Hillary Clinton Supporters Rendezvous with McCain Operatives
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
One of Hillary Clinton's brothers and some Pennsylvania Democrats who backed her presidential bid socialized Monday with a top adviser to Republican John McCain. The Scranton Times-Tribune reports Tony Rodham attended a gathering hosted by political consultant Jamie Brazil, a longtime friend of the Clintons. Brazil is a paid national director of the Citizens for McCain coalition.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Also there, McCain top economic adviser Carly Fiorina. The other guests included an attorney who coordinated Clinton's presidential campaign in northeast Pennsylvania during the primary election, and the sister of Scranton Democratic Mayor Chris Doherty.
Under Wraps
The company producing John McCain's political ads is refusing to reveal the identity of the narrator used in the campaign's most recent commercials. The Politico newspaper reports chairman of the company Strategic Perception Fred Davis III says, "We consider that a corporate secret."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The woman who narrates the now-famous McCain ad "Celeb" has also been used in three other commercials attacking Barack Obama. Her voice is described by some at the company as "pleasant to listen to" and "an every-woman's voice."
What is known is that her first name is Joan and that she began doing political voice-overs about a year ago. The Politico reports the business is desperate for new and unfamiliar voices and that is why the company is so tight-lipped about Joan's identity.
Commercial Appeal
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Senators Obama and McCain plan to pull all campaign ads that criticize each other on September 11. The candidates say they want to honor the memory of those who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said, "9/11 is not a day for politics," and Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said, "We hope September 11 is a day when Americans come together and reaffirm our resolve to address the common challenges we face together."
The announcement came on the same day a group called MyGoodDeed.org called on the candidates to refrain from partisan campaigning on 9/11. The group is part of a coalition sponsoring a September 11 summit on community service that McCain will attend. The group is waiting for confirmation from Senator Obama.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Breakfast of Champions?
The endorsements are rolling in for Olympic hero Michael Phelps. But one deal is already drawing some criticism. The swimmer, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing, will not make the traditional appearance on boxes of Wheaties cereal. Instead, he will show up on boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes.
Some health experts are disappointed. Nutritionist Rebecca Solomon from Mount Sinai Medical Center says, "I would not consider Frosted Flakes the food of an Olympian. I would rather see him promoting Fiber One. I would rather see him promoting oatmeal. I would even rather see him promoting Cheerios."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Frosted Flakes has three times the sugar as Wheaties and one-third the fiber. But that should not matter to Phelps, who consumes 12,000 calories a day, when training.
— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.