to Laura Bush at the State of the Union and by the end of business tomorrow, you will know why."

Do you know why? If you do, shouldn't you tell us?

Marc Fisher: I do, and I wish I could, but I had to promise to hold to an embargo as part of the deal under which I was given the information by one of the principal players. I can only say that it is an extremely large federal grant to the city that will utterly reshape a major institution.

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Re: the stadium: You said, "This is incompetence pitted against arrogance"

Can you clarify which side is which?

Marc Fisher: That isn't obvious????

Well, ok, maybe it isn't. After all, if Major League Baseball were so competent, they would have figured out a way to get to Yes by now. So ok, I had D.C. in the incompetent basket and MLB wearing the arrogance crown, but I'm open to the idea that both are pretty good at both.

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Olympic Sports D.C. Style: Panhandling. Metro Sprints. Toilet Paper, Bread, Water and Milk (TPBWM for short) hoarding. Navigating through traffic. We could sweep the medals in all of these!

Marc Fisher: Good--more, please.

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Oakton, Va.: Marc, D.C. Olympic events: add Marathon Parking Ticket Writing.

Marc Fisher: We'd win hands down.

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Tired of D.C. City Council: Marc -- please please tell me that we will have a positive vote on the Stadium on Tuesday and that I can go back to worrying about who is going to be our 5th starter.

Marc Fisher: My bet: No vote at all Tuesday. Another postponement, well into spring training.

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Washington, D.C.: With the latest ballpark financing setback, and the likelihood that the city will have to use public funds if it builds a new ballpark, how long until Linda Cropp announces she opposes the deal, and always has?

Marc Fisher: No, Cropp's game is to win credit both for saving baseball and for driving a hard bargain that wins the city a better deal. She has set the groundwork with her list of a dozen demands, almost all of which were already taken care of in the mayor's negotiations with baseball. So that gave away her endgame: She just wants to be able to declare victory and get that whole issue off the table, because she knows it's dragging down her campaign.

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Arlington, Va.: Marc,

While I enjoy your new blog, I wish the Post would bring your column back to the Metro section.

I miss reading it.

washingtonpost.com:

Blog: Raw Fisher

Bid for Olympic Curling Team Casts a Stone for D.C. Voting Rights (Post, Feb. 2)

Marc Fisher: Thanks very much for your support. The column still runs in the Metro section, somewhere on the front every Tuesday and Thursday and on alternate Sundays (on the other Sundays, I'm in the Sunday Arts section with The Listener, my column on radio.) The column lost its anchored position to the new index, so you may have to hunt around the page, but it's there. And online, it's always in the same place.

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Washington, D.C.: Re: "The mayor had an exceedingly good reason to sit next to Laura Bush at the State of the Union and by the end of business tomorrow, you will know why."

What, are you pulling a NYT and sitting on a story per the WH's request? haha. Now I am intrigued, PLEASE tell us now. I don't think I can wait until COB Friday!

Marc Fisher: Nope, White House has nothing to do with the hold on the story. That came from the city. I will endeavor to get this to you today.

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First Lady & Mayor Williams: Does it have to do with the new African American museum on the Mall?

Marc Fisher: Nope, but I'm not going to play 20 Questions (though I do admit to playing the tease here, and I apologize for that.)

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Tom from Alexandria, Va.: Any thoughts on the passing of Herrity? Whether you loved or hated him, at least he had some personality and took on an active role. Some of these current officials in the county don't have the same persona or profile -- even though Fairfax is the largest jurisdiction in the metro area

Marc Fisher: I arrived in Washington just at the end of Herrity's run in Fairfax, but his impact has been felt by all who live here. Fairfax has not had a leader since Herrity with that forceful a presence; county politicians would argue that that reflects a greater professionalism and trust in managers, but part of good governing is connecting with voters, a lesson that, for example, Tony Williams never learned. Both Mark Warner and Bob Ehrlich have shown how to do that and both of them have used their personal appeal to bolster their programs for their states. Fairfax hasn't had leaders who've put that together nearly as well as Herrity did.

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Van Ness, Washington, D.C.: Gov. Tim Kaine, please return Sam Donaldson's eyebrow ASAP.

Marc Fisher: Sam's not using it anymore, so it seemed only fair for Kaine to pop it on national TV.

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Arlington, Va.: Say what you want about us yahoos in Virginia, our guns, our governor, etc. At least we don't have the buffoonery that has become the D.C. Council and the stadium deal. If Virginia had gotten the team the ground would already be broken for one.

Marc Fisher: Or, as Tim Kaine argues--quite persuasively--Virginia came out smelling like a rose because it helped win the team for this region and it forced the District to offer a deal that MLB couldn't refuse and now Virginians get to enjoy a new home team without having to pay a cent for it.

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Save the District many millions: Uh ... isn't this "big savings" in the same way that some idiot insists on buying a Mazerati they can't afford, and the majority of their family doesn't want, because they "got a fabulous deal"?

Seems to me that uncontrolled cost overruns and fraudulent lowball estimates man no practical "savings' at all.

Marc Fisher: The question on financing is quite narrow: Do you choose the certainty of having a Deutsche Bank borrow the money for you (but that means giving up a big revenue stream, which the bank would get as compensation), or do you have the city borrow the money itself, at a significantly lower interest rate? It's a no-brainer, especially because those revenue streams have a way of growing and under private financing, the bank would get the windfall. This way, the city does.

The overruns and other problems with the stadium deal are separate issues and are being addressed in the new version of the lease, which will include an agreement with a company that guarantees the final stadium price.

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Wheaton, Md.: Since most passengers ignore Metro announcements they hear over and over, shouldn't Metro have picked someone like a drill sergeant, bellowing, "The train is stopping, morons! Step away from the damn doors!" Or does New York City already use that? Pretty cheap of Metro not to pay the winner anything, given the riches they throw at failed executives. Not even a token amount, so the winner could say they were a professional announcer? I do think they should use different voices all the time, so people might (might) pay attention.

Marc Fisher: I like the idea of varying the voice, but please, not the New York cab system use of "celebrity voices." I stopped using taxis in New York in good part because I couldn't stand the blaring recordings of Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason and the like.

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Washington, D.C.: Re: "the real gesture would be to remove from the proposed renewal of the Patriot Act new language that would expand the power of law enforcements to level felony charges against demonstrators at any "special event of national significance,""

Wow, I've never even heard this aspect of the Patriot Act. Just one more reason to be concerned about the direction of our country. Has this aspect been reported much in the past? I wish it was reported more

Marc Fisher: You're not going to like this, but I learned about it from...Fox News. And their report was indeed fair and balanced.

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Re: Tease: Than why'd you even mention it in the 1st place?

Marc Fisher: Because it's going to come out soon and because one of the great joys of the chat is that we can play around and have some fun with the conventions of the news business. So now, you get to push the envelope, like this....

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Has a theory: So ... the Post runs a bunch of stories lately regarding the poor condition of D.C. public libraries. Then the mayor shows up next to the First Lady -- a librarian by trade. THEN someone "in the know" says there's going to be a major grant to reshape an institution.

Anyone want to wager that the "big secret" is Laura Bush becoming some director of a big, new grant to the D.C. library system?

Marc Fisher: And this....

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Alexandria, Va.: It has to be the run-down D.C. public library system. Why else would FLOTUS be involved.

Marc Fisher: And this....

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Washington, D.C.: Could it be...a federal grant for the library system? Laura Bush is, after all, a librarian.

Marc Fisher: I always tell people that I like the chat because the readers are informed, intelligent and like to play.

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Washington, D.C.: When I give something to a reporter under an embargo, I expect that information to actually be kept mum until the stated day/time.

"Hints" are a slippery slope, and the person who spoke to you probably has a valid reason why s/he doesn't want the info released earlier.

You should watch that you don't burn your sources.

Marc Fisher: Good point, so I should add that the kind of info I included in the tease above was pre-approved as part of the original deal.

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Alexandria, Va.: Whoa. I just read the Post article on the T-shirts.

Young said he wouldn't be so mad if it were just Sheehan. "I totally disagree with everything she stands for," he said. But by removing his wife, Gainer's officers clearly "acted precipitously," Young said.

I'm flabbergasted. So, the Capitol Police are not only supposed to prevent us from practicing our right to free speech at national speeches, they're supposed to do it selectively based upon what we're saying? And this is one of the men we are putting in charge of passing laws?

Marc Fisher: Pretty sad, huh? Once upon a time, when people got caught in that sort of situation, they would have the decency to say that they were wrong about the whole issue, and that even those they disagree with should be permitted to express themselves. In Young's case, I guess we're supposed to have freedoms for those who agree with us.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Re: Sheehan and the Congressman's wife -- why weren't all of the folks in attendance at last year's SOTU taken out when they held up purple thumbs?

Marc Fisher: Very good.

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Rockville, Md.: Most of the Metro sound announcements are OK, but there is one: "Have you ever seen a car with the door broken?" that is way too loud. I suffer from a disorder that gets worse if exposed to loud sounds and I estimate this announcement at 140 db or louder. Perhaps I stand at the wrong place at Grosvenor. What can I do about it?

It is way too loud.

Marc Fisher: Step away from the loudspeakers?

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Washington, D.C.: NYC garbage trucks once used recordings by Ed Koch, ordering motorists to stop blocking the truck. But who could Metro use?

Maybe Marion Barry asking "fellow night owls" to get on the train?

Marc Fisher: There'd be a run on public works jobs! The pied piper of D.C. politics announcing from the trash trucks--what a great idea. It's amazing the Mayor for Life never thought of that.

Speaking of Barry, today's City Paper has a devastating portrait of Marion Barry and his sad decline. It's a superbly reported piece.

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Arlington, Va.: Oh man, I liked the celebrity voices in NYC. Though I guess it could have gotten old to hear Jackie Mason for twelve stops every morning or afternoon.

But there's no reason they couldn't have many, many different voices. Might even make it easier than remembering the train number. "There was a burnt out light on the James Earl Jones train."

Marc Fisher: Sure, go for it. You'd have the voiceover announcers union going crazy--apparently, they were miffed that Metro isn't paying its contest winner for her services.

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Washington, D.C.: How about Mr T saying "Get away from the door fool."

Marc Fisher: Somehow, your mention of Mr T made me turn to deadoraliveinfo.com

He's alive and 53.

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Sports: How about the 10-yard dash (aka jaywalking)?

Marc Fisher: Not bad....

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Olympic Sports, D.C. style: Jersey Barrier sidewalk slalom.

Speaking of, do you know why this week the barriers on the sidewalk outside the World Bank were moved 4 feet closer? It's a welcome change since now we can walk down the sidewalk but the timing seems inexplicable.

Marc Fisher: Dunno about the change there, but that's a good sign.

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One Last DC Olypmic Demo Sport: You forgot tax evasion.

Marc Fisher: Inevitable.

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Washington, D.C.: So, what has to happen in order to get a D.C. team to qualify for the Olympics? How long will it take, if there are no insurmountable obstacles? On the face of it, if P.R. gets a team, no reason why D.C. shouldn't get one. I've always wanted to compete in the Winter Olympics ... luge looks fun.

Marc Fisher: First, the D.C. committee has to apply to the North American subcommittee of the International Olympic Committee. Then they would move up to the IOC itself. The way it was described to me, it sounded like a several-year process.

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Super Bowl: Do you care? Does anyone? Is it just the teams, or what?

Marc Fisher: Minor markets--kills playoff finals in any sport. That said, those contests sometimes produce the best games.

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Curling: Never curled, but there's actually an open house just three weeks from now: Potomac Curling Club

Marc Fisher: Excellent--thanks!

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D.C. Olympic Record: A political figure that gets aways with the most law-breaking violations (crack, not paying taxes, more crack, did I mention crack?).

Marc Fisher: The Barry sentencing is next week. Prediction: No prison. No resignation.

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20307: All we have to do is wait for an inch of snow and we can hold the slip sliding away contests right here.

Marc Fisher: My kids have concluded that we will never have snow again. We may have to move to Maine.

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Vienna, Va.: Marc, so now I hear some nut in the General Assembly wants to allow castration for repeat sex offenders. Would that even be constitutional? I'm sure Bob Marshall will try to word it so that gay people qualify as sex offenders.

Marc Fisher: Hard to imagine that it's constitutional, but that is not an impossible barrier in Richmond.

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Washington, D.C.: Which would be the bigger tragedy, Cropp becoming mayor, or Fenty?

Marc Fisher: The most impressive people in the city bureaucracy tend not to be enthusiastic about either of them because Cropp has spent two decades showing that she will accept all manner of incompetence and worse and because Fenty strikes those in the city administration as too focused on small-scale customer service and not well-informed enough about the behind the scenes nitty gritty of D.C. government.

That said, in a relatively weak field, those two are the candidates with the most intimate knowledge of the government and the most broad appeal around the city.

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Olympic Bid: Marc, don't forget the Segway races. Send them through a course set up like a restaurant.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--you can call it the Reliable Source Segway Course.

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Metro voice over: No cash award but at least give her a golden farecard.

Marc Fisher: With a Wonka chocolate bar inside.

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Falls Church, Va.: So Marc, if the Dems choose a moderate candidate, what are the chances Loudoun goes blue in the next presidential election? I still have major doubts about Prince William, despite the fact that the eastern half of the county votes like Fairfax more or less.

Marc Fisher: Both parties are scrambling to figure out just who these new residents in Loudoun are, what they want and how they're going to evolve as political actors. Should be fascinating.

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McLean, Va.: Would the Capitol Police arrest a person in the gallery for having droopy drawers? Would droopy drawers be considered an inappropriate political statement?

Marc Fisher: Only in Virginia.

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Woodbridge, Va.: At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, why would anyone wear a T-shirt to the SOTU? What's next, flip-flops and cut-offs? Both ladies should have had more respect for the institution and the event.

Marc Fisher: Flip-flops--we're already there; remember the college team (volleyball?) that came to the White House in flipflops? Pretty sad.

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You move to Maine?: What would you do if you walked out the door and there stood a VERY large moose? You don't even like kitty cats!

Marc Fisher: Moose better than dogs. They don't poop on the sidewalk.

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Re: Phil: You mentioned both the groundhog and the lack of snow in the chat. I wonder, is Phil a fraud? Do you think he is propping up Republicans who claim that global warming isn't an issue? I mean, let's face it. The past two winters have been pretty mild, and yet he comes out and says "6 more weeks of winter" and by that I mean, 6 more weeks of unseasonably WARM weather!

Marc Fisher: Oddly, even people in warm climates insist on maintaining the idea of four seasons. In south Florida, where it's always summer, people actually talk about winter as if it were a separate time of year with different weather. It's somehow in our bones.

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Arrest Away ...: The two ladies got what they deserved. There's a long-standing rule outlawing political demonstrations by spectators in the Congressional Galleries. There's also a long tradition of people breaking that law and getting arrested. What's the big deal? You break the law, you get arrested.

Marc Fisher: The rule against demonstrations is a reasonable one that protects the decorum of the Congress. But a T-shirt is not a demonstration, anymore than would be a lapel pin for some cause or another.

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Dunn Loring, Va.: Do you agree with the Post's defense of Tom Toles's cartoon that belittles the injuries to our soldiers? Do you think that the Post, who champions free speech (at least its own speech), should exhibit the courage to publish the Danish cartoons which portray Mohammed? Or does the Post's view of humor and free speech only extend to jokes at the expense of our disabled soldiers?

Marc Fisher: I would certainly publish the Danish cartoon, as many European papers have in solidarity with the paper that has borne the brunt of the abuse from some Muslims.

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Washington, D.C.: Re: the Cindy Sheehan and Rep. Young's Wife Thing. Even with the issue of what their T-shirts said aside, doesn't it seem incredibly tacky for anyone to wear a T-shirt to the State of the Union? I wouldn't have worn a T-shirt to my high school job selling shoes. Maybe Sheehan has an excuse because she only got the invitation two hours before attending, but is this somehow considered an acceptable way to greet heads of state in Florida?

Marc Fisher: Yes, definitely tacky. And overkill too--Sheehan's mere presence in the hall that night would have made her point much more powerfully.

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Metro rider, D.C.: How about Metro having clear, recorded announcements of station stops? Unfortunately, for every clear (and sometimes really entertaining) train operator, there are several more whose announcements are too faint, fast, slurred, etc. With tinted train windows, it is hard to read the underground station signs -- surprised we don't have more kost tourists who, like the guy who was destined to "ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston'" never return.

Marc Fisher: As long as they're funny, I don't particularly care how they sound.

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Metro voice : I wish they would tape one in a foreign language or maybe use Gilbert Gottfried's voice.

Marc Fisher: Gottfried only during rush hour.

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Arlington, Va.: Will the new Metro announcer only work on the doors closing voice over or will she take over for that smarmy voiced guy who does those cutesy announcements throughout the system. I find his voice to be extremely grating.

Marc Fisher: He's a goner. She gets to be the Voice of Metro.

And I'm outta here too. Thanks for coming along, folks. Back in the paper Sunday, in Arts. Here with you again next week, and every day on the blog--blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher

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