May
21 McCain's Visit

Updated

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

John McCain is in Southern California today for an Irvine fund-raiser and an appearance on "Ellen," but he will be back again next week. On May 28 he scheduled to attend a fund-raiser at the home of Elliott Broidy, chairman of the Markston Capital private equity firm and an avid backer of President Bush. The Jewish Journal noted in 2006 that he was dubbed "the mystery man of the Israeli economy" by that country's media --- although he did give and interview to the Journal.

Meanwhile, the word is that the McCain campaign is assembling an arts and entertainment coalition, with an aim for creating a presence in the industry that hasn't been seen for quite some time by a Republican candidate. Far more than George W. Bush did in 2000, McCain has longtime ties to the business, as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and for his willingness to embrace pop culture. (Think "Wedding Crashers.")

Michelle Obama Visit: Michelle Obama, meanwhile, also will be in L.A. on May 28, including an early evening fund-raiser at the home of Dawn Ostroff.

Whoopi's Words: From ABC News: "Ted Kennedy, joined by his wife and kids, tried to smile and joke through the pain. The Senator let out a laugh after reading a card from Whoopi Goldberg that said, 'Get out of there now.'"

HBO's Hire: New York Times columnist Frank Rich will serve as a creative consultant for HBO.

Obama Hire: National Journal's Linda Douglass, a former correspondent for CBS News and ABC News, is joining Barack Obama's campaign as senior strategist and a senior campaign spokesperson.

Clinton's Complaint: Yeas & Nays gets an advance copy of People's interview with Bill Clinton --- and he is none too happy with the state of things. He tells the mag: "I think most of the press people are in Obama's demographic. ... There have been times when I thought I was literally lost in a fun house."

There's also this, on accusations that he and Hillary have played the race card: "This was cold-blooded, calculated, manipulated and a revolting strategy."

Arianna Party: This evening, Lynda and Stewart resnick host a book party for Arianna Huffington and her tome "Right is Wrong."