Washington Whispers
In New Contract, Newt Goes Green
Former House Speaker and possible Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich will be in Washington this week to debate Sen.John Kerry on global climate change and the environment. But don't expect Newt to be in denial mode. A source close to Gingrich says the debate will give him a chance to unveil the market- and technology-based environmental solutions that form the basis of his forthcoming book A Contract With the Earth.
Due out in November-around the time Gingrich will make up his mind about entering the presidential race-the book is cowritten with Terry Maple, former director of Zoo Atlanta. "Terry and I wrote A Contract With the Earth to push conservatives back to their environmental roots vis- à-vis Teddy Roosevelt," Gingrich tells us.
Like his 1994 Contract With America, Gingrich's book will highlight a 10-point plan that the publisher, Johns Hopkins University Press, says "promotes ingenuity over rhetoric" and calls for a "bipartisan environmentalism." It's already received endorsements from Nature Conservancy President Steve McCormick and Wildlife Society Executive Director Michael Hutchins. A source at the publishing house says Newt fans shouldn't be surprised to learn he's a tree-hugger: "For quite a while, Gingrich has been concerned that the U.S. has not been a leader in environmental issues."
Hagel: Writing, Running, or Both
In other book news, Nebraska senator and Iraq war foe Chuck Hagel doesn't know whether he's running for president yet, but the Republican's current literary project certainly points in that direction. We've learned that Hagel is hard at work on America: The Next Chapter, a collection of practical-and reportedly nonpartisan-policy prescriptions on issues as diverse as healthcare and the Middle East. HarperCollins imprint Ecco will publish it early next year, around the time of the Iowa caucuses. Hagel's keeping mum on his tome, but Ecco publisher Dan Halpern tells us the senator is taking his first draft mighty seriously: "He's said over and over again that this book is his legacy ... it's what is most important to him right now."
Who Was First to Broach This Bridge?
Did Sen.Barack Obama ûberstrategist David Axelrod coin Bill Clinton's famous phrase "bridge to the 21st century"? A recent Axelrod profile in the New York Times Magazine credits him with introducing it "into the political vernacular" while advising President Clinton's 1996 campaign, but a clip search reveals that Clinton used the metaphor at least twice before that, in major speeches in 1985 and 1988. Axelrod didn't return a phone message, but a call to President Clinton's office triggered a quick internal investigation. An aide to the former prez says two top Clinton advisers from '96 have no recollection of Axelrod's minting the phrase.
The Chairman Does Tae Kwon Do
Some friendly advice for those called to testify before the House Armed Services Committee: Don't get surly with Chairman Ike Skelton. The gentlemanly and seemingly mild-mannered Missouri Democrat is a tae kwon do aficionado who can break three boards with one side kick.
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