A Little of the Old In And Out



In: Anna Wintour. We have a pet theory that all the frostiness about her exists for the sake of keeping up appearances. We expect Anna to be all "A Wintour's Tale." But she once, we cannot fail to note, had a fling with Bob Marley, so, as per our theory, she can't be all that chilly. And she really wasn't when she appeared on the newly red-hott David Letterman show last night. From David Itzkoff of the Times:

"In an interview to promote the R. J. Cutler documentary 'The September Issue,' Ms. Wintour came across as soft-spoken and even a little intimidated by the bright lights and television cameras. Her opening suggestion to Mr. Letterman, that he look up the Brooks Brothers designer Thom Browne, didn’t quite play to the crowd — 'Let me get that number,' Mr. Letterman replied sarcastically. But she gave a great canned response to his question about her notorious managerial style: 'I’m very decisive, and I try to give clear direction to the people that I am working with, and sometimes, unfortunately, they don’t hear the answer that they would like to hear.'

To her credit, Ms. Wintour wasn’t the least bit rattled by Mr. Letterman’s follow-up: 'Have you ever put anybody in a headlock?'"

In fact, Anna looked so cuddly and against-type last night that we kind of wanted to hug her. But faced with that temptation we would desist for fear that her delicate bones might break 'neath our innocent embrace like beautiful little Prada-clad icicles.



Out: Rudy Giuliani. Apparently, Rudy is mulling a run for Governor. Or is he? The abrasive, acerbic former Mayor has been making noises for some time. His run for President ended, bloodily, in Florida (Governor Christ, his ally, went in for McCain instead).

Cindy Adams has hinted that Giuliani may be running-not-running in order to drum up some business for Giuliani Partners, whose firm -- as of April -- was in decline. Says Cindy: "he'll do all the paperwork, make all the moves, gather all the groups, get all the p.r., make all the statements, fund raise, file, flap around -- but . . . won't . . . run. They say he needs to create buzz around himself. To help himself in person, in general and in business in particular." From The NYTimes:

"Nineteen months after ending his disastrous run for the presidency, Rudolph W. Giuliani is clearing a path for a possible race for governor in 2010, believing public anger at an ineffectual Albany and unease over the economy could create ideal conditions for a Republican to reclaim the governor’s mansion.

"Mr. Giuliani has told associates that he will decide on a candidacy within 30 to 60 days, as he weighs whether he can be elected statewide and what impact another campaign would have on his business interests.

"He is already laying the groundwork. On Friday he traveled to Long Island to encourage the state Republican Party chairman, Joseph N. Mondello, to step aside, a maneuver that party insiders viewed as the former mayor’s most concrete step yet toward a run."

SchadenFrudy?



In: Ben Bernanke. Was there ever any doubt that this would happen? No. When the $treet, China and financial journalists all wanted Bernanke, any outcome other than a Bernanke outcome would have rattled the markets and risked an already tense economic relationship with China. If we know anything about "No drama Obama." it is that the President has an even temperament and he likes stability in markets and in poltiics. Obama could have re-appointed Bernanke earlier, but then he wouldn't have had some leverage. But the outcome, of course, was never really in doubt (except, perhaps, in Bernanke's mind). Only the timing. And to do so after the Dow closed above 9,500 on Monday is smart.

And now Chairman Bernanke -- whose destiny, it seems, is geared to helping the ship of State avoid another Depression -- can continue navigating the choppy waters of The Great Recession.