John McCaslin
John McCaslin, a former broadcast news anchor, award-winning correspondent for United Press International, and member of the White House press corps during the Reagan administration, pens the popular “Inside the Beltway” column for The Washington Times and Chicago Tribune Syndicate.
One of Washington's favorite storytellers, McCaslin's topics and readers are one and the same - including the president of the United States, members of Congress and literally thousands of bureaucrats. William F. Buckley's magazine, National Review, proclaimed McCaslin 'national ombudsman' for his knack of uncovering political shenanigans on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. In his book, Inside the Beltway: Offbeat Stories, Scoops and Shenanigans From Around the Nation's Capital
His daily dose of outrageous anecdotes have appeared under his byline in numerous magazines, including Reader’s Digest and are fodder for numerous network news and talk shows. He’s been a regular on National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition,” a frequent substitute host of The Rush Limbaugh Show on the EIB Network, The Mary Matalin Show on CBS Talk Radio Network and The Oliver North Show on Radio America, and he presently anchors a weekly “Inside the Beltway” segment on the ABC affiliate in Washington.
He was the 2000 conference chairman of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, which presented him with its 1999 best-column award. Other recent honors include the 1999 Carlton Sherwood congressional media award. He was served on the board of directors of SCAN, Stop Child Abuse Now, and sits on the board of the Old Dominion University Alumni Association. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his daughter, Kerry.
As the fate of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for terrorism suspects dangles in the wind awaiting President Obama's decision, the Pentagon has made it clear that the controversial U.S. Navy base, seaport and airstrip in Cuba - the only strategic U.S. military installation in the Caribbean - will continue to function in full operation, as will its McDonald's, Taco Bell and Starbucks.
A follow-up to Monday's item on Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and whether his so-called indiscipline and frequent gaffes have strained his relationship with President Obama.
"Not a shred of truth to it." Or so a senior White House official tells this columnist
Don't look now, but certain bureaucrats carrying Uncle Sam's credit card in their wallets are back to spending your hard-earned taxpayer dollars on everything from first-class travel to Hawaii to laser eye surgery.
"Date on which Barack Obama implemented new ethics guidelines restricting former lobbyists' roles in government: 1/21/09. Days later that he waived the guidelines for the deputy secretay of defense?
Unlike the bound encyclopedias of the past, it took only seconds Tuesday for the Internet's wealth of online encyclopedias to update their Nancy Drew pages to show the fictional girl detective's influence on a number of prominent American women, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and now President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.
Traveling overseas is always risky for a vice president, especially this one.
It is indeed unusual to bump into recently retired five-term Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner and have him hand you his business card.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can thank Washington lobbyist and political consultant Rick Davis, chief executive officer of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, for being the ultimate pick to become the Republican vice presidential candidate.
As downsizing continues in journalism, it's difficult to find a top-notch White House correspondent who can get the facts straight when filing a White House pool report, as in the one this week.
The public feud between Hollywood actor Josh Lucas and renowned pollster Frank Luntz has no sign of dissipating before Friday's Washington premiere of the Barry Levinson documentary "PoliWood."
Longtime CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield (he has served in one or another public affairs capacity for nine CIA directors) is moving to a new assignment at the spy agency.
Not surprisingly, after two decades on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice David H. Souter has announced his pending retirement at age 69. He longs for the calm and serenity of his longtime New Hampshire home.
We had to laugh at Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado Democrat, when he reminded his colleagues on the Senate floor...
At 4:07 p.m. Tuesday, the front page of the Democratic National Committee website flashed the headline: "Welcoming Sen. Specter to the Democratic Party."
"So did you hear about Arlen Specter?" Inside the Beltway asked Sen. Diane Feinstein, California Democrat, as she was enroute to the Senate floor on Tuesday.
Why all the fuss over President Obama's first 100 days in office, a milestone to be marked Wednesday?
Stephen Drucker, the creator of the New York Times Sunday "Styles" section who after steering Martha Stewart Living is now editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, says the "whole subject of 'green' wants to make the top of my head come off."
In defending President Obama's easing of U.S. policy towards Cuba, Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, remarked this week.
