WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Capital Comment -- News notes, political rumors, and important events that shape politics and public policy in Washington and the world from United Press International.
Relocating -- Fort McNair, a small military base graced by historic, elegant housing for general officers including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, may soon find itself overrun by new neighbors. Reports coming from Capitol Hill suggest that the House has formalized a long-held contingency plan to make Fort McNair its new base of operations in a time of crisis. Still stinging from the bad press they received following the anthrax-related evacuation two weeks ago, sources say the House leadership has resolved to stay in business the next time such an event occurs, even if they have to go off-site to do it. Fort McNair, which houses the National Defense University, was part of L'Enfant's original design of the city and was intended to house troops who would protect the U.S. Capitol in the event of an invasion by hostile forces.
Signing off? -- Ted Turner, the powermouth behind CNN -- now part of AOL Time Warner -- apparently thinks way ahead. According to the New York Daily News, Turner had a final sign-off tape created in 1990 that is to be used in the event the end of the world was the day's top story. The tape reportedly shows the American flag waving in the breeze while the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" plays in the background. The News reports that Turner could not be reached for comment.
Motor city mo' -- The race for mayor of Detroit appears headed to the wire. With incumbent Democrat Dennis Archer not seeking re-election, voters will chose between 31-year-old Kwame M. Kilpatrick, 31, the state House minority leader, and City Council President Gil Hill, a former homicide detective who played Eddie Murphy's foul-mouthed superior in the Beverly Hills cop movies. Although Kirkpatrick finished first out of 20 candidates -- 16 points ahead of his closest competitor -- recent polls show Hill has closed the gap to within single digits as Election Day draws near.
Hardball -- The Democratic National Committee is accusing Republicans of "playing games with airline safety." The party, reacting to White House-led efforts to prevent screeners at the nation's airports from being brought under federal control, is asking voters and visitors to their Web site to contact GOP leadership and "tell them they need to stop playing politics and start protecting the American people."
Ursa bit of good news -- Pravada, the Russian newspaper, is reporting that Potapych, a 7-year-old bear raised in private ownership and now residing in the zoo of the State Cinema Fund, has been cured of alcoholism. Seems that the caretaker in the villa where he used to live introduced him to the devil's brew and poor Potapych got hooked. Zoo officials gradually reduced the bear's alcohol intake until they got him on the wagon. Potapych now reportedly confines his liquid intake to milk.
Bye-bye Bobbie -- Bobbie Battista, the hostess of CNN's Talk Back Line program, is leaving the network. Battista, who is well-known for her technicolor wardrobe, has been a fixture at the network for 20 years. She reportedly plans to join her husband, Atlanta consultant John Brimelow, in the business of acting as a media consultant to politicians, corporate executives and broadcasters. CNN is moving the show to New York City from its current home in the atrium of the network's Atlanta headquarters.
The race for governor -- According to a poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune, Roland Burris, former state attorney general and comptroller, holds a slight early lead over other potential challengers in the race for the Democrat gubernatorial nomination next year, though close to 40 percent of the likely voters surveyed say they are undecided as to how they will vote. Burris has run for governor twice before and, despite taking the lead in early polls, he has yet to win the nomination, finishing second in both attempts.
A stimulating debate -- The failure of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to bring the pending stimulus package before the Senate provoking the ire of Republicans in both chambers. Daschle, who called the stimulus package "not as front-burner an issue" as other legislation, is being called upon to defend that assessment by Republicans who say Daschle is holding pro-growth stimulus measures hostage while trying to break down White House resistance to his demands for new political pork barrel spending. GOP sources say they will be repeating the charge a lot of the next few weeks until the majority leader agrees to move the package onto the Senate floor.
How psychic is that? -- Miss Cleo, the telephone and television psychic who reads tarot cards in a fake-sounding, Caribbean-like accent, has been accused by New York State officials of violating the state's "Do Not Call" telemarketing law more than 100 times in the past seven months. This, of course, begs the question: How confident can you be in the prediction of a psychic who cannot see in advance that you don't want her call?
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