Perino’s husband jailed for dog leash violation

White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino is married to a true scofflaw. Well, only in the eyes of the U.S. Park Police, who saw fit to throw him in jail for having his dog off a leash.

Back in November, Perino’s husband, British businessman Peter McMahon, was walking their dog Henry — leashless — in Lincoln Park just east of the Capitol.

According to the original complaint, obtained by Yeas & Nays, Officer Stephen Smith of the Park Police asked him to “gain control of” Henry, an 8-year-old Vizsla breed, and “put him on a leash.”

McMahon replied that he didn’t have a leash, so Smith issued him a violation notice, complete with a $25 fine. “Why don’t you go chase down some squirrels,” McMahon then suggested to the officer.

According to representatives of the Park Police and D.C. Superior Court, he had 15 days to pay such a fine or request a court date, or else a warrant could be issued for his arrest.

Other sources familiar with the case say McMahon tried for months to pay the fine. Trouble was, the ticket did not note an address where it should be sent. Nevertheless, McMahon found an address for the Park Police and mailed his payment there.

It was too late. Early last month, McMahon returned from business overseas to discover that Smith had requested a warrant for his arrest, which a judge issued.

So on April 12, off McMahon went to the Park Police headquarters to pay the fine in person, when he was thrown in jail for the whole day.

Welcome to our nation’s capital, Mr. McMahon!

Perino and her husband declined to comment for the record.

Politicians flunk spending scorecard

What’s the giant sucking sound you hear coming out of Washington? Your tax dollars, of course!

In a new study put out by the National Taxpayers Union, we learn that Congress voted to spend an average of more than $150 million of taxpayer funds for every hour they were in session during 2005 and 2006. And you may not want to buy the “tax-and-spend Democrats” line, either: The report says that “[partisan] differences over spending activity tended to be relatively small. About $22 billion separated the voting agendas of a typical House Democrat and Republican.”

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., had the highest net voting agenda, the NTU says, endorsing $454.3 billion in additional spending.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, had the lowest vote total, with $241.6 billion in new spending.

That’s all rather surprising when you consider that the following terms, according to the Congressional Record, were used by congressmen and senators a whopping 2,102 times during the 109th Congress: “fiscal discipline,” “fiscal responsibility,” “fiscal irresponsibility,” “fiscally irresponsible” and “fiscally responsible.”

Cheadle: thoughtful guy

Actor/author Don Cheadle, who appeared at Borders L Street on Wednesday with co-author John Prendergast, stood up minutes into his talk to apologize and rearrange chairs set up by the store management. His back was facing part of the crowd, you see.

Also curious was the black box he and Prendergast stepped up on to get to the stage. Written on the box was the phrase: “Not to be taken into government offices.” Interesting, in light of the amount of testifying Cheadle has been doing on the Hill.

Afterward, Cheadle enjoyed yuzo-glazed rockfish and a bottle of St. Henri Penfolds Shiraz at Mie N Yu in Georgetown.

And on Thursday night, Cheadle and Prendergast hosted a reception at the Mayflower to launch the book, which is titled “Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond.”

Half-dozen new faces grace Occidental’s walls

On Wednesday night, the Occidental Restaurant unveiled six new portraits to join the roughly 1,700 faces on its walls. The celebration was part of the restaurant’s 100th anniversary festivities.

They are: Sen. John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Anthony Williams, Sen. Barack Obama, Kathleen Matthews and Sen. Joe Lieberman (the only one in color) Lieberman said: “I went through a pretty tough re-election campaign last year. And now I know why: So I could have my picture on the wall.”

He can thank the expert panel that chose his and the other photos — Chuck Conconi, Judy Woodruff, Jim Kimsey, Stan Kasten and Mark Touhey. After dinner, Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, went across the plaza for dinner with his neighbor Dick Carr, whose family owns both restaurants and the adjoining Willard InterContinental Hotel.

Speakeasy

“If you really want to keep a secret in Washington, give a speech. No one pays attention.” – Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, speaking Thursday at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies about “Addressing Transnational Threats in the 21st Century”

Media mix

One of the deans of Washington lobbying, Venable LLP’s Thomas H. Quinn, has pulled strings in D.C. since the Johnson administration. He recently let us know what’s on his Media Mix.

Q: What are you listening to?

Broadway music when it’s on Sirius radio and David Allan Coe

Q: What was the last movie you saw?

“Blood Diamond”

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

Congressional Quarterly (www.cq.com)

Q: What books are you reading?

“This Moment on Earth” by Sen. John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, “Bridging the Divide” by Edward Brooke and “Boomsday” by Christopher Buckley

Q: What’s your favorite TV show?

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”