Campaign cash: Return to sender?

We’ve been amused by the list of things disgraced Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., has received over the years — the Adam Walsh Children’s Fund Appreciation Award, the Boy Scouts Crew 204 Appreciation Award, the Children of the Arc Appreciation Award, the Missing and Exploited Children Appreciation Award, etc.

But a question of perhaps greater political import might arise over those things that Foley has given. Namely dollars.

In this election cycle, Foley’s PAC, the Florida Republican Leadership PAC, has contributed $1,000 to each of seven incumbent Republicans, to say nothing of a whopping $100,000 lump sum to the National Republican Congressional Committee. His campaign committee, Friends of Mark Foley, kicked in another $2,000 to Sen. George Allen, R-Va.

Usually when a scandal hits involving a donor, the cash is returned or donated to a charity. Such was the case with contributions given to candidates by corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

So what will become of Foley’s coin, now that he has stepped down for having inappropriate e-mail chats with House pages?

House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, and Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., told us they’ve both returned the money to Foley’s PAC.

Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., donated his $1,000 to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, while Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., sent his to the Crime Victims of Chester County, a sexual assault advocacy group.

The staff of Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said they didn’t yet know what they’d be doing with the money, but The Associated Press reports that Sen. Allen’s campaign said it was planning to donate the money to an as-yet-unnamed charity.

The campaign office of Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., said they’d be announcing their intentions via news release.

As of press time, we hadn’t heard back from Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., nor from the NRCC on the fate of that big enchilada, the $100,000 they received from Foley this summer.

Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., even went so far as to return $8,000 she received between 1998 and 2002.

But what will become of $2.7 million that remains in Foley’s campaign chest?

He could either refund the donations, send them to another political entity or, if no one will have them, give them to charity.

Crime prevention starts online, says McGruff

The National Crime Prevention Council inflated a 32-foot likeness of McGruff the Crime Dog on Monday in Farragut Square to declare October National Crime Prevention Month. The crime-biting persona was also present in a life-sized form to meet and greet the meager crowd.

Just days after the FBI got wind of Rep. Mark Foley’s explicit e-mails to former Congressional pages, it seemed especially timely that the NCPC offered literature warning children of the danger of Internet predators through e-mail and instant messaging.

Cartoon depictions of wide-eyed, uneasy-looking children receiving online solicitations from unknown predators reminded children that shady characters abound on the Web. In warnings that could soon be echoed by the House ethics committee, McGruff implores kids to tell online solicitors, “No. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

When asked what the historically reticent McGruff might say about Foley’s foray into inappropriate e-mail exchanges with minors (as the dog himself does not speak), an NCPC media relations staffer replied tersely, “I cannot comment on that.”

McCain meets a supporter from long ago

Right before the Senate recessed last week, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., received a visit from someone he had never met, but who goes back more than 35 years with him.

Beginning in 1970, many Americans began showing their support for POWs by wearing bracelets emblazoned with the name of a POW held in Vietnam, along with the date of their capture.

Monica Mastrianni, of Atlanta, began wearing her bracelet in 1970, when she was 10 years old. Its inscription bore McCain’s name, along with the date of Oct. 26, 1967 — the day McCain’s Navy jet was shot down over Vietnam. She had his name because her father served with McCain in the Naval Academy.

As reported by Chad Pergram for KJZZ Radio in Phoenix, Mastrianni visited the Capitol last week, while she was in town for the National Book Festival. She said she’d been to the Capitol once before, but “I always thought that if I came back, I’d like to see him.” She got her chance thanks to a common acquaintance that she and Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., share.

“She showed me this thing, and I said, ‘You gotta get in to see him,’ ” said Gutknecht. “ ‘This is too important a story. I don’t want you to go home without getting a chance to meet him.’ ”

He took her to the Senate, where they intercepted McCain as he came off the Senate floor.

“I’m always touched, I’m always grateful and I’m always humbled,” McCain said, adding that POWs’ treatment seemed to improve around 1970, when such shows of support as the bracelets began back home.

Plant a majority and let it grow

The White House is busy at work trying to put a pretty face on things, and Monday was no exception.

With the situation in Darfur remaining tenuous, President Bush invited his Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to the Oval Office Monday morning. “Andrew Natsios is going to help rally the world to solve the problem,” Bush said.

With the war in Iraq continuing to founder, Bush next had over the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “I consider the prime minister a friend and a man of peace, and I welcome him,” the Prez said.

Ah, things are looking better already. But wait: There’s always those annoying midterm elections, so Bush later took off to Nevada to help boost the congressional campaign of Republican Dean Heller.

The first lady also did her part sprucing up things. She spent the morning unveiling the Laura Bush Rose in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. “Isn’t it a beautiful rose?” asked the first lady. (No word as to whether the Laura Bush Rose chokes other Rumsfeld Roses in the garden ... Guess we’ll have to wait for Bob Woodward’s next book.)

Mrs. Bush then moved to the North Grounds to plant a Jefferson Elm. National Park Service bigwig James Sherald noted that the elms are resistant to Dutch Elm disease.

Perhaps Monday’s window-dressing efforts were meant to help the GOP resist its own ailments.

Media Mix

With his successor all but named, Mayor Anthony Williams should have plenty of time to catch up on his pop culture. We caught up with him at the Polish Embassy last week.

Q: What book are you reading right now?

A: “Team of Rivals,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Q: What’s your favorite TV show?

The original “Law & Order”

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?

“Superman Returns,” on an IMAX screen

Q: What CD are you listening to right now?

I’m not really listening to anything at the moment.

Andrew White contributed to this page