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Our friends over or up or wherever they are on the Entertainment section of LATimes.com took one look at today's new New Yorker magazine cover and plunged into researching nine other outrageous magazine covers that are rather eye-popping.
Thousands have read The Ticket's report from yesterday on the either incendiary or satirical cover of the Obamas -- Barack and Michelle -- in Muslim/freedom fighter gear, armed to the teeth, in the Oval office beneath an Osama bin Laden portrait while they burn the American flag. Other than that, what's to get excited about? That Ticket item is right here.
The new cover story photo gallery is also a hoot -- many political, some not. Remember the Yoko Ono/naked John Lennon cover that made you want to take a shower? Is peace political? Or the Time magazine cover story about Bill Clinton's extra-curricular troubles that perhaps accidentally had a pair of devil's horns coming out of his head?
There's Entertainment Weekly's nude Dixie Chicks cover after they said those naughty things overseas about President Bush and lost so much of their music sales in Tennessee and Texas.
Our personal favorite is the cover story in Vanity Fair titled "Is Barbara Bush as Tough as They Say?" that had a nicely-dressed photo of Demi Moore on the cover instead of the former first lady. Demi, Barbara, hey, it probably made sense at the design meeting. Except when you look closely at the photo, that's really not much of a suit on the Demster.
We actually recommend two places to check out. One is our blogging colleague Elizabeth Snead, over at Dish Rag, who's a lovely lady unless you're a celebrity and since we're not, she's good and has an alternative New Yorker cover some might like better.
And the other spot is the aforementioned, semi-political photo gallery, which you can access by clicking on the also aforementioned New Yorker cover below.
-- Andrew Malcolm 
Peering into its secret crystal blog ball, The Ticket confidently predicts that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will criticize the Bush administration Sunday during his appearance on "This Week With George Stephanopolous."
He'll probably say something like: "This administration did not believe in global warming. They just didn't believe in it or they didn't believe that they should do anything about it, since China is no t doing anything about it and since India is not willing to do the same thing, so why should we do the same thing?"
"We don't wait for other countries to do the same thing," Schwarzenegger is almost certain to add. "That's what makes America No. 1."
No doubt George will ask Arnold's reaction to the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to sit back on new moves against global warming before the end of Bush's presidency.
"Well, to be honest with you," the California governor is likely to respond, "if they would have done something this year, I would have thought it was bogus anyway. Because you don't change global warming and you don't really have an effect by doing something six months before you leave office."
See the extra value you get by reading The Ticket?
Actually, ABC released excerpts of the interview, which was taped Friday morning, no doubt because the governor didn't want to get up early Sunday.
And now you don't have to either.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Yes, it's hard to picture, but good for her.
The woman who made pantsuits a staple of the late-night joke sessions and nearly became the first female presidential candidate of a major American political party has revealed a secret about her new life as presidential loser.
Lost in the thousands of words Hillary Clinton uttered in praise of Barack Obama, her party's nominee, and its political agenda during a speech earlier today to 2,000 women supporters in New York City, were a few litt le-noticed paragraphs that caught The Ticket's eye.
The 60-year-old senator tossed them out to the receptive audience almost in passing. But The Times' Louise Roug was transcribing the speech (which you can find in its entirety in one of our occasional In Her Own Words items here).
And here's what Clinton said in a kind of girlish admission:
"There are some differences (between Obama and myself).
"For example, Barack said (to me), 'you look kind of rested.' I said, 'well, kind of is the right descriptor.'
"But I'm actually -– don't tell anybody –- trying to exercise a little bit, which I'm told does wonders for a person.
"Because during the campaign," Clinton continued in a confessional tone, "I'm sure you've read, Barack would get up faithfully every morning and go to the gym. And I would get up, and get my hair done.
"It's one of those Ginger Rogers-Fred Astaire things that are part of our lives."
Yes, sure, she was dating herself by referencing movies from the '30s and '40s (the nineteen-thirties and forties, when Democrats owned the White House), when the often-paired duo of Rogers and Astaire would glide across studio floors as if their feet weren't moving.
And maybe some of the 30-somethings in the audience were puzzled enough to hustle back to their office and try Googling these Asthair and Rodgers people. And they would learn that she was originally Virginia McMath and died in 1995 and he was originally Frederick Austerlitz and passed away in 1987.
But that's history. Clinton's coiffured confession and romantic reminiscence by someone who looked anything but romantic going after politics' Big Prize these last 18 months was rather refreshing. We wish her luck on the treadmill and the elliptical.
Now, how long do you suppose before someone re-starts pairing up Obama-Clinton as an ideal political couple dancing their way together to Nov. 4?
-- Andrew Malcolm
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance the Oscar-winning number "The Continental" in the 1934 classic "The Gay Divorcee."
File photo
Turns out Jesse Jackson's whispered crudity on Fox News about what he'd like to do to Barack Obama's privates almost made it through without notice.
Jackson, who has eagerly worn microphones over the years almost as much as Al Sharpton, obviously knew he could be heard. Why else whisper? Which he did, criticizing Obama to a fellow  black guest on "Fox & Friends" before the show went live.
But as The Times' diligent Matea Gold reports here today, no one in the Fox control room caught the exchange at the time.
It was only during the night that a Fox staffer who was transcribing the program caught the whisper and then noticed Jackson's hand-cutting motion beneath the desk.
The catch worked its way up the in-house news chain and, finally, onto the air Wednesday. But Jackson was tipped about the imminent embarrassment when Fox News fairly asked him for comment before its broadcast, and Jackson immediately arranged to go on CNN to attempt a preemptive broadcast apology.
Judging by online reaction, that didn't work too well. And people ....
Read more Psst, Jesse Jackson's crude Obama whisper almost slipped through »
When the cast of "The Predator" gathered in the jungles of Mexico to make the sci-fi/action/horror flick during the spring of 1986, someone must have been offering a correspondence course in civics during down time.
So far, two of the film's actors have gone on to win governorships -- leading man Arnold Schwarzenegger, in California, and supporting performer Jesse Ventura, in Minnesota.
This year, two could by running for the U.S. Senate.
One is Ventura, who has been suggesting he may try to resurrect his political career by offering himself as an alternative in a race that already features Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken (himself an entertainment-industry refugee).
The other is Sonny Landham (who, though lesser known than Ventura, shared with him a doomed fate in "The Predator").
In Kentucky, Landham recently announced that he would start collecting petition signatures to qualify as the Libertarian Party candidate against Republican Mitch McConnell (the reigning Senate minority  leader).
Landham, who also appeared in "48 Hours" (starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte), should qualify for the ballot. His chances of actually winning, of course, are about as good as were his prospects when he went up against that cinematic alien more than 20 years ago.
Still, at least one political observer in Kentucky believes Landham could have an impact on McConnell's reelection bid, as you can read about here (and also learn more about the actor's colorful past).
-- Don Frederick
Photo credits: 20th Century Fox (movie poster); Associated Press (Landham)
Jesse Ventura, the former pro wrestler and sometime-actor who improbably won the governorship of Minnesota a decade ago, may again roil his state's political waters. Then again, he may not.
Ventura has been hinting for months that he might make an already closely watched Senate race  between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken a three-way affair; back in May, he told Larry King on CNN, "I'm weighing it right now."
He's still weighing it as Tuesday's deadline for filing approaches; indeed, he's talking about it more than ever, leading to speculation he'll take the leap.
Our friend Ted Johnson, who writes the "Wilshire & Washington" column for Variety, recently interviewed Ventura and wrote that "he sounded like a candidate, ready to needle his opponents at every turn. He mapped out a renegade campaign strategy in which he would raise money on the Internet yet not spend more than $1 million for his bid."
Johnson quoted Ventura as saying: "I will not spend more than I earn, and that gives me I think a million dollar cap, because the salary for a senator is $170,000" a year.
We were initially confused by Ventura's math, but he's apparently referring to what he would gross over a six-year term.
The buzz surrounding Ventura grew very loud today, following the broadcast on NPR of an interview he gave David Welna Sunday in a parking lot in Minnesota. He again talked as if he had decided to run, and even offered what presumably would be one of his main messages: "All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: If you were in a dark alley, which one of the three of us would you want with you?"
Ventura quickly clarified that his remarks were hypothetical, and that he'll continue to weigh his options until the filing deadline. "It will come down to whether I want to change my lifestyle and go to that lifestyle or not," he said.
The prospect of another political season enlivened by a Ventura candidacy geneerated much comment, including this post on The Swamp.
As we recently noted, current polling indicates Franken -- of "Saturday Night Live" fame -- would fall short in his bid to unseat Coleman. Who knows how Ventura would scramble the dynamics; his political persona is so idiosyncratic it seems, at first blush, hard to predict.
And this might be even harder to divine -- were he to run and win, would he bother to caucus with either party on Capitol Hill?
-- Don Frederick
Here's a little chuckle for a Tuesday morning.
The funny folks over at Comedy Central have apparently become loyal Ticket readers too. Especially the ones on that website's wonderfully insightful Indecision 2008 News Desk -- "Something Approximating Election News with Something Approximating Honesty."
Last night the website's blogger took one of our recent items -- "Barack Obama may campaign at a NASCAR event" -- and had a little more fun with it. (See the headline on this morning's Ticket item.)
The Ticket had reported Thursday that Obama was considering attending a NASCAR event in coming months because, well, that's where white working-class votes are.
And the Democrat can use some. A whole bunch, in fact. We noted that Bill Clinton went to a NASCAR event in 1992 and got booed and boycotted, while George W. Bush received a friendlier reception in more recent years.
Comedy Central's CubbyChaser linked to our item about Obama's plans with the comment: "Why does this not surprise me in the least?"
And he provides a doctored photo of the Democratic nominee that should become a poster. We're not going to ruin his sight gag. You can click here to see it for yourself.
And be sure to note Obama's sponsor.
--Andrew Malcolm
Political -- and Batman -- junkies probably already know about Sen. Patrick Leahy's little infatuation with Bruce Wayne's alter ego, Batman. He loves the character, and all those colorful evil incarnates,  like the Riddler, the Penguin and the Joker. Leahy has even talked his way into cameo roles in Batman movies, and in "The Dark Knight," which opens July 18, Leahy gets himself roughed up by the Joker's goons. Bam! Pow! Ooof!
So strong is the Democratic Vermont senator's infatuation that he wrote the introduction for a 1992 book collecting some of the Batman comics, "The Dark Knight Archive," and has done voice-overs for childrens' Batman cartoons. And on July 12, Leahy will play host to a special premiere of "The Dark Knight" in that hot spot of Hollywood's elite, Montpelier, Vt. The proceeds will go to a local library that has named a wing after him. Leahy, that is, not Batman.
So as we head into the long Fourth of July weekend (that phrase is a journalism cue that it's a slow news day, at least at the moment), we wonder what other politicians might harbor secret infatuations with fictional crusaders, caped and otherwise? Or even better, what superhero might actually dwell beneath those dark (pant)suits?
Maybe John McCain in his, shall we say, crankier moments, as The Hulk? Barack Obama channeling The Flash? Hillary Clinton as Wonder Woman -- the first major female superhero? John Edwards as Batman's sidekick, Robin?
And they don't have to be the heroes. Go ahead and link politicians up with your favorite bad guys, too.
Can't wait to see what you all come up with for Ralph Nader and Dick Cheney.
-- Scott Martelle
Image: Warner Bros.
Some actors inhabit their roles, then move on. Some get typecast in a particular part, much to their chagrin. Others simply roll with that reality.
 Like Erik Estrada.
Although the 59-year-old has worked steadily over the years -- and ensured himself a consistent paycheck by serving as the infomerical voice for National Recreational Properties -- for most Americans, he will be forever known for his star turn as Francis "Ponch" Poncherello on the 1977–83 television series "CHiPs."
Cruising the freeways on his motorcycle as a California Highway Patrol officer on the show, Estrada became one of those iconic law-enforcement figures that TV specializes in creating. So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that The Times' Robin Abcarian sends word that Estrada was among those in the crowd of about 2,000 listening to John McCain today address the National Sheriffs' Assn. in Indianapolis.
McCain made a point of recognizing Estrada, who Abcarian reports was at the gathering to promote ways to protect children from the more nefarious influences of the Internet (he also is a spokesman for rigorous use of child car seats).
McCain, as James Oliphant writes for The Swamp, touted his law-and-order credentials in his talk, as well as excoriating the U.S. Supreme for its recent ruling overturning a Louisiana law that made child rapists eligible for the death penalty.
[UPDATE: Abcarian e-mails that after McCain's speech, he chatted briefly with Estrada and the actor told the candidate he was arranging a fundraiser for the him at the Laguna Beach home of an associate. “I told him we’d guarantee $250,000,” Estrada said. “I said I want to help him with the Latino vote. I consider him one of my heroes. He’s a loving father, a terrific husband ... a man’s man.”
Estrada also revealed he is now a part-time deputy sheriff in Bedford County, Va., and was a reserve police office in Muncie, Ind., for a short-lived reality show called “Armed & Famous." He duly whipped out his wallet and displayed his badges. “Before, I was an actor playing a cop,” he said. “Now, I am a cop who will act once in a while.”]
-- Don Frederick
Photo credit: NBC
MONTREAT, North Carolina -- Sunday morning, John McCain made a (relatively) last-minute stop in North Carolina to pay a visit to the world’s best-known evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham, and his son, the Rev. Franklin Graham, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There was also a cameo appearance by a country music star, which we’ll get to in a moment.
McCain planned the stop to pay homage to the man who has counseled every American president for the last half century. To say that the Graham retreat was out of the way is an understatement -- about a 45-minute drive from the airport, up a very windy road that did not look entirely suitable for a motorcade of brawny SUVs. The homestead, high atop a forested hill, was quite modest, at least from the outside (reporters were not invited in). The house is a large brown shingled cabin with a tall rough-hewn stone chimney, a screen door and an old iron wheel at the front door.
The visit came at the behest of the presumptive Republican nominee, who has had a somewhat rocky relationship with Christian evangelicals. We know McCain asked for the meeting because about 15 minutes after it ended, his campaign released a statement from Franklin Graham saying just that: "Sen. McCain’s office had requested a meeting …and we appreciate the effort he made to travel to my father’s home," the younger Graham said. "I was impressed by his personal faith and his moral clarity on important social issues facing America today."
Graham added that both he and McCain have sons in the military and both have a common interest in aviation. The Grahams, as ministers, do not endorse candidates. And McCain didn't even ask for their vote, he told reporters later during an impromptu press conference on the tarmac in Asheville.
"We had an excellent conversation," said McCain, as five reporters put their voice recorders about three inches from his face to catch what he was saying, since his Gulfstream jet had already fired up its engines. "Bill Graham recalled that during the Vietnam War when I was in prison, he visited my parents in Hawaii twice and he and my mother and father prayed together for me, and I expressed my appreciation for that a long time ago.…I am very grateful for the time they spent with me."
The meeting generated no news but McCain got a handy souvenir photo of himself sitting between the Grahams, and that certainly won’t hurt him with evangelicals, some of whom don’t find him suitably conservative and are still offended by what some believe was his calculated attempt to garner moderate votes in 2000.
McCain then condemned Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance" during the campaign. By 2006, however, with his eye on the White House again, he’d changed his tune, telling Tim Russert that he no longer would apply that label to Falwell. A short time later, McCain gave the commencement speech at Falwell’s Liberty University.
Oh, about that country music star. A half-hour into the senator’s visit, singer Ricky Skaggs -- a bearish middle-aged guy with gray hair -- pulled up the driveway and made his way into the house. He was scheduled to have lunch with the Grahams. A short time later, Franklin Graham and Skaggs stepped onto the small porch to bid the senator goodbye.
-- Robin Abcarian
Photo: LM Otero/Associated Press
Yeah, OK, so we're a little late. Hey, there's 40-some blogs around this website now and it's hard to keep up with everything fun to read.
Over in The Guide at Soundboard, the music blog, Ann Powers writes about the BET Awards, which she approached crazily thinking it was an awards ceremony.
How ridiculous was that?
According to Ann, the ceremony -- and even much of the clothing -- turned the evening into pretty much a pep rally for Barack Obama, the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee. Another stunner!
-- Andrew Malcolm
Let's just state right up front that if Scarlett Johansson was chattering publicly to even one person, let alone a media crowd, that we had any kind of relationship, The Ticket would in a nano-heartbeat confirm totally whatever she said. She'd be dead-on in our minds, indubitably.
That's partly why we were so down -- well, devastated really -- a couple of weeks ago when The Ticket learned and wrote that Scarlett -- we call her that because we've never actually met --  was talking publicly about her ongoing relationship with presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
According to Scarlett, who's a fervent Obama supporter with phone calls and fundraisers and everything, the two of them were going at it pretty hot and heavy with the e-mails, back-and-forth and back-and-forth and back-and-forth.
And all of us, including Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett's alleged fiance, were left to guess exactly what might be in those electronic missives.
We learned of the Obama-Johansson relationship, as we learn of most important things, from our fellow LATimes.com blogger Elizabeth Snead over at the Dish Rag. Because of our nonexistent....
Read more Barack Obama dumps Scarlett Johansson! Denies e-mail relationship »
The chances of Don Imus once again becoming a good radio buddy to various politicians probably got slimmer today.
 True, when Imus regained a program last December after offensive remarks he made several months earlier about the Rutgers University women's basketball team led to his exile, several friends from Capitol Hill who had once been his frequent guests -- including John McCain -- helped welcome him back by chatting with him on air.
But since that first flurry of appearances, Imus' new show has not evolved into the regular stop it once was for a bipartisan swath of political bigshots (others included Chris Dodd, Joe Lieberman and John Kerry). And an exchange Imus had today regarding professional football player Adam "Pacman" Jones doesn't seem likely to help restore his sway.
During a report this morning on his nationally syndicated show about Jones, who has been reinstated by the NFL after several scapes with the law led to his suspension during the entire 2007 season, Imus asked, "What color is he?"
When told Jones (who recently requested that that announcers no longer use his nickname when mentioning him) is African American, Imus responded, "Well, there you go. Now we know."
It's a surprise that Imus apparently was clueless about the well-publicized Jones. It's no surprise that his remark again placed him at the center of a racially tinged controversy. Huffington Post is tracking the furor, including Imus' defense: "I meant he was being picked on because he's black.''
Regardless on whether the I-man rides this one out, it's a bit tougher to imagine McCain wanting to have another conversation with him as the vote nears in November.
-- Don Frederick
Photo credit: Associated Press
Last summer at a labor forum in Chicago, Sen. Barack Obama, going after the anti-free-trade union vote, promised that as president he would take up numerous serious treaty issues with the president of Canada.
Alas for the freshman senator, as much as many Americans think that Canada is so much like the United States (and feel that's a compliment to say), Canada does not have a president. It has a prime minister. (By the way, what's his name?*)
President. Prime minister. What's the difference, right, in the world's largest bilateral trading relationship? A little more than a billion dollars a day going back and forth.
This morning the Republican Party's presidential nominee-to-be, Sen. John McCain, travels to the capital of Canada (no, it's not Toronto).
So The Ticket decided to explore a number of other things that Americans don't know about Canada, like so many of these familiar faces on TV, the big screen, the radio.
Thanks to our industrious colleague Patrick Day, we've assembled a photo gallery here of a few folks you probably didn't know were Canadian -- and some secrets about their politics. (Even though they're not U.S. citizens, it's really illegal for them to donate to American politicians.)
So many people in American society, especially around Los Angeles, are famous but not as being Canadian. Many of them are pretty funny folks. (They also spell and talk funny, like humour and rumour, and people being in hospital. Their Thanksgiving is in October, if you can believe that. They can only afford three downs in football up there. And how long has it been since a Canadian NHL team won the Stanley Cup?)
OK, here's a few northern names for breakfast: Michael J. Fox, Matthew Perry, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Leslie Nielsen, Mike Myers, Lorne Michaels -- who invented and still runs "Saturday Night Live" -- that bald weird guy Paul Shaffer ,who leads Letterman's band, and that other bald guy who gives away millions in briefcases, Howie Mandel. Speaking of giving stuff away, Alex Trebek on "Jeopardy!" and Monty Hall from "Let's Make a Deal." All Canucks.
Keifer Sutherland (Dad Donald too), Keanu Reeves, John Candy, Peter Jennings, Christopher Plummer, Paul Anka, Norman Jewison, Ivan Reitman. Brendan Fraser and Margaret Atwood. For old-timers, Raymond Burr, Walter Pidgeon, Raymond Massey, Lorne Greene, Rod Cameron, Mack Sennett, Jack Warner, Louis B. Mayer, Jay Silverheels and Chief Dan George. Canadians all.
The original America's Sweetheart, Gloria Pickford, was actually Canadian, as was Superman's girlfriend (Margot Kidder), the original King Kong's love (Fay Wray) and James Bond's forever-thwarted love, Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell).
So the countries have been bound closely together by culture as well as geography and history. (Americans remember the British burning Washington and the White House in the War of 1812, but they forget that was in retaliation for the Americans sacking Toronto, then called York.)
Since 9/11, Canadians have quietly paid a dear price in terms of lives lost for fighting next to their next-door neighbors -- or neighbours -- in Afghanistan, something few Americans realize and McCain, the former POW, must surely appreciate in his speech today. Outside of the grand old Chateau Laurier hotel in downtown Ottawa, McCain won't see much of Canada, which is 10% larger than the United States with but 10% of the population.
But what likely matters invisibly in the Canadian mind today will be the nonpolitical fact that while the younger U.S. presidential candidate who perhaps most Canadians would intuitively favor for president considers visiting a faraway place like Iraq for the first time in a few years, the older would-be president from Arizona pays at least a day's worth of attention and respect to the nation that has and will continue to play a far larger role in American life. Even if like so many of its famous citizens, it's not all that famous as Canadian, eh?
Allright now, click on the photo of who-is-that-anyway and take The Ticket's little photo tour of the politics of some other famous unknown Canadians.
--Andrew Malcolm
(* Canada's prime minister is Stephen Harper.)
A sad footnote to the shocking passing last week of longtime "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert.
His wife reveals having a funny feeling when the family ended a vacation in Italy to celebrate their son Luke's college g raduation.
As her husband was leaving the hotel for the airport to return to work in Washington ahead of his family, Maureen Orth says she called him back. "I said to him, 'I want to give you a hug. Maybe I'll never see you again,'" Orth recalls. "I don't know why I said that to him. I just had a feeling."
Russert dropped dead at work before they did see each other again.
Our intrepid co-blogging colleague Elizabeth Snead has the rest of this touching story right now over on The Dish Rag.
--Andrew Malcolm
In the best tradition of their show, the folks at "The View" quickly dispensed with one bit of serious business they were compelled to confront during Michelle Obama's "co-hosting" stint today -- a discussion of her comment about being "really proud of my country" for "the first time in my adult lifetime" (which you can read about here).
 That dispensed with, Obama settled into free-flowing chitchat during the ABC program that produced these tidbits:
** Her typical breakfast consists of toast, fruit and bacon. Indeed, "We're bacon eaters," she said of herself and her husband, Barack Obama. The dietician sharing the segment with her predictably recommended "lean, turkey bacon."
** She long ago gave up on panty hose, in part because they run so easily, particularly for a woman of her height (5' 11").
** "Kids are drawn to" her husband, she speculated, because "his first name is easy to say." In fact, some tots have been known to refer to him as "Baracko."
Obama made a point, as she made her entrance onto the set at the show's start, to offer her co-hosts what she wryly termed her "signature greeting" -- fist bumps.
That was a reference, of course, to the boneheaded segment Fox News recently aired on the fist bumps the Obamas exchanged two weeks ago on the night Barack snared enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Obama seems to be adapting to her heightened profile, which includes sharing the cover with her husband on the new edition of US Weekly (which our friends at the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog write about here). She was cool and collected during her "View" appearance; if anyone was nervous, it was Whoopi Goldberg, who spilled the contents of her coffee cup just as the show broke for its first commercial.
For Ticket coverage of Cindy McCain's TV appearances, including "The View," go here.
--Don Frederick
Photo credit: ABC
"I know what the conservatives think, what the liberals think, what the Democrats think, what the Republicans think. And I try to master both sides of an issue to a point where I'm totally confused as to what I think."--Tim Russert, 2004.
Tim Russert, the longtime host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died suddenly this afternoon, his family said.
Among the top tier of American television political journalists, Russert, 58, was also the author of the best-selling father-son memoir, " Big Russ and Me" in 2004, and "Wisdom of Our Fathers" in 2006. He died while recording voice-overs for this weekend's show, according to MSNBC. Russert was also NBC's Washington bureau chief.
There will be a lot of assessments over the next few days of Russert's role and influence. But his personal style and informal delivery helped loosen up the Sunday morning talks shows.
His passion for politics helped enliven interviews, and his role as a reporter got him a turn in the witness seat at the perjury trial of Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
He also was easily approached, and talked occasionally of fellow Buffalonians -- or at least Bills football fans -- buying him drinks when they encountered him. In the run up to the Iowa caucuses this year, he could be seen going going over notes while grabbing a late-night supper at the hotel bar, or in the back of room where a candidate was talking, trying to absorb what he could from the moment.
NBC News former anchor Tom Brokaw made the announcement on-air, calling it his "sad duty." (See video below.)
President George Bush got word of the death while dining at the Elysee Palace, hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "He was of course shocked and saddened," said Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, adding that the president and First Lady just wanted to express their "strong sympathies for Tim’s family, his friends, and of course the whole NBC family."
Later, Bush said: "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert. Those of us who knew and worked with Tim, his many friends, and the millions of Americans who loyally followed his career on the air will all miss him. As the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television, he was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades.
"Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it. Most important, Tim was a proud son and father, and Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Maureen, his son Luke, and the entire Russert family. We will keep them in our prayers."
The suddenness of his death deepened the sense of shock, and stunned reactions have been pouring forth:
John McCain: "I am very saddened by Tim Russert's sudden death. Cindy and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the Russert family as they cope with this shocking loss and remember the life and legacy of a loving father, husband and the preeminent political journalist of his generation.
"He was truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America. He was just a terrific guy. I was proud to call him a friend, and in the coming days, we will pay tribute to a life whose contributions to us all will long endure."
Barack Obama: "I’ve known Tim Russert since I first spoke at the convention in 2004. He’s somebody who, over time, I came to consider not only a journalist but a friend. There wasn’t a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics, and he was also one of the finest men I knew.
"Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family. I am grief-stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. And I hope that, even though Tim is irreplaceable, that the standard that he set in his professional life and his family life are standards that we all carry with us in our own lives."
To read more appreciations, click on the Read More line below.
Russert, a large, avuncular man, was also proud of his roots in Buffalo, N.Y., often invoking his love for the Buffalo Bills in his broadcasts. But he also was a serious observer of national and international politics since taking over the "Meet the Press" anchor seat in December 1991.
He won a slew of awards, according to the official biography on the program's website: "In 2005, he was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Reagan. He is the recipient of the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement.
His Election 2000 Meet the Press interviews with George W. Bush and Al Gore won the Radio and Television Correspondents’ highest honor, the Joan S. Barone Award and the Annenberg Center’s Walter Cronkite Award.
Russert’s March 2000 interview of Sen. John McCain shared the 2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism.
He is also the recipient of the John Peter Zenger Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication, the Catholic Academy for Communication’s Gabriel Award, and inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.
Russert had a background in politics before he moved into broadcast journalism. In 1976, he worked on Daniel Patrick Moynihan's successful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from New York, then was a special counsel in the Senate until 1982, when he went to work on Mario Cuomo’s campaign for governor of New York. After Cuomo won, Russert worked in the governor’s office in Albany from 1983-1984.
A graduate of Buffalo's Canisius High School and John Carroll University then in Cleveland, he earned his law degree at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was a member of the bar in both New York and Washington, D.C.
MSNBC listed his survivors as his wife, Maureen Orth, a Vanity Fair writer, and a son, Luke. (For a news video and more tributes from public and media figures, click on the Read more line below.)
-- Scott Martelle
Photo: AJ Mast / Getty Images
Read more Tim Russert of 'Meet the Press' dies suddenly; tributes pour in »
Sen. Barack Obama makes a point of heralding his small donors from among hundreds of thousands of backers, allegedly to show broad grass-roots political and financial support. But don't overlook the fact that he still collects large sums from big donors.
Such will be the case when he arrives in Los Angeles on J une 24 and meets some of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s donors.
One of Clinton’s strongest fundraising bases was, in fact, Los Angeles. On Monday, Clinton hosted phone calls with her finance committee members and encouraged them to get as heavily involved in Obama’s campaign as they want. Some Clinton loyalists remain hesitant, but others are jumping in.
John B. Emerson is a former Clinton White House aide who was one of Clinton’s most successful Los Angeles-area fundraisers. Convinced that the defeat of Sen. John McCain is all-important, he's among the co-hosts of Obama’s June 24 gala at the Music Center.
As a co-host, he is responsible for helping get others -- many others -- to make the maximum donation of $2,300 to Obama. In an interview with The Times' Dan Morain, Emerson would not guess how much he would raise, other than to say: "I’m sure I’ll be successful."
Emerson, of the investment house Capital Guardian Trust Co., said that during the phone calls Clinton gave her backers the "clear understanding that she is moving on and that her priority is getting Barack elected." Obama’s backers are going out of their way to be "gracious," he said.
Bloggers such as Joe Gandelman over at the Moderate Voice confirm evidence of Clinton's behind-the-scenes efforts to mobilize her forces for Obama.
The June 24 event will be two-tiered. Donors giving $2,300 to Obama will get general admission. People giving $28,500 to the Democratic National Committee will get dinner with Obama.
Charles Rivkin, Obama’s California finance committee co-chair, said tickets are selling quickly, many of them to Clinton’s donors. He added that Obama’s fundraisers are not being too pushy.
"There is not a hard sell," said Rivkin, chief executive of the entertainment firm Wildbrain. "We want to welcome them."
-- Andrew Malcolm
Photo Credit: AP / Joe Raymond
Barbra Streisand, the famous singer who was being discovered by radio stations back when someone named Barack Obama was being born, confirms to The Ticket this afternoon that she's supporting Obama and has offered to help in his presidential campaign. 
Streisand's personal spokeswoman, Marge Tabankin, says talks are underway with the campaign in Chicago to decide what exact role Streisand will play in the presumptive Democratic nominee's efforts to win the White House.
Obama’s Hollywood supporters are hopeful that she will sing for the senator, as she did for Bill Clinton during his presidential runs, at one of the many fundraisers in the works for this summer.
So far, Tabankin says, nothing definite is confirmed. But stay tuned. (Sorry, Streisand isn’t set to appear at the fundraiser/concert for Obama at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on June 24. Her schedule, at the moment, shows that she’s traveling that day.)
In addition to lending her legendary pipes, Streisand’s support is important to Obama for several reasons: She’s a woman, in case you hadn't noticed and she’s a longtime friend of the Clintons, who lost. (Remember, in case you're tracking these things, Streisand came out early for Hillary.)
And the singer is Jewish. So she could potentially help rally support among a number of Democratic constituencies.
People who need people may be the luckiest people in the world. But candidates with Streisand’s backing have hit the Democratic fundraising jackpot. West of La Cienega, anyway.
--Tina Daunt
Photo Credit: AP / Kevork Djansezian
On this, the first anniversary of our Top of the Ticket blog, we are reminded of the mercurial, unpredictable nature of U.S. politics -- part of what makes what we do so fascinating.
Our goal -- one of us on the East Coast and the other on the far more important or at least less humid West Coast -- was to write about Campaign '08 virtually around the clock.
Our second-ever posting, 12 months ago today, previewed an upcoming L.A. Times/Bloomberg Poll; later in the day, we detailed the results of the nationwide survey. The findings were in line with other polls of the time.
In the Republican presidential race, which then seemed the most likely to last deep into the primary season, Rudy Giuliani was perched in first place. His lead wasn't overwhelming, but it was strong enough that he appeared certain to remain a major contender.
His liberal record on social issues loomed as an obvious liability within his party, but his tough-on-terrorism message was attracting substantial support from moderates and GOP-leaning independents.
His major headache among rivals last June was an as-yet-undeclared candidate who was riding a wave as the great conservative hope -- Fred Thompson. He ran a strong second in the poll.
Lagging far behind were John McCain and Mitt Romney, each barely with double-digit support. In our preview posting, we were especially scornful of McCain, noting sarcastically (and foolishly, as it turned out) that in the poll, he found himself "in heated competition with the 'Don't Know' category."
Meriting no mention from us was Mike Huckabee, one of several back-of-the-pack candidates barely earning any support across the country.
The Democratic race, at that point, seemed so much more cut-and-dried.
Hillary Clinton was the clear front-runner; Barack Obama was just as clearly ...
Read more Top of the Ticket, the start of Year Two »
This is getting pretty pathetic. First, this Illinois yahoo Barack Obama, who beat Alan Keyes of all people for the Senate jo b, waltzes into that chamber and usurps the Democratic presidential nomination that was to be Hillary Clinton's by rights.
Then he raises all this money, nearly a quarter-billion or something.
And now? Now, he's got Scarlett Johansson whipped over him. Give us a break here. Like, where's the fairness in any of this?
The guy rides a bicycle around in public in one of those goofy-looking but really, really safe helmets that legislators who don't ride bikes have declared that everyone must wear. Next thing you know they'll say we can't talk on cellphones while driving.
And Obama bowls like a Martian. And golfs like he's weed-whacking. And Scarlett falls for him.
Unbelievable. Anyway, here's Scarlett talking over on our sister blog The Dish Rag, which she isn't:
"I am engaged to Barack Obama. My heart belongs to Barack." Doesn't that make you sick? She's doing a lot of campaigning for him and everything.
We're tired of that politician's mug for a while. Seems like we use it every day. So we're gonna take this opportunity to publish Scarlett's photo instea d. Nice and big too.
In fact, we may publish her photo in several unrelated items. Because bloggers are really powerful people.
In their own minds.
The Dish Rag, by the way, is written by Elizabeth Snead. Here's her photograph. Obviously, not a politician. Now, you'll really want to bookmark her blog and go there and read more on Scarlett and this topic. And all the other pretty people stuff they have over there.
Which isn't fair either.
--Andrew Malcolm
Johansson photo Credit: WireImage
Read more First, Obama gets the $. Then the nomination. Now, Scarlett Johansson »
To the victors belong ... ever-increasing television exposure.
 ABC's women-oriented chat show "The View" has announced that Michelle Obama, the presumptive Democratic contender for first lady, will appear on the program June 18 (a Wednesday). In fact, she's being billed not only as a guest, but a "co-host" with regulars Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd.
Obama had been scheduled for a "View" drop-by in early December, but -- being the good Democrat that she is -- cancelled because of the writers strike that began in late November.
As it turns out, her upcoming appearance is more propitiously timed, given that one of her husband's immediate challenges is to make-nice to Hillary Clinton's legion of female supporters (some of whom, we imagine, are "View" watchers).
For those keeping track, Barack Obama has been on "The View" twice, most recently in late March. Not surprisingly, he got gushed over. Cindy McCain has already been a View co-host.
-- Don Frederick
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Next time you're lucky enough to jet into Aspen for a little rest and relaxation, one of the recorded voices greeting you at the Pitkin County airport WON'T be John McCain's.
Until last month, the dulcet tone of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was among those heard at the terminal, welcoming visitors and reciting various safety-related provisos. Overall, about 40 different folks deliver the messages, a mix of celebrities (such as comic David Brenner, actress Jill St. John and her husband, actor Robert Wagner, all of whom have homes in the resort community) and locals (the mayor, county commissioners, the county manager).
County spokeswoman Pat Bingham recently told The Times' James Hohmann that about a year ago, she was the one who added McCain to the mix.
"I was at a party, and he was there," she said. "And I thought, 'Oh cool, a senator.' It had nothing to do with my political feelings."
And no one else's political feelings seemed to be affected until a few weeks ago when, Bingham said, "We had one complaint from a guy, who thought maybe it would tip the scale of the election or something."
True, Colorado is considered a likely swing state in the general election. But would McCain's warning that the federal regulations restrict certain items from being carried aboard airplanes sway many votes?
Regardless, said Bingham, "We didn’t want to offend anyone." So the McCain recording got mothballed.
She ruefully added: “Had I been forward thinking, I should have gotten Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to do one. Then it would have been equal time.”
--Don Frederick
The political drama of the day seems to be when will Hillary Clinton quit, but the real issue facing the Democrats now is how to retool themselves for the fall showdown with John McCain. And as our colleague Doyle McManus points out in today's paper, Barack Obama has some clear strengths, and some decided weaknesses, to wo rk on -- many of them exposed by the same primary and caucus process he narrowly survived to claim he has enough delegates to win the nomination at the August convention. Writes McManus: "Even
while celebrating his improbable achievement Tuesday night, Obama faced stinging reminders of challenges he has yet to overcome.
"He lost the primary election in South Dakota, as senior citizens and working-class white voters defiantly stuck with a fading Hillary Rodham Clinton, exit polls showed. Both voter groups are considered crucial to victory in November.
"After controversies over his former pastor and other issues, Obama has lost ground among the independent voters who are important in any presidential election. In February, 63% of independents said they had a favorable impression of the Illinois senator; last month, that number was down to 49%, the Pew Research Center said."
It's worth taking a moment to recall what's happened so far, because sometimes the full weight of history is hard to feel when you're in the midst of it. With the nation at war and the economy teetering on recession, a white woman -- a former first lady no less -- and a biracial man were the l ast two serious nomination contenders in a Democratic primary battle that lasted five months, burned through $400 million and shattered state voter-turnout records for primary elections and caucuses.
On the Republican side, we could well have witnessed the end of the dominant influence of social conservatives within the party, a role that has had a deep effect on national policies going back to the rise of Ronald Reagan a quarter-century ago.
And the fall general election could well be just as historic, as the Vietnam War generation squares off against those for whom that war exists in textbooks rather than personal memory. It also will likely be a fight over class -- the white working-class -- as well as Latinos, and independent and moderate Democratic women.
And, after eight years of an increasingly unpopular administration, and with Congress already shifted from Republican control to Democratic, the Fall could complete a realignment that began with the 2006 midterms -- a shift just as radical as the change between Jimmy Carter and Reagan, and between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
History unfolds, and as Walter Cronkite used to intone, "You are there."
-- Scott Martelle
Obama photo: Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times
McCain photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times
There's loyalty in politics, and then there's loyalty. Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, appeared on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" Tuesday night a few hours before Clinton's non-concession speech. She's going to The White House in January, he says. As president.
-- Scott Martelle
(McAuliffe shows up at about the two-minute mark.)
Given that we live out here within smelling distance of the smoke from Universal Studios, we open this with the caveat that agents are always talking with someone about movie rights. That's what they do. Usually over lunch. A long lunch.
Still, given the reception for HBO's recent "Recount," about the Florida leg of the 2000 election, and the other projects already in the works on the Bush years (and there's still seven months to go), why not a film version of Scott McClellan's "What Happened" memoir of the George Bush White House?
Politico suggests Jonah Hill to play McClellan, which gets our speculation gene fired up. Who to play Bush? Who to play Dick Cheney?
That's why we have a comments section -- to let you answer such burning questions (hey, this is politics; it can't all be strategy and policy-wonk talk). Who would you cast?
-- Scott Martelle
Todd S. Purdum, former New York Times staffer and current Vanity Fair national editor, lets loose in the July issue of the magazine with a lengthy profile of Bill Clinton after leaving the White House. It's getting reduced to sex in some places -- friends worried that he was spending suspicion-raising time with attractive women on the road -- but there's no smoking gun (to stick with political metaphors), and focusing on speculation about a return to form for the former wanderer-in-chief does the article a disservice.
Purdum, who covered portions of the Clinton administration, offers up a deeply reported look at a primal force in politics facing his own dissipation. Scandal, big-bucks speaking fees, big-bucks pals like Ron Burkle with private planes, but also heart surgery and a clear physical deterioration. Bill Clinton is no longer the man he once was, though he is still a force -- Purdum describes Clinton as "the smiling, snowy-haired man who is the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral he attends."
Purdum, who is married to Clinton's former press secretary, Dee Dee Myers, writes: "To know Clinton is, sooner or later, to be exasperated by his indiscipline and disappointed by his shortcomings. But through it all, it has been easy enough to retain an enduring admiration — even affection — for a president whose sins against decorum and the dignity of his office seemed venial in contrast to the systemic indifference, incompetence, corruption, and constitutional predations of his successor’s administration. That is, easy enough until now.
"This winter, as Clinton moved with seeming abandon to stain his wife’s presidential campaign in the name of saving it, as disclosures about his dubious associates piled up, as his refusal to disclose the names of donors to his presidential library and foundation and his and his wife’s reluctance to release their income tax returns created crippling and completely avoidable distractions for Hillary Clinton’s own long-suffering ambition, I found myself asking again and again, What’s the matter with him?"
What's the matter, indeed.
-- Scott Martelle
The New York Times, in a prescient 2005 piece about the friendly attitude Rupert Murdoch seemed to have adopted toward Hillary Clinton -- an article that appeared before he surprised political observers by hosting a fundraiser for her 2006 Senate re-election campaign -- had this to say about the media mogul: "Much has been made of Rupert Murdoch's willingness to express a deeply conservative agenda through his worldwide newspaper holdings and most prominently Fox News, but his primary ideological allegiance is to winning."
That characteristic was on display Wednesday night at a gathering in Carlsbad, Calif. There, according to a Hilary Rosen item on The Huffington Post, Murdoch had this to say about Barack Obama (hardly an ideological soulmate): "He is a rock star. ... I love what he is saying about education."
Playing political prognosticator, he also made clear he's anticipating an Obama administration. "I don't think he will win Florida," Murdoch said, "but he will win in Ohio and the election."
And then there was this personal note: "I am anxious to meet him. ... "I want to see if he will walk the walk."
We can only assume Sean Hannity has been left speechless.
-- Don Frederick
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