The reservation for "Klaus" for the upstairs private dining room at Eli's the Place for Steak didn't set off any alarms, so Eli's staffers were somewhat surprised when former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and her beau, Ian Klaus, arrived ready to party Friday night. Chicago Sun-Times, 5/11/04.
Meanwhile, her putative father's alleged ties to autoparts heiress Belinda Stronach continue to titillate:
You would think former premier Ernie Eves would be aware of the "don't go there" rule of political speeches — the subjects that are strictly taboo. Alas, no.
Among his acerbic barbs at the biggest Tory annual fundraising dinner last week, he noted failed federal leadership candidate Belinda Stronach was there with neither her father, auto-parts magnate Frank Stronach, nor the man supermarket tabloids link her with romantically.
"Belinda Stronach is actually here without her dad this evening, and without Bill Clinton," Eves said. Audience squirming ensued. Toronto Star, 4/26/04.
A little good news for a change:
U.S. touch is unmistakable in weary Iraq
My friend Larry Ronan just got back from Iraq. He is not a soldier. He is a doctor who works at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. And he is one of more than 20 American physicians who went to that ruptured nation recently to meet with Iraqi doctors. Ronan and the others flew to Baghdad on a big C-130, and the landing made all aboard feel as if they were being pushed off a cliff because the plane twists straight down to avoid being hit by shoulder-fired missiles that are more available than penicillin.
According to all reports, the war in Iraq is a mess with too many Americans being killed and too many in Washington running from their responsibility in sending soldiers to die for reasons that were either wrong or untrue. But there is no doubt among all who see our armed forces perform that Iraq could well be the American military's finest hour.
"They are awesome people," Ronan said. "The other doctors and I worked out of the Green Zone right in Baghdad, and we were surrounded by all these 18 and 19-year-old kids. "They were competent and kind with everyone. Their leadership was tremendous. We ate with them and we lived with them.
"They were culturally sensitive. And it's a shame that the prison stuff is causing so many Americans here to forget what they are over there trying to do for the people of Iraq."
Full story by Mike Barnicle: http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/193979p-167421c.html