A senator’s healing touch

He’s not a Bill Frist-like doctor, but Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., still has great bedside manner.

Last week, Dodd and his wife, Jackie, ran into the very pregnant Fox 5 (New York) anchor Karen Hepp in New York City’s Pennsylvania Station. Hepp used to cover Dodd when she reported from Hartford, Conn.

Hepp’s water had broken earlier that day, but she was determined to make it to her husband, Brian Sullivan, who was in Philadelphia. Dodd, ever the gentleman, pleaded with Amtrak to allow Hepp to sit in business class (where, naturally, he and Jackie would be). When Amtrak initially resisted, Dodd even offered to give Hepp his ticket (now that’s a way to woo the press), but Amtrak ultimately relented and Hepp sat with Dodd and his wife for the train ride to Philadelphia (and the sweet Dodd helped Hepp with her bags!).

For the duration of the train ride, both Chris and Jackie, who have two daughters of their own, comforted Hepp and helped her through her contractions (this was Hepp’s first pregnancy) until she was safe and sound in Philadelphia. The senator and Jackie continued on to Washington and, the next morning, Hepp welcomed her son, Quinn Joseph, into the world.

Dodd’s presidential campaign was proud of its guy. Spokeswoman Christy Setzer told Yeas & Nays, “We were kind of hoping for another Christopher John, but we’ll be happy so long as he votes Democratic.”

H.R. 643/S. 638: Hot or not?

Is it “Legally Blonde” come to life?

On Wednesday, congressional offices will be inundated with phone calls from the most attractive political action committee around: sororities.

In an effort to create what has to be the most complicated sounding coalition ever, the Fraternal Caucus is leading a National InterFraternity Council and National Panhellenic Conference “combined action” (togas: optional) to support H.R. 643/S. 638, the College Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2007.

Is this some sort of “Give us halogen lamps and concrete blocks or give us death!” legislative push? Not really. According to an e-mail sent out by the Alpha Phi International Fraternity (“Our keystone is friendship — warm, simple and sincere”), the bill is “designed to help enhance the ability of not-for-profit fraternal organizations throughout the U.S. to receive donations and grants for the improvement and maintenance of student housing through a major revision to the Internal Revenue Code regarding tax deductible donations.” Huh? Somehow, we don’t remember having such debates when we were in college ...

Still, Alpha Phi assures us that, “No other piece of pending legislation would do more to help sustain and improve the Greek experience, and congressional leaders need to hear how important this bill is to their constituents.”

Free kegs, apparently, only mustered second-place votes.

Who on Capitol Hill will support this? Perhaps not surprisingly, Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., must have been compelled by his last name to support this piece of lambda legislation.

Other supporters include Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.

GOP field leaves much to be desired

“Unsatisfactory.”

That’s how a senior House Republican characterized the 2008 GOP presidential field Tuesday in a background session with reporters.

The member said there’s no one right now who “brings a conservative background” to the table, along with a level of “charisma” that would let him effectively communicate with the country.

That former senator and current “Law & Order” actor Fred Thompson, who is considering jumping into the race, “has gotten as much attention in such a short period of time” is a function of how weak the field is, the lawmaker said.

As for former Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the lawmaker says he ultimately doesn’t have enough “staying power.”

Mandarin Oriental gets into private-club game

D.C.’s movers, shakers and magnates now have another place to hang with their uber-successful ilk, as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel launches its own private executive club.

Dubbed “Tai Pan” (loosely translated from Mandarin Chinese as “big boss”) the “exclusive lifestyle club” includes access to the hotel’s gym, discounts on spa services and rooms, a full-service concierge and access to two chauffeured Audi A8s.

Of course, every club needs a clubhouse, and Mandarin’s sits on the hotel’s eighth floor with a bar, lounge, dining area, wireless access and library.

The tab: $6,250 initiation for charter members and $425-per-month dues. (We never said it was cheap.)

So what do the heads of the establishment clubs — the Metropolitan, University and City clubs, to name a few — think of the new competition? We don’t know, as none of the famously private establishments returned our calls.