Who's Who.

The "Delay Delay" didn't happen this year. The delay was christened by former Clinton speechwriter Michael Waldman who pointed out that during the 1999 State of the Union speech Speaker Dennis Hastert seemed to delay applauding until he saw Tom Delay begin to clap. This year, Hastert seemed to be on his own.

Buried in James Bennet's article on Al Gore in the New York Times Magazine was this tidbit about Gore's opponent for the Democratic nomination. It seems that Bill Bradley once studied Elvis Presley movies "in hopes of honing his communication skills ... to change himself to appeal to people."

Bob Livingston, who briefly served as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the House until scandal caught up with him, became a lobbyist on March 1, when the one-year ban on lobbying by former members expired. Joining him as a lobbyist although with a different law firm, is former Sen. Dale Bumpers. Bumpers admirers are said to be dismayed that their hero has joined the ranks of those who cash in.

Who's behind the curtain of the John McCain campaign? His political director, John Weaver, was once executive director of the Texas Republican Party. Mark Salter, his speechwriter, worked for Jeanne Kirkpatrick when she was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Senior strategist Mike Murphy has made commercials for clients ranging from Christie Whitman to Ollie North. Greg Stevens, his media consultant, worked on Bob Dole's presidential campaign with Bill McInturf, now McCain's pollster. Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, is a Washington lobbyist known for his fundraising skill. Vin Weber, a lobbyist and former Congressman, may be the most influential member of the candidate's kitchen cabinet.

The winner of this year's Dwayne Andreas Award is Carl Lindner. The award, created by The Washington Monthly in recognition of Andreas' long preeminence as a political bisexual, is annually given to the leading contributor who assures his access to both sides by giving to the Republicans and the Democrats. Lindner, the chairman of Chiquita Brands, has given $250,000 to Democrats and $375,000 to Republicans thus far in the 1999-2000 campaign cycle.

What will happen to Bill Clinton's cabinet members after January 20 of next year? Our informants tell us that HHS Secretary Donna Shalala could be the next president of Stanford University and that U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is angling to be Al Gore's Secretary of State.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, headed by Sen. Mitch McConnelL offers lobbyists the opportunity to join its "Policy Board" for $15,000 a year. You get to attend monthly luncheons and quarterly dinners and are, according to the Wall Street Journals Phil Kuntz, encouraged to "expand your voice ... in developing sound legislative policies."

As for the other side, in January, according to Paul Bedard of U.S. News and World Report, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee promised a Speaker's Club Ski Trip, where for $3,000 cash--doesn't it seem like the Democrats always get less?--lobbyists got a chance "to hit the slopes with the likes of the House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, and DCCC boss Patrick Kennedy."

Al Gore's tendency to gild the lily of his own accomplishment--e.g., "I took the initiative in creating the Internet"--is not new. As long ago as 1987 and 1988 aides were warning him about it, according to a January story in the Boston Globe by Ann Scales and Walter V. Robinson. "Your main pitfall is exaggeration," warned a memo from Arlie Schardt, the 1988 Gore campaign press secretary.

The details of what the White House is calling "a mysterious midnight rendezvous at HoJos" have been revealed in an affidavit by Kenneth Starr aide, Stephen Bates. He says that Starr deputies Jackie Bennett and Bruce Udoff knew that Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff had been pressing Linda Tripp's attorney James Moody for a copy of one of the Lewinsky tapes Tripp had given Starr. So at a midnight meeting at a Howard Johnson's on January 16, 1998, they gave a copy to Moody. "Within one hour," according to an account of the affidavit by The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, "Moody handed the tape to Michael Isikoff." But how could this be? Didn't Starr assure us that his office never leaked?

Poor Gary Bauer. His one chance to win a timely prize in the presidential nominating sweepstakes was snatched away by the George W. Bush gang. Bauer felt he had a good chance of winning the Louisiana caucuses that were scheduled for January 15. But Governor Mike Foster, a Bush buddy, got the caucuses delayed.

A new Website called grassroots.com has just been launched with the goal of developing a place where users can communicate with their representatives and influence the way government works. You can't say they aren't trying To cover all the political bases. Possible George W. Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on the Board of Directors as is one of Bill Bradley's closest friends, Stanford professor Dan Okimoto. Members of the Board of Advisors include Daddy Bush's chief of staff John Sununu, former Clinton White House press secretary Mike McCurry, former Newt Gingrich press secretary Tony Blankley, Clinton White House chief of staff Tony Podesta, and Al Gore speech-Writer Bob Shrum.

But what if John McCain is elected?