Indeed, Americans are seeing and hearing a lot from Mr. Luntz these pre-primary election days, including passing out performance grades to the various White House wannabes following the presidential debates.

It's not been uncommon for the Washington wordsmith to pass along communication advice to a sitting commander in chief, either. But now it appears Mr. Luntz, who last we knew was a registered Republican, has given up on President Bush.

"I don't want to be on your White House list anymore," Mr. Luntz wrote to Bush White House official Scott R. Arogeti on Friday, after he had received a text copy of the president's speech on fighting global terrorism to the Heritage Foundation. "This is my third attempt to get my name removed. And if the language below is any indication, there are a lot of people who feel like me. This is how you open a speech on global terror — with a pathetic joke?"

Mr. Luntz apparently thought Mr. Bush was a bit too jovial when he began his remarks: "Thanks for the kind introduction. I'm looking forward to working with you for the next 14 months — but you better put on your running shoes, because my spirits are high, my energy level is good and I'm sprinting to the finish line."

Still giving

Washington is home to some of the nation's top philanthropists, but it is Atlanta resident Frank Hanna, chief executive officer of Hanna Capital LLC, who just earned the 2007 William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership, recognizing America's most effective living philanthropists.

Not that Washingtonians will be left out of the prize.

We're told that Mr. Hanna will divide his $250,000 cash award between a Catholic school in Atlanta and the nonprofit Federalist Society, based in Washington and specializing in constitutional and legal issues.

Named for the late U.S. Treasury secretary, the Simon prize will be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a Washington-based national association of philanthropic families and foundations.