Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The president has a momentous decision to make about who his new chief of staff will be—a decision that could set the course of his administration going forward now and through the final two years of his term. Current press reports indicate that the president is likely to pick an internal candidate, most likely Tom Donilon or perhaps Jim Messina. Both of these individuals are talented people, but to truly succeed, the president needs to pick someone from outside his administration with independence, stature and credibility to run a White House that appears to be close to chaos. Specifically, the smartest thing Obama could do in replacing outgoing Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel would be to pick an outsider who can address some of the obvious weaknesses his administration has. No one currently in the administration has strong ties to corporate America, as well as to what is likely to be a growing Republican influence, if not control in Congress, and independent credibility and authority. It is critically important that Emanuel’s replacement have strong ties to the business community, a history of good relations with both parties in Congress, and the independence and integrity to be able to tell the president 'no' when he is wrong. There is only one person in America that can fill that position, and that is Erskine Bowles, the outgoing president of the University of North Carolina, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, and a former administrator of the Small Business Administration." (Douglas Shoen)

"In North Korea, the sister also rises. The announcement Tuesday that dictator Kim Jong Il's only sister—64-year-old Kim Kyong Hui — was being promoted to four-star general in the North Korean army startled some veteran Pyongyang watchers. They tell The Daily Beast that her promotion means that Mrs. Kim, widely reputed across the border in South Korea to be a mean drunk capable of having her political rivals bumped off and driving her own daughter to suicide, would have equal standing in North Korea’s nuclear-armed military with the dictator’s youngest son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un." (TheDailyBeast)

"Sen. Olympia J. Snowe is bracing for the possibility of a brutal GOP primary in 2012 after watching as conservative activists turned on Republican moderates and longtime incumbents this year and targeted them for defeat — sometimes successfully. An interview with the Maine Republican on Tuesday revealed her focus on her re-election bid and her recognition that the tea party activism influencing several House and Senate primaries this year could last well beyond this election cycle. 'I've been a Republican for all of my political life, since I was registered to vote. I've always been part and parcel of the Republican Party,' Snowe said. 'It's where I grew up. It's where I grew in the Legislature in learning how to govern and how to legislate — which is to build bridges. That's what Maine has been all about. That doesn't mean that you sacrifice your principles in order to accomplish that; to the contrary.'" (CQPolitics)

(image via usmenuguide)

"Afterwards I grabbed my friend and neighbor Charlie Scheips and we went up the block to Swifty's for a quick and delicious meal. Swifty's was lively. Bill and Melinda vanden Heuvel were entertaining Inger Elliot or vice versa. Gale Hayman and Dr. Richard Bachman were entertaining Ernie Pomerantz and his authoress wife, Marie Brenner. At another Tobie Roosevelt was entertaining and across the way her sister Nancy Baker was dining with husband and friends. Also Dick Nye and Francesca Stanfill, Ed and Pat Ney (newlyweds still), Bobby and Barbara Liberman. Also, Betty Sherrill and her daughter and business associate Ann Pyne. On one side of us was Cheri Kaufman and friend and on the other Hannah Pakula and friend. We fell into a conversation about living in Los Angeles (Hannah grew up there and was married to director Alan Pakula). Her school chum was Joan Benny (who was at the Bowling party last night), daughter of Jack, best friend of George Burns. Beverly Hills was a village then, a real small town except ... American 20th century folklore was being created by its inhabitants." (NYSocialDiary)

"Nightlife isn't just happening below 23rd Street (remember when the borderline used to be below 14th Street?) as evidenced by the new restaurant/club Lavo from nightlife impresarios Noah Tepperberg and Rich Thomas, who also run Avenue, Marquee and Tao. So far LAVO, located on 58th and Park, has hosted two very different high-profile events. The first was a "soft opening" of the club which inhabits the old euro-spot Au Bar (but has been completely re-done) was hosted by Quest magazine (the preppy UES social bible) and a party for the website What2WearWhere which was founded by Karen Klopp to help busy chicks get their get-ups on and get out the door to work and parties. Every chic prep girl was at the W2WW party : Francesca Bodini, Lauren Remington Platt, Chessy Wilson, author Anisha Lakhani, Elizabeth Meigher and TV star Kimberly Guilfoyle. Then there was the grand opening which boasted Sam Ronson as DJ and a star studded red carpet." (Papermag)