Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"This Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Richard Nixon. Conventional wisdom says Nixon was brought down by Watergate. The reality was that he was undone as much by the divisiveness of the Vietnam years as by any of the marked and material flaws in his character. Distrust of the Washington establishment and of the ugly, costly war into which it had mismanaged America created a polarized, volatile atmosphere. Nixon gave his enemies the sword they needed to undo him and produce the kind of wrenching change the era seemed to demand.  John Kerry and Chuck Hagel are two products of that era. By extension so, too, is their new patron and soon-to-be boss: Barack Obama (even though Nixon's resignation took place just five days after Obama's 13th birthday). Obama's choices for secretary of state and defense, respectively, Kerry and Hagel are both veterans of the Vietnam war, and although one became a liberal Democrat and the other a conservative Republican, both were defined by their Vietnam experience. Both developed a willingness to challenge conventional military wisdom and a desire to avoid more Vietnams in the future. For Hagel, this ultimately meant breaking with his own party when he saw America's involvement in Iraq heading in a dangerous direction. For Obama, whose political bar mitzvah, or coming of age if you will, took place in the America of Vietnam, his career has been largely shaped by the liberal traditions that arose in response to and in the wake of that war. Certainly, that seemed clear during the 2008 campaign, when Obama took the more dovish stance in the primaries versus then-Senator Hillary Clinton. But it has seemed less evident during his presidency, when not only did Obama bring Clinton and Bush Defense Secretary Robert Gates into his cabinet, but he also undertook a number of initiatives that suggested a deviation from that liberal tradition, from redoubling America's commitment to Afghanistan to military intervention in Libya to a major escalation in America's use of drone warfare, cyber warfare and special operations to project power worldwide."(David Rothkopf)

"Chuck Hagel has the rare distinction of being vetted by both Dick Cheney and Barack Obama, John Heilemann pointed out on today's Morning Joe. At one time, Hagel was 'enough in the mainstream' of the GOP to be considered as George W. Bush's running mate in the 2000 election — Obama's nomination, Heilemann says, is evidence of the GOP moving 'far to the right' as Hagel kept his feet planted. Republican outcry extends to personal vendettas, Heilemann adds, pointing to Hagel-detractor John McCain: 'There's no greater champion of the Iraq war ... than John McCain was, and there's no greater Republican critic of that than Chuck Hagel.'" (NYMag)

"The Rumor Is: One of the world’s richest men and his beautiful wife, mother of his children, are separating. What looked (and still looks) like an ideal marriage from the outside looking in, had some patchy spots at the very beginning. But that was long ago and ever since it has been smooth sailing. They are among the most popular couples on the New York/Southampton/Palm Beach social axis. If an actual split comes to pass, you can be sure it will be civil and quiet and proper. This 'story,' true or false, comes as a relief, albeit an odd one, simply because someone else’s scandals or marital stress is a palliative for all our own, not to mention the troubles of our world ...January 8th is also a very important day for the principality of Monaco. It was on this day 716 years ago when a Genoan thug of some ill-repute, Francois Grimaldi, disguised as a monk in hood and robe, knocked on the palace door in Monte Carlo after dark. When it was opened, Grimaldi, already with scabbard in hand, murdered the man, and with his men entered, killed the reigning prince and  took over. Seven centuries later, the Grimaldis are still firmly ensconced in the palace in Monacoville, in the land that Somerset Maugham (who lived nearby) referred to as 'Sunny place for shady people.' As well as a large contigent of retired ex-pats living comfortably and quietly in a tax haven over looking the beautiful Mediterranean." (NYSocialDiary)

"New power couple alert: Leonard Lauder — the billionaire chairman emeritus of Estée Lauder — has been quietly dating Linda E. Johnson, the much younger president and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, Page Six can exclusively reveal. The two were spotted ringing in 2013 together at the Metropolitan Opera’s New Year’s Eve Gala. Spies say Lauder, 79, was also seen back in November with his arm around Johnson, 54, at a French-American Foundation gala, and later at an opening of the Museum of Arts and Design’s 'The Art of Scent' exhibition. Lauder’s wife, Evelyn, died in 2011 at 75. Social spies say his new romance has dashed the hopes of numerous New York socialites of a certain age since Lauder, reportedly worth a cool $7.9 billion, is one of the town’s most eligible bachelors. Johnson was formerly head of the National Constitution Center. (She’s also apparently fit: According to a library bio, she’s run seven marathons.) An Estée Lauder rep said, 'We don’t comment on Mr. Lauder’s personal life.' A Brooklyn Library rep had no comment."(PageSix)