Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Critical of Columnists
The liberal Nation magazine has been outspoken in its criticism of columnist Armstrong Williams (search) and Maggie Gallagher for supporting presidential initiatives, while working for administration agencies. But it turns out The Nation's own U.N. correspondent, who has repeatedly defended the U.N. amid charges of corruption, has been working for the U.N. as a professional media consultant.
On his Web site, Ian Williams boasts, "For the last five years I have played a significant role in training U.N. Development Programs resident representatives and U.N. reps in media handling, both at headquarters and overseas with a particular emphasis on coaching for interviews techniques. The U.N.'s training section also called upon me to help with training senior officials at headquarters."
Rather Touching Tribute?
CBS is planning to televise a one-hour prime time tribute to Dan Rather (search) next month on the night he leaves the "CBS Evening News." The special will look back on the stories Rather has covered in 43-year his career. After all, the program's producer says Rather considers himself a reporter first, insisting, "He needs to see it, hear it, feel it, taste it."
Stories covered will include the now discredited report on President Bush's National Guard service. The producer says, "We're not going to shy away from dealing with his issues. It's going to be a full picture. In fact she says, "I think what this will show is the breadth of a man and his commitment to truth."
Mission: Impossible?
Thirty-five Greenpeace (search) protesters got more than they may have bargained for when they stormed the International Petroleum Exchange in London on Wednesday. According to "The Times" of London, they slipped into a closing door and then roared onto the trading floor, blowing whistles and sounding foghorns.
They were hoping to paralyze oil trading at the exchange. But the traders, most of them under 25 years old, rushed the protesters, pushing filing cabinets on top of them and kicking and punching them until they retreated. Twenty-seven protesters were arrested. Two were hospitalized, one with a broken jaw and the other with a concussion. One protester says, "I have never seen anyone less amenable to listening our point of view."
Just Monkeying Around
A student at Oley Valley High School in Berks County, Pennsylvania has been arrested and jailed, charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. This after dozens of police officers with bomb-sniffing dogs were called to his school. FBI agents soon followed and the school was evacuated.
So what exactly did the student do? He dressed up in a gorilla suit and jumped onto the school's roof, all part of a senior prank. School officials and police defended their actions, telling The Morning Call newspaper, "You never know what his intentions are."
— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report