Grapevine: Olympic gold medalist credits Kim Jong Il

North Korean weightlifting champ's remarks

Now for some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Devil's in the Details

The Wall Street Journal reports one tiny detail was the subject of much debate for the Obama re-election team.

"Forward." is the slogan for Obama 2012. The president himself signed off on it but the period at the end has received mixed reviews.

Adviser Austan Goolsbee says -– quote --"It's like 'forward, now stop.'"

Republican lawmaker Pete King says -- quote -- "It's sort of a buzz kill."

But senior campaign adviser David Axelrod supports the punctuation mark saying it provides finality.

Bridging the Gap

Public schools back in Washington D.C. have a voluntary program called Summer Bridge to help incoming ninth graders boost their math and literacy skills and earn a half credit.

The Washington Examiner reports that when only 95 students signed up the school went to the Summer Youth Employment Program and found more than 300 students who are now being paid $5.25 an hour to attend.

When residents raised concern that paying students for summer school may lead them to expect rewards during the school year Councilman Michael Brown did not disagree.

Quote -- "That's a completely legitimate argument. It is a very, very, extremely justified, debatable issue and I don't think there's a right answer."

Heavy Medal

And finally, North Korean weightlifter Om Yun Chol cleaned and jerked three times his body weight Sunday, a record 370 pounds total and he won the Olympic gold.

But apparently he had some help.

Om says -- quote -- "I believe Kim Jong Il gave me the record and all my achievements. It is all because of him."

There is precedent for the late dictator's athletic prowess. The legend has it that he scored 11 holes-in-one the first time he played golf, according to state-run media.