DeLay: The view from outside

Tom DeLay has a new book out, “No Retreat, No Surrender.” But can the former House majority leader dethrone Sen. Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” which has remained atop the New York Times Best Seller List for five months?

“I hope so!” DeLay told Yeas & Nays in an interview Monday. “This is a book that hopefully challenges people to look at what they believe, develop a conservative agenda and drive that agenda.”

You can read the book yourself to see DeLay share “his life story — from a surprisingly turbulent childhood, to his rise to the pinnacle of power in American politics, to his abrupt resignation from public office” (to quote the release).

But we decided to see what else has been on DeLay’s mind recently ...

» On the NCAA College Basketball Tournament: “I’m pulling for Texas A&M. I think they’ll make the Final Four.”

» On going to the movies: “I saw ‘Amazing Grace’ recently. Amazing movie.”

» On books: “I’m reading ‘Shadow Party’ by David Horowitz. And recently read ‘I Saw The Lord’ by Anne Graham Lotz.”

» On the decision to ban smoking in the Speaker’s Lobby: “I think it’s political posturing; it’s pretty ridiculous. It’s just what the Democrats always do. ... Politics is everything to them, and it’s just political posturing. If they were serious about why they were doing it, why didn’t they ban smoking in individual offices? It’s because they’d have a lot of angry members!”

» On a potential presidential run by former Sen. Fred Thompson: “He’s as good a candidate as any that have gotten in so far. I would welcome his candidacy.”

» On the new Democratic leadership: “The leadership is pretty pathetic.”

» On what he doesn’t miss about political life: “I don’t miss the grind that you have to go through, 18- to 20-hour days, seven days a week. I have a lot of time on my hands now.”

» On the debate whether to build a women’s bathroom closer to the House floor: “If they can do it, more power to them. It’s much more convenient.”

Bob Edwards: Watch Gore’s waist

XM Satellite Radio’s Bob Edwards has a theory on former Vice President Al Gore’s chances of entering the presidential race: It’s inversely proportional to his waistline.

At a speech last week before the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, the former NPR host said, “Gore was a bit heavy when I talked to him, and it’s long been said of Gore that you know he’s running if he loses weight. People who’ve seen him since my interview tell me he’s lost some weight.”

Edwards said if he had gotten a majority of votes but didn’t get to take office, “I would so be running again.”

Local businessman making musical mark in Miami

Two Washingtonians are trying to establish a new style of urban music this week at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, the dance music industry’s top annual confab.

Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, the Ecuador native behind such D.C.-area restaurants as Mate, Chi-Cha Lounge and Gazuza, and Jordan-born fusion music producer Louie “King L” Kouncar are the brains behind Belly Hop, a blend of belly dance music elements and radio-friendly hip-hop.

“It is a fusion of the traditional Middle Eastern music rhythm, mixed with mainstream music,” Fraga-Rosenfeld said. “It has been done, but we are branding it to make it mainstream.”

Fraga-Rosenfeld says Kouncar originally introduced the style to Washington about 16 years ago, when the two were working together as promoter and DJ, respectively.

The two are working to broaden the business into apparel and, in Fraga-Rosenfeld’s words, “a cultural movement.”

“I have been introduced to the Middle Eastern culture through my wife, Nesrin, who is from Jordan,” he said. “The Middle East has much to offer in a positive light, fashion, music and culture. The goal of Belly Hop is to use this and educate and entertain people nationwide.”

With them in Miami is N E Means, another D.C. local and the label’s premiere artist.

“Much like a movie,” Belly Hop’s Web site says, “his talent was discovered in a simple way; a rap battle in the lunch room at John F. Kennedy High School” in Silver Spring.

Fraga-Rosenfeld says they’re working on expanding their artist base.

Limbaugh to — what else? — roast liberals

No one loves to make fun of liberals more than Rush Limbaugh, and Yeas & Nays has learned that Limbaugh will be in town March 29 to receive the William F. Buckley Jr. Award for Media Excellence, the first award of its kind given out by the Media Research Center. The award will be presented at MRC’s 20th anniversary gala at the Grand Hyatt Washington, an event “to roast the most liberally biased reporting of 2006.” Sean Hannity, former Ambassador John Bolton, Pat Sajak and Joe Scarborough also will make appearances. Since they’re not exactly the Oscars, MRC is pulling no punches in naming some of its other awards.

For instance, who will take home the “Dan Rather Memorial Award for the Stupidest Analysis” award? Or the “I Hate America Award” trophy? Who’s got a shot at winning the award titled “I’m Not A Political Genius But I Play One On TV”?

Think tank

“It’s been a tough couple of months for the president. What does he whisper to himself before he goes to sleep each night?”

“I really want the E.L. Fudges, but that’s another 45 minutes on the bike tomorrow, which could cut into NCAA brackets time — better stick with SnackWells.”

– Matt Labash, The Weekly Standard

“I hope Cheney lets me go on an extra-long bicycle ride tomorrow.”

– Thomas Jolly, Jolly/Rissler Government and Public Relations

“Why didn’t I listen to my mother and let Jeb run instead?”

– Bill Press, “The Bill Press Show”