In last month’s edition of Celebrity-worship gone awry, I marveled at the fact that Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, would rely on “expert” testimony from a novelist when shaping federal environmental policies.
This month, it’s the Bush administration rewarding an actor with a prestigious diplomatic post.
On Friday, the White House announced that the president has nominated Ron Silver (yes, that Ron Silver) to be a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace through 2009. The man who plays “Bruno Gianelli,” a Dem-turned-Republican consultant on TV’s West Wing, is now getting to dabble in real-world policy.
Given the circumstances, there may be a little payback at hand.
The actor Ron Silver was leaving a cocktail party at the Four Seasons restaurant on Monday evening, headed for Madison Square Garden, when he ran into Henry A. Kissinger, whom he once played in a made-for-television movie. They greeted each other warmly, but as they shook hands, Mr. Kissinger raised a quizzical eyebrow and said, in his distinctive, German-tinted rasp, “What are you doing being a Republican?”
It was the question of the night for Mr. Silver, who has long been known as a liberal Democrat, but who spoke from the podium on Monday, the opening night of the Republican National Convention. […] On Monday there was no such social disdain, but there was some surprise.
Running into Al Franken, the comedian and liberal talk show host, at the Four Seasons party on Monday, Mr. Silver said, “I’m speaking tonight.”
Puzzled, Mr. Franken asked, “For Bush?”
Reinforcing the point, Mr. Silver replied, “I’m speaking.”
“For Bush?” Mr. Franken said.
“I’m speaking,” Mr. Silver said again.
“For Bush?” Mr. Franken said.
As Mr. Silver excused himself, Mr. Franken was asked his reaction.
“It’s crazy,” he said, and his facial expression made the case that he really thought so.