From July 1995 Washingtonian Magazine, "How to Date a Congressman"

[IChing]

by Margie Burns | Oct 4 2006 - 11:10am | permalink
article tools: email | print | read more Margie Burns


"IT'S THE 5 O'CLOCK COCKTAIL hour, and I'm mounting the steps to Le Mistral, the congressional power eatery.

"Sallie?" I hear behind me.

"Congressman Foley?"

Running up the steps, Mark Foley extends a hearty handshake.

Ooh la la . This congressman is a blast of exuberance. Tall and solid with sparkling blue eyes and subtly coiffed hair, his wire-framed glasses lend authority to his round face. Impeccably tailored in a Prince Charles plaid Joseph Abbound suit and a French blue shirt, he's got a real Palm Beach polish, although his district skirts that elite community.

We mount a couple of high-backed stools, and I marvel at the privacy of our date. Not only is the bar empty but the entire restaurant. The congressman orders a glass of Merlot. I follow suit, wondering if Newt's got something going with Merlot in the Contract.

Foley, 40, has been a Florida politician since he was 23. State and local governments were steppingstones to his childhood dream of a congressional seat. Half Polish, half Irish, he grew up in West Palm Beach in a close-knit family. He points to a young dishwasher behind the bar, unloading glasses. "I've done that. And I've been a waiter and an owner," Foley says, referring to a former restaurant venture.

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. "Oh, God," he says. "Message from the Republican cloakroom . . . 15 minutes to record their vote . . ."

He's off, coatless, into the dusk.

Twenty minutes later, he's back, breathless. Once again, the sprint-for-the-vote leads to the issue of footwear. "I love these Allen-Edmonds," Foley says. He also loves clothes, confessing a passion for Bill Robinson and Neiman Marcus shirts: "American-made."

We polish off our Merlot.

Another? He hesitates, I insist, he agrees.>>>>>snip

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/1351

[On the Road]

1. Ms. Burns Seems to Enjoy Using "Mount" as a Verb

Little did she know. :smoke:

[kenny blankenship]

2. Oh Margie, were you ever barking up the wrong tree

He tried to tell ya:
"He points to a young dishwasher behind the bar, unloading glasses. "I've done that."
But the stars in your eyes were covering your ears too I suppose.
No one blames you Margie, you were just lookin for luv in the only way you knew how.

[htuttle]

3. "Twenty minutes later, he's back, breathless."

You know, in light of his other voting behaviors, I doubt he was breathless from running....

[IChing]

4. The article gets even better further on

Foley clearly is on the move, and not just because of his social contacts. He was appointed deputy majority whip and sits on key committees.

In his downtime Foley heads to the sea or the slopes -- he shares a condo in Aspen. Of all of his classmates, Foley seems the most capable of balancing his life and work -- he even lives off-campus: "Capitol Hill is too claustrophobic."

"Where do you live?"

"The Watergate."

"The Watergate!" I repeat, relishing the chill I get when it rolls off my tongue.

Foley raves about the conveniences of the Watergate: the Safeway, the Chinese take-out, the dry cleaner, the wine selection. He admits that long days often end with loneliness, so far from home and close friends. Eager to start entertaining again, he's looking for an apartment with a fireplace where he can host dinner parties


_____________________

Didn't Monica live at the Watergate also?

[Imagevision]

5. Foley should be on siucide watc, - but then again... nah!

[Synnical]

6. What a hoot! n/t

[SoCalDem]

7. What vote? He was sneaking off

to arrange a tryst with the cute young diswasher dude :)


:evilgrin: