Last night I went to dinner with state Rep. Kaniela Saito Ing (D-Maui). Now state Senator Stanley Chang, once a Blue America congressional candidate, introduced us and told me he's one of the smartest and most progressive political leaders in Hawaii. At age 27, he's also the youngest chairperson in Hawaii's legislative history, heading up the Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs committee in the state legislature. His newborn son's middle name is Kekipi, which means "the rebel" in Hawaiian. We ate at chef Josef Centeno's new vegetarian restaurant, PYT. Here's the menu. It's nothing like Jean-Georges in New York, where Trump brought Romney Tuesday night. Their website announces that ties are not required. Here's the menu. I don't know what Romney or Reince ate-- the terminally nasty Mike Huckabee told Fox viewers yesterday that "On Mitt Romney’s plate there was a big, big slice of crow"-- but Trump ate Egg Caviar; Diver Scallops, Caramelized Cauliflower and Caper-Raisin Emulsion; Young Garlic Soup with Thyme and Sautéed Frog Legs; Turbot with Château Chalon Sauce; Lobster Tartine, Lemongrass and Fenugreek Broth, Pea Shoots; Broiled Squab, Onion Compote, Corn Pancake with Foie Gras; along with a Chocolate Dessert Tasting. I don't know if they went Dutch or not but Trump's portion costs $218. Romney looked awkward. God only knows what's going on in his head.I wonder if making Romney eat frogs legs at the decadent Jean-Georges was part of Trump's public humiliation of the man who did everything he could to defeat him for the better part of the last two years.
NEWT GINGRICH: There's a scene in Pretty Women where Richard Gere goes up to the salesman on Rodeo Drive and says: "We need a little sucking up here."You have never, ever, in your career seen a wealthy adult who is independent, has been a presidential candidate, suck up at the rate that Mitt Romney is sucking up.I am confident that he thinks now that he and Donald Trump are the best of friends, they have so many things in common. That they're both such wise, brilliant people. And I'm sure last night at an elegant three-star restaurant, he was happy to share his version of populism, which involve a little fois gras, a certain amount of superb cooking, but put that in a populist happy manner.LAURA INGRAHAM: I was trying to figure out what the frog legs on the menu meant.GINGRICH: The frog legs are very elegant. Callista and I both had fathers who ate frog legs. I did notice that Reince Priebus of Kenosha, Wisconsin decided not to have frog legs. I can't wait to talk to Reince and find out exactly how a guy of his background worked his way through the menu.Luckily for them, Mitt speaks French fluently. So he could help them with the menu. He could say: "Ahh, Mr. President-elect. This would be the perfect meal for you."Something like maybe escargot, maybe pheasant. God, I'd love to have been there as a fly on the wall...They know that every day that goes by the opposition to Romney grows...Every day they let this thing hang out there it becomes harder and more expensive to pick Romney.
Romney isn't the only candidate for Secretary of Trump State being put through his paces. Rudy Giuliani, Gen. David Petraeus (ret.), Marine Corps General John Kelly (ret.), Gen. Keith Kellogg (ret.) and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee are all still in the running, according to ringmaster Trumpanzee. Kelly had a TV dinner last night with the many-chinned Trump in his Trump Tower aerie. Do they have frog leg TV dinners now? My dad once brought me to the original Nathan's on Coney Island-- Trump will have been there; the housing development where Woody Guthrie lived and wrote the song about Trump, Sr. being a racist slob was nearby-- and I noticed they had frog's legs on the menu. When I told him that's what I wanted he advised me against it but I insisted-- and then puked when I took a bite and imagined I was eating a slimy frog. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher claims Trump is also interested in him being Secretary of State but no one but the slightly crazy-- and more than slightly delusional-- Rohrabacher thinks so. Unless Putin is telling Trump to go with Rohrabacher.Trump has turned the process into an undignified pageant. I only wish there was a televised swim suit competition as part of the spectacle. But none of that seems nearly as amusing as the ABC News report yesterday that His Trumpiness is seriously considering Sarah Palin as Secretary of Veteran's Affairs. He must really hate the vets. Palin-- ala Rudy Giuliani-- is opening lobbing for the gig. One of the guys who impregnated a Palin daughter and who served in the military is pumping for her. Trump probably wants to have her mud-wrestle Scott Brown for the job, although... Trumpy the Clown is also reported to be looking at Rick Perry and former Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL). Palin's pitch to the transition team:
"Stop blaming the victim and wake up, Mr. President. While Christians bow our heads to pray for you, radical Islamists want to cut off your head. The only thing standing between us and savages, it’s the red white and blue, it's the United States military! And if you love freedom, thank a vet! Thank them. Honor them."
Palin hasn't been invited to Trump Tower for frogs legs or a TV dinner but she loudly reminded everyone who would take her call that she was an early Trump supporter when no one knew who he was except people who watched his TV show. She says if she doesn't get the Veterans gig, she'll take Energy, reminding everyone that the "drill, baby, drill" slogan was hers.
“NOW is the time to shut off the Saudi oil cartel flow valve and develop our own God-given natural resources. The only excuse not to become energy independent is a political excuse,” she wrote.That same day, she wrote about her family’s connection to native Alaskans, a relationship covered by the interior secretary position. Palin’s husband Todd is part-native Alaskan.Steve Bannon, Trump’s campaign CEO and the president-elect's pick for chief strategist, is close with Palin. In 2011, he made a documentary about her titled The Undefeated.After ABC News reported on Palin being under consideration for the VA secretary position, she posted a message on Facebook, which she then tweeted, writing in part, "We should be grateful we'll soon have a commander-in-chief who will champion our vets and honor the promises our nation made."
