Behind the Scenes

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Capitol Police not only removed anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan from Tuesday night's State of the Union address — they also removed the wife of a powerful Republican congressman who was not at all happy about it.

Beverly Young, whose husband Bill chairs the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, called the officers who removed her for protesting — "idiots" — since she was wearing a shirt supporting the troops. Bill Young says he's complained to Karl Rove about his wife's treatment, telling FOX News, "They embarrassed my wife, and that is an embarrassment to me."

Sheehan, meanwhile, says she was roughed up by Capitol Police, who hauled her away in handcuffs and charged her with unlawful conduct for wearing an anti-war T-shirt. Those charges have since been dropped, but Sheehan says she's planning to sue.

Seating Situation

Georgia Democrat Cynthia McKinney was asked to leave her seat in the chamber for a different reason — because it was reserved for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. The unpredictable McKinney, who you may recall lost her House seat in 2002 after she said President Bush had prior knowledge of the 9/11 plot, staked out a prime position in the second row, but was forced to move back when Reid arrived.

Overexposed?

Some U.S. forces are grumbling about the press coverage of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt, who were seriously injured in Iraq over the weekend, complaining that their struggle in the face of the same dangers has not received the same media attention.

UPI notes that the two men have the sympathy of the military, but one officer in Iraq says it's "frustrating to see something so dramatized that happens every day to some 20-year-old American," adding, "you'd think we lost the entire 1st Marine Division."

And a senior officer tells UPI, "The point that is currently being made [is] that press folks are more important than mere military folks."

Communication Breakdown

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has erected a wall of flags to block what he calls "subversive" messages on an American news ticker from reaching the Cuban people. For nearly a month, a ticker on the side of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana has been scrolling human rights information and international news stories not reported by Cuba's state-controlled media.

At a government sponsored protest march last week, an infuriated Castro vowed a "surprise" response to the "insolent provocation"... and workers say they've labored 24 hours a day since then to complete the "retaliation."

— FOX News' Aaron Bruns contributed to this report