John Edwards Slips Out the Back Door of Another Hotel

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Slip Sliding Away

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards slipped out the back door of yet another hotel on Wednesday.

The Raleigh News and Observer reports that Edwards was in Washington for an AARP Foundation symposium at Hotel Monaco and avoided reporters for the second time in as many weeks. He escaped through a fourth-floor side area used by kitchen staff, and then through a handicap ramp at the rear of the hotel.

Edwards refused to answer reporters' questions about a story in the National Enquirer that says he visited a woman — said to be his mistress — and their love child at a hotel in California last week. The Enquirer says Edwards was cornered by reporters on July 21 as he was trying to leave the hotel. He then hid in a rest room, and FOX News confirmed that Edwards later escaped with the help of a security guard.

Dangerous Liaisons

Saudi Arabia's religious police have come up with a new way to crack down on men who make passes at women.

The Al-Hayat newspaper reports the head of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice says the sale of cats and dogs is now banned in the capital city of Riyadh. The commission will also ban people from walking their cats and dogs in public, because they say some men are using pets to "make passes on women and disturb families."

The commission has instructed its officers to inform all pet shop owners in Riyadh that selling cats and dogs is now illegal. The 5,000 strong religious police force oversees the adherence to Wahabism — a strict version of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia.

Happy Hour

After serving burgers with her staff at an annual fair last weekend, Washington Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire decided to grab a drink with her husband. The couple went to a downtown Olympia bar.

But the bouncer at the door refused entry to the 61-year-old governor because she had no ID, and could not prove she was of legal drinking age. The bouncer stood his ground, even after others pointed out Gregoire is Washington's governor.

But Gregoire is not angry. She told a Seattle television station that she feels complimented the bouncer thought she may have been under 21. The owner of the bar says his 23-year-old part-time doorman needs more training.

Final Sermon

Monday was a tough day for Evangelist Anthony Hopkins. He was leading a revival at a small church just outside Jackson, Alabama, when police discovered the body of a woman — presumed to be his wife — stuffed in his freezer. Authorities were tipped off by Hopkins' eldest daughter.

When police arrived at the church, Hopkins was still ministering and preaching to people in the crowd. His wife had not been seen or heard from in more than three years, and he even told the pastor at the church that she died during childbirth.

Hopkins has been charged with murdering his wife and also faces charges of rape and sodomy against his eldest child. He could face life in prison if convicted.

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.