Linda Sánchez jokes a bust with Harris

Things turned personal last week at the D.C. Improv event Bread for the City when Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) did a stand-up routine and afterward made off-color remarks about Rep. Katherine Harris’s (R-Fla.) bosom.

After completing her routine, in which she poked fun at various lawmakers, including Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), the outspoken California lawmaker ventured into the audience and began joking about Harris’s décolletage.

Sánchez remarked that Harris, who has posed for numerous busty photographs on horseback, is using her breasts “as a weapon” in her candidacy for the Senate. Sánchez, wearing a fitted black T-shirt, said that if it worked she herself could do the same thing to get her elected the first Latina president of the United States.

Sánchez spokesman James Dao said of the remarks, “The event was a fundraiser in a comedy club with members of Congress taking shots at themselves and each other. She was approached by a lot of people. Frankly, she had a great set and was a surrounded by people afterward.”

Harris spokeswoman Jennifer Hickey said, “I spoke with the congresswoman. The comments were undignified and unbecoming” and did not deserve to be dignified with a response.

One thing was for certain last Wednesday night at the Fox News party at swanky Café Milano: Fox News anchors are much taller in person than they appear on TV.

From Juan Williams to Brit Hume to Shepard Smith and Bill O’Reilly — they all towered among guests at the packed party. O’Reilly, who at 6 feet 5 inches peered down on everyone around him, was asked how he feels about being mocked nightly on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” He replied, “It doesn’t bother me.”

When asked if he was flattered by the show, he scrunched up his face in an irritated grimace and replied, “Not particularly.”

Hume, at 6 feet 3 inches, is far cheerier in person than he is on TV. He had nothing but praise for Tony Snow, who was leaving the network to become the new White House press secretary.

“We’re going to miss him,” Hume said. “He’ll be different. It’s not a journalistic compromise. It’s a complete departure from journalism.”

Snow, also quite tall in person, remarked, “I’m ecstatic. I’m taking on a job with far more substance and responsibility than I’ve ever had in my life. If I handle it right, the hours will not be a problem.”

Smith, 6 feet tall, is far less stocky in person than he appears on TV. Like the other male anchors, he was also gushing about Snow.

“I’m so happy for him,” he said. “I hope this isn’t a shuffle of the deck chairs. I hope it’s all he thinks it will be. I hope he remains healthy.”

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) delivered a thunderous speech to promote his new book, America Back on Track, on the rooftop of a building in D.C.’s Chinatown on Monday night.

He thanked an impressive assortment of Democrats for attending, including Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).

Then he turned on the Kennedy charm.

“I was in the elevator on the way up here today, and someone said, ‘Did any one ever tell you that you look like Senator Kennedy?’ And I said, ‘Yes, yes they have.’ And they said, ‘Doesn’t that make you damn mad?’ The crowd couldn’t contain their laughter as Kennedy concluded, “Anyway, in any event, life must go on.”

To each his own, as they say.

On Saturday, May 6, adventurous Washingtonians can experience life in Big Sky country with the third annual D.C. Testicle Festival, brought to you, in part, by Sens. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

Along with these fried Rocky Mountain oysters (the name given to calf or bull testicles) will be live country music. The Montana-themed event, “Let’s Get Nuts!” will begin at 8 p.m. at the American Legion in Arlington, Va. (3445 Washington Blvd., Virginia Square Metro).

Platters of “cowboy caviar” will circulate throughout the evening and skeptical first-timers will be encouraged to taste just one.

Tickets are $15, which covers drinks and all the testicles you can stand. Not to worry, they’ll be peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and then fried. Maybe they taste like everything else you can’t decipher — chicken.

When told that her new straightened (flat-ironed) hairdo and bubblegum-pink suit made her look more Republican last week, Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz remarked, “Yeah, I’m Congressional Barbie.”

More on her new do: “I would expect to see my boss in curly hair again,” said spokesman Jonathan Beeton. “People like it. The congresswoman has been flattered by the attention, but whether or not she wears her hair straight or curly is up to her.”

Beeton added that being a congresswoman doesn’t allow her to be “high maintenance.”

In Reid’s office, Max serves as a staff assistant.

Of course, being Berkley’s son isn’t a bad perk, considering that he earns only $25,000. He lives with the Nevada Democratic congresswoman in her home on Capitol Hill, which is also home to Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), the tenant who lives in Berkley’s basement.

Max heads to law school in August.

Announcements

Souder adds a Quayle to Washington office
 
Aide apparently knows how to spell ‘potato’

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) recently hired William Quayle, second cousin to former Vice President Dan Quayle, to be a staff assistant in his Washington office.

“William is an excellent addition to my Washington team,” Souder said. “As staff assistant, he is the most public voice and face of our office to people calling or visiting us. His friendly personality and experience from past internships will quickly be evident and an asset to residents of northeast and north-central Indiana.”

Spokesman Martin Green assured that Quayle, 24, is a good speller: “All of his stuff has been very well-written. We’re obviously pleased to have him on board.” Green also assured that Quayle knows how to spell the word “potato.”

Sister says brother is “easy on the eyes”

“My brother is one of the most handsome men I know. True, I’m writing on a sisterly bias, however, I’ve watched ______ grow from a mischievous young boy to a kind-souled man.

“Not only is my brother easy on the eyes and a great conversationalist, he puts his whole heart into what he loves and believes in and takes a stand against what he views as wrong. Putting ______ in the top 50 would not only make every one of us who knows him proud, but knowing what kind of man he is would also give the rest of the country something to think about when they form their opinions about those involved in politics.”