First of all, it’s important to remember that today is Martin Luther King day — a “day on” rather than a “day off” as Barack Obama said in commemorating remarks this morning. I’ve been putting some stuff together on a number of topics this morning, sitting at a very small Starbucks at the corner of 16th & U on the edge of Dupont, Adams Morgan, and Logan.
In a short bit, I’m posting something that a regular reader of TWN wrote to commemorate the day — and also sharing some material on Haiti (as this is the week a year ago when Haiti’s horrors became even more horrific), on Richard Holbrooke’s memorial service, and on Tom Donilon’s National Security Council. I might get into China too — but we’ll see.
But sitting in this little joint, there’s been quite an impressive roster of customers who have worked their way through the line as I worked away in the corner. CNN’s State Department correspondent Elise Labott came by and chatted. We spotted and chatted with Obama team wunderkinder Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau. Josh Marcuse, President of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, also rushed through on the way to his real job.
Another person who came by was liberal activist and Tweezerman founder Dal LaMagna, author of Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right.
Not only is this an unlikely spot to see DC’s power crowd, it’s kind of tilted towards the foreign policy sort. I’ll have to work on orchestrating some kind of accidental latte encounter between Netanyahu’s and Abu Mazen’s people here, maybe to get a Middle East stabilizing “16th & U Pact” going. I know, unlikely.
More soon.
— Steve Clemons
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