(Miss) America loves Obama!

Those Midwestern girls stay true to those Midwestern roots. When asked who she’s pulling for in the 2008 presidential election, Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson of Oklahoma didn’t give a definitive pick, but sure gave a hint by throwing some love to a certain Midwestern senator: “I like Obama” she whispered.

But politics isn’t a hobby for Nelson. This was her first visit to Washington (not her last, however … she says she’ll be back later this month) and she had a hard time recognizing most of the VIPs and speakers (save Ted Kennedy) at Tuesday night’s Congressional Dinner, hosted by the Washington Press Club Foundation. Much to her chagrin, her itinerary didn’t include a stop by the White House and she didn’t get an opportunity to see the Washington Monument on the horizon. To Nelson’s credit, she was able — after some time — to whip off the names of Oklahoma’s two senators … even if the question was “Who is your congressman?”

Our theory is this: Maybe Nelson’s not a huge fan of politics because neither President Bush nor Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry phoned her to say “Congratulations!” following her big win last week. D’oh!

Nelson joined Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz., Wednesday afternoon for a press conference on Internet safety (Nelson wasn’t eager to talk about that Mark Foley character), a cause she champions, in part due to an experience she endured when younger.

More about Nelson!

» She flies coach!

» She loves “Little Miss Sunshine”!

» She loves Butterfingers!

» Her worst vices are biting her fingernails and cracking her knuckles!

» She can eat whatever she wants! “I don’t ever have to wear a bikini again unless I want to!”

» She thought she opened her mouth a little bit too much when she reacted to her win!

» She swears she didn’t practice her “winner reaction” beforehand!

» She had 79 missed phone calls when she looked at her phone after winning!

MoveOn.org’s ‘cam-pain’ tangles up Webb’s phones

MoveOn.org has a strange way of thanking people.

The liberal organization recently launched a phone campaign, encouraging its members to call senators to either thank them for speaking out against the Iraq war or berate them for supporting it.

For Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., the phone calls from MoveOn.org were positive —but they positively broke the office’s voice mail. Webb, you’ll recall, is one of the war’s most outspoken and consistent critics, so it’s hardly surprising that MoveOn.org fans overwhelmingly choose his office for their lauding phone calls last Thursday. As a result, the office’s phones lines were completely jammed and, for a while, it was impossible to call into (or out of) the office.

To make matters worse, the office had to completely erase the office voice mail “at least a few times” in order to clean up the electronic mess left by the MoveOn.org callers, said a source familiar with the situation.

Overall, the calls amounted to about 800 on Thursday, plus another 150 or so on Friday.

Now, callers to the senator’s office are prompted to press “1” to leave a message or “2” to speak to a staffer.

“That seems to be taking care of the traffic a bit,” said the source.

Maher’s new rule has Dems’ new symbol

As Bill Maher prepares for the Feb. 16 season premiere of his HBO show, “Real Time,” he gave Yeas & Nays an exclusive look at one of his “New Rules” to whet our appetite:

“Until they grow a pair, the Democrats must officially change their symbol from a donkey to a deer frozen in the headlights. A nonbinding resolution? What was Plan B? A dirty look and an enthusiastic, ‘I’m not talking to you’? This president doesn’t need an empty statement of disapproval — he needs an intervention. He’s not going to be shamed out of this war. It must be pried from his hands, like a can of Budweiser, by the Rev. Billy Graham.”

Moran bill protects four-legged friends

Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., posed alongside racks of coats trimmed with dog fur Wednesday to promote their bill requiring honest labeling of fur and barring the import of a dog species from China, the “raccoon dog,” that is often used for fur.

“Americans don’t want Lassie turned into a fur coat,” said Moran, who himself just got a Portuguese water dog puppy named Porty.

There to assist in the effort was Cleo, a German Shepherd mix rescued by the Humane Society.

“Cleo’s a little uptight about the subject matter,” remarked Moran when the dog started fidgeting.

Media mix

Terry McAuliffe’s new book, “What a Party!”, currently sits at No. 5 on the New York Times bestseller list. The former Democratic National Committee chairman is having a book party tonight at the Park Hyatt, which several Democratic luminaries, including Hillary Clinton, are expected to attend.

Q: What’s the first Web site you visit in the morning?

Espn.com, for at least a few minutes.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?

“Charlotte’s Web” with my two youngest children, Sally and Peter.

Q: What’s your favorite TV show?

“The Daily Show”

Q: What book are you reading?

“Fiasco,” by Thomas E. Ricks

Q: What are you listening to?

Quincy Jones’ “Jook Joint.” What an album! And me and Q are brothers.

Speakeasy

“I’m the Lorax. I’m saving that one tree.”

– Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., telling The New Yorker how he feels isolated in the Senate

Kristin Laubach contributed to this page