The latest from the Political Grapevine:
Terror Threat
While some South Americans ridiculed the tight security around President Bush during his trip to the region, the Secret Service may have had cause for concern. The Washington Times reports that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a terrorist organization commonly known as FARC, threatened a bombing or shooting attack on the President when he visited the country on Monday.
During his stay, President Bush praised Colombia for making progress against the group he calls a "Narcoterrorist organization." The Times reports that 15,000 Colombian security officers and numerous over flights by military helicopters helped deter any attack.
Payment Problem
Dozens of Kerry campaign workers in Florida have yet to receive their final paychecks, nearly a month after Election Day. The DC-based Young Voter Alliance program, which hired young people across the country to round up votes door to door, owes dozens of Florida employees hundreds of dollars.
Workers say they've been told that the Alliance is thousands of dollars over budget, but the group's executive director tells Bay News Nine in Tampa, "We are absolutely committed to paying every single person for every single hour that they worked."
For Profit, Not Politics
Those suffering from election withdrawal can soon get their fix from NBC's "The West Wing," which will feature fictional presidential primaries early next year. But the Washington Post reports that instead of filming scenes on location in Iowa and New Hampshire, the TV show about the American presidency will use geographical stand-ins in Canada.
Representatives for the show insist that the move north of the border is strictly for financial reasons and is not an anti-Bush protest organized by liberal star Martin Sheen.
Sex Sells?
Media critics were up in arms over Janet Jackson's exposed breast at the Super Bowl and the locker-room towel-dropping on last week's “Monday Night Football,” but don't expect to hear from them about the latest breast-baring on prime time TV this week. No, it wasn't on the latest episode of “Desperate Housewives," (search) or some reality show wardrobe malfunction.
It was on CSPAN — the 24-hour political channel — during a broadcast of the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual video game report card. With Senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl looking on, CSPAN aired an unedited, uncensored compilation of women baring it all in games like "Leisure Suit Larry" and "The Guy Game."
No word on whether the prime time porn boosted CSPAN's audience.
— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report