Courage runs in McAuliffe family

FOT (Friends of Terry) who called the RSVP line for the Feb. 8 party to fete former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe and his new book “What a Party!” may have noticed the voice on the answering machine wasn’t some official public relations spokesperson at the party locale — the Park Hyatt — or even the chairman himself. Instead, it’s that of some adorable little child telling you that “You reached the party line for ‘What a Party!’ Please tell us if you can come. Thank you.”

Well, it turns out the voice is none other than that of McAuliffe’s 7-year-old daughter, Sally, who apparently is no stranger to playing adult roles and taking charge of situations. In McAuliffe’s book, he recalls a vacation he and his family took with the Clintons in the Dominican Republic following the 2004 election.

“I’d see Sally in the pool playing mermaid with Hillary,” McAuliffe writes, “directing her to do this and do that, and Hillary was happy to obediently take orders from a 5-year-old. I’d never seen anyone order Hillary around the way Sally did.”

It is fitting, then, that Sen. Clinton will be a “very special guest” at the Feb. 8 event. No word on whether Sally will direct Hillary around the room.

Naming a President

The 2008 presidential race could come down to a lot of things: policy positions, speaking styles, appearances, campaign coffers etc. But what about names? We asked Anne Bernays, author of “The Language of Names: What We Call Ourselves and Why It Matters,” to give us her first impressions as we ran down the roster of potential ’08 candidates.

Republicans

» Sen. Sam Brownback: “He sounds like a good ‘ol Western boy.”

» Former Speaker Newt Gingrich: “If you have a funny ear, it might sound like ‘grinch.’ ”

» Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani: “Lovely. ... It sings. Rudolph, however, sounds sort of German and too much like ‘Adolph.’ ”

» Sen. Chuck Hagel: “Hagel is a little mealy-mouthed, wimpy.”

» Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: “It’s sort of an All-American name. He’s a good ‘ol boy.”

» Rep. Duncan Hunter: “Sort of a preppy wannabe. … Duncan is a little bit la-di-da. Hunter is a good strong name for what it suggests.”

» Sen. John McCain: “It’s a good strong name. ... And it’s one syllable followed by two-syllables —a dactyl — which is good.”

» Former Gov. Mitt Romney: “Romney seems like a good strong name. … Mitt is a very ugly name. … If it was Ted Romney, now that has a much better sound.”

» Rep. Tom Tancredo: “I like the ethnic sound of it.”

» Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson: “I can’t take it seriously!”

Democrats

» Sen. Joe Biden: “I think Joe is a very strong name. Biden, without the Joe, would be a little bit flabby.”

» Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: “I wish she had kept the name ‘Rodham.’ … If Hillary dropped the ‘Clinton,’ she’d be great.”

» Sen. Chris Dodd: “If we call him Christopher Dodd, I think it’s very strong. But as ‘Chris,’ it sounds a little bit like he’s the guy next door that’s going to help you fix your flat tire.”

» Former Sen. John Edwards: “It doesn’t have much. … It’s too flat. It’s almost two first names.”

» Rep. Dennis Kucinich: “It ain’t the best, but it’s a good strong name. … It doesn’t seem to go with the Kucinich, though. Somehow it should be Dennis O’Leary and Gregory Kucinich.”

» Sen. Barack Obama: “Love it, because it’s exotic. It’s not exactly American.”

» New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: “I think it’s got a real All-American, sterling quality to it. It’s rich.”

» Rev. Al Sharpton: “Sounds like a gang member. Sharpton is not an easy thing to say. It doesn’t fit in the mouth very well.”

» Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack: “I love Vilsack because it’s foreign. I like all the foreign-sounding names. And it sounds like he’s got a lot of determination.”

THE WINNER: Bernays says Rudy Giuliani has the best name, with Obama coming in second.

Fenty endorses Williams’ endorsements

Why does Adrian Fenty love former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams?

Simple: Because Williams helps him get elected.

But wait: Didn’t Williams support Fenty’s opponent, Linda Cropp, during the 2006 mayoral race? That, joked Fenty at a breakfast sponsored by the Institute for Education Monday, was the key to electoral success.

“I have a great working relationship with Mayor Williams,” Fenty told the group gathered at the Mandarin Oriental, a group that included The Bow-Tied One. “He endorsed my opponent and I won by a lot, so I look forward to working with him in the future, and I hope that he continues to endorse my opponents so I can continue to win by a lot.” The ribbing was all in good fun, and both Fenty and Williams chuckled as Fenty got in his digs.

Who’s afraid of Rove?

Perhaps taking his mind off the Scooter Libby trial, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove was seen exiting the Kennedy Center Sunday afternoon following the final performance of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” starring Kathleen Turner.

Perhaps, surmises our source, he doesn’t get enough drama with his day job.

We wonder whether Rove snickered at the last line of the play: “I am, George, I am.”

New chef spinning sweets for George, Laura

Give him this: The man makes a mean gingerbread house.

First lady Laura Bush named Bill Yosses, the man behind the White House’s impressive holiday desserts and confections last year, the full-time White House executive pastry chef yesterday.

Yosses’ 30-year career includes stints at Tavern on the Green and Montrachet in New York City. He recently assisted in the opening of Paul Newman’s Dressing Room in Westport, Conn., and he’s co-author of “Desserts for Dummies.” Pastry-loving sources tell us he’s “extremely talented with spun sugars and working with sugar to make figurines.”

“He has a light touch with desserts,” said Laura Bush in a statement.

D.C.’s own Warren Brown, of the Cakelove bakeries and the “Sugar Rush” show on the Food Network, called Yosses a “very cool guy.”

“We met on my first ‘Sugar Rush’ shoot — both of us were sweating under the summer heat making mille crepes when he consulted for Lady M bakery in NYC,” he told Yeas & Nays. “I really enjoyed meeting Bill and look forward to welcoming him to Washington!”