Former Vice President Learns a Lesson

And now some fresh pickings from the political grapevine:

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Persistent Politician
Former Clinton administration grandee Rahm Emmanuel seems poised to become a congressman from Chicago in the November elections, but not all Chicago land Democrats are rolling out the welcome mat for him. Emanuel has made no secret of his desire to win a seat on the coveted House Ways and Means Committee, but seven of the 10 Illinois Democrats in the House have signed a letter asking party leaders to give the appointment to another colleague, Rep. Danny K. Davis, now in his third term. A congressional aide says, "Nobody wants Rahm to come in and eclipse their star. He just got here; those guys have been here awhile and they don't want that to happen." Emanuel says he remains interested in the position.

Nixon Daughters' Dispute Resolved
The day before the anniversary of Richard Nixon's resignation, his daughters have resolved a two-year dispute over how to spend a $20-million bequest for their father's presidential library. Julie Eisenhower and Tricia Cox completed a court-ordered mediation yesterday, but details of the closed-door meeting were not released. Although one of Cox's attorneys says, "Everyone's happy" with the settlement.

Tipper Says She Always Pays!
And the Boss is back. Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band are selling out arenas from north Jersey to south Texas and everywhere in between. But apparently not everyone wants to shell out the big bucks to see him. Sources close to former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper say they tried to get free tickets to the show for their entire staff. But when that didn't work, and they were told that even paid admission would be hard to come by, they said "never mind." Al Gore insider opined: "They wound up being offered four, but when they were asked to pay $75 apiece, they said forget it. And you know, that's why Gore isn't president, in a nutshell." Late this afternoon, Tipper Gore told FOX News she was indeed "treating some friends to the concert" but was and had always planned "on paying for the tickets" herself. "I know you're interested in truth and accuracy," Mrs. Gore said, "so I just wanted you to know that."

Shaved That 'Stache!
And finally, legendary Polish pro-democracy leader Lech Walesa, who once turned down a million-dollar offer to shave his trademark mustache, has at last taken a razor to his upper lip. Word has it that he isn't all that crazy about the new look. "I wanted to cause a bit of a fuss over the summer holidays, but my wife Danuta and I realized that it wasn't a good idea," Walesa says. He and his drooping walrus mustache became a symbol of defiance back in the Gdansk shipyard strikes of 1980 -- a revolt that marked the beginning of the end for Soviet-backed communist rule.