Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s latest novel is the talk of the town, whether you’re in it or not.

By Kevin Chaffee

Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock at home

What do Jim Kimsey, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn, Carolyn Peachey, Liz Stevens, Amanda Downes, Jim Johnson, Deborah Gore Dean, Rima Al-Sabah, Ann Jordan, Carol Joynt, Leo and Grega Daly, and Rep. Jane Harmon have in common? – apart from living in Washington, that is.

Yes, all were spotted at the party celebrating Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s recent novel, “Mortal Friends,” at Café Milano on Thursday night, but there is a far deeper connection. It turns out that each is a character in her book – but under a totally different name, of course.

Anyone who really knows the Washington scene won’t have too much trouble deciphering that “Nouria Salaha,” described as the ultra-fashionable spouse of a Middle Eastern ambassador, is based on top diplomatic hostess Rima Al-Sabah, wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah. Or that “Bob Poll,” an “ageless rake with military bearing” sure seems a lot like AOL co-founder Jim Kimsey, who, if he minded any of the comparisons, was shrugging them off that night (as he did during Joynt’s sold-out “Q&A” lunch with Hitchcock at Nathan’s earlier that day).

“Mortal Friends” is sure to be this summer’s essential plane or beach read. It’s a delicious thriller filled with social climbing, back-stabbing, deceit, betrayal, and the hunt for a serial killer who carries out his terrible deeds in such familiar haunts as Georgetown’s Montrose Park. No wonder Politics and Prose sold out every copy – the first time that has ever happened at a book party, according to a member of the sales staff.

Guests sipped wine and Champagne while waiting patiently in line for author inscriptions. It wasn’t long before the crowd spilled out into the reception area, and from there to patio where Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president, had quietly entered to dine with a friend (even she ended up getting a book.)

Jane Stanton Hitchcock's latest novel "Mortal Friends" explore dangerous liaisons in Washington social life.

Here’s who else was there:

From the diplomatic corps: German Ambassador Klaus Sharioth, Yemeni Ambassador Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri, Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and Yoriko Fujisaki, and Lady (Julia) Sheinwald, wife of British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald.

From the media: Jim Hoagland (Hitchcock’s spouse), Bob Schieffer, Arnaud de Borchgrave, Tammy Haddad, Andrea Mitchell, Margaret Carlson, Edie Emery, Jim Lehrer, David Corn, Ann Geracimos, Roxanne Roberts, Fred Hiatt, Patrick Gavin, Steve Smith and Sally Bedell Smith.

From the social scene: Andy Athy, Michael and Afsaneh Beschloss, Dr. Susan Blumenthal, Conrad and Ludmila Cafritz, Buffy Cafritz, Marcia Carter, John Cecchi, Walter and Didi Cutler, Count Renaud de Viel Castel, Susan Eisenhower, Nini Ferguson, Bitsey Folger, Jim and Ann Free, Ina Ginsburg, Lloyd and Ann Hand, June Hechinger, Chris and Jennifer Isham, Winston Bao Lord, Capricia Marshall, Mac and Donna McLarty, Bill and Dorothy McSweeny, John and Diana Negroponte, Mike Peabody, Gerald and Eden Rafshoon, Lucky Roosevelt, Jackie Rush, Aniko Gaal Schott, Prince Ermias Selassie, Jamal Simmons, and Judith Terra.

In a city where influence is everything, these one hundred individuals rise to the top. Some are wealthy, but many are not. They represent a wide variety of professional fields, from faith to finance; but they all share two common traits: They work outside the federal government and hold sway inside the Beltway.

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Top Row: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Bob Woodward, Teresa Heinz Kerry, John Kerry, Don Graham, Adrian and Michelle Fenty, Vice President Joseph Biden and Jill Biden. Second row: Rep. Barney Frank, Desirée Rogers, Victoria and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Valerie Jarrett, Timothy Geithner, Eric Holder and Sharon Malone, Peter Orzsag, Jane Stanton Hitchcock. Third row: Sen. Mark Warner, Alexandra Wentworth and George Stephanopolous, Justice Antonin Scalia, Elizabeth and George Stevens, Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Queen Noor, Robert Duvall, Roger Sant. Fourth row: Katharine Weymouth, Justice Stephen Breyer, Sheila Johnson, Plácido Domingo, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Amb. Pierre Vimont, Ted and Annette Lerner, Sen. Harry Reid.

Big changes are always in store when a new president takes office. The “out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new” transition of power is even more historic when a change of party occurs (check) and especially when a two-term presidency ends (double check). Barack and Michelle Obama are also younger than their predecessors (they were born at the end of the Baby Boom era; the Bushes at its very beginning), and, most relevant of all, are the first African-Americans to occupy the White House.

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Brian Williams, Allison Williams, Jane Williams

Location : The Fairfax at Embassy Row

WL EXCLUSIVE EVENT – Photos by James R. Brantley

There was more schmoozing than ever at the capital’s longest-running private Inaugural fête, with hosts Buffy and Bill Cafritz and Vernon and Ann Jordan (assisted by Kelly and Robert Day and Phyllis George) upping the glitz ante with Obama insiders Tim Geithner, Valerie Jarrett, Larry Summers and Desirée Rogers, among others of note. Even the senators and governors were duly impressed – especially when the entourages of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton deftly coalesced near the receiving line.

MAGIC MOMENT: The former prez pontificating about “the new Democratic paradigm” (or some such) past midnight with Chris Buckley, Vernon Jordan and Bob Woodward.

MAXINE ISAACS
The press secretary for the Mondale campaign (where she met husband Jim Johnson, who served as campaign chairman) Isaacs is still very much involved in politics and political giving. The Harvard Kennedy School lecturer wrote her dissertation on the relationship between elite and mass opinion on American foreign policy.


JIM JOHNSON
The prominent Washingtonian and former chairman of Fannie Mae, was an Obama bundler, and was involved in the VP selection process. He stepped down after questions were raised about favoritism he may have received from Countrywide Financial Corporation, though the Obama campaign staunchly defended him.


KEVIN DOWNEY
The Williams & Connolly partner with a focus on criminal and civil litigations was, like Obama, an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Previously a professor at George Washington and Georgetown law schools, Downey clerked for Judge Edward Becker, and the United States Court of Appeals before going into private practice.


SCOTT HARRIS
Managing partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis, Harris withdrew as a lobbyist for Microsoft and Cisco in June, but his partners still lobby. The former chief counsel for export administration at the Department of Commerce, he represents clients before the FCC, the courts, the Executive Branch, and foreign regulatory agencies.


GEORGE STEVENS
Co-Chairman of the Obama arts policy committee, the award-winning writer, director, producer and founder of the American Film Institute, has received 11 Emmys, two Peabody Awards and eight Writers Guild of America Awards for his television productions, including the Kennedy Center Honors.


ROBERT & SARAH NIXON
Bob Nixon and his wife Sarah moved to Washington from Los Angeles in 1992 to found Earth Conservation Corps, a non-profit devoted to engaging the city’s youth in efforts to cleanup the Anacostia River. Nixon has won five Emmy Awards, and was a strong supporter of Barack Obama’s throughout the campaign.


ANN JORDAN
Co-chairman of the 1996 Clinton inauguration and the first African-American to ever chair an inauguration, Ann and her husband Vernon are a formidable duo in Washington politics. Formerly a professor and social worker, Jordan is a civic leader, who champions women and minorities across the nation.


WILLIAM EACHO
Eacho made a fortune in the food distribution business in the 1990’s, and along with his wife, Donna, has been an active fundraiser in Democratic circles, bundling more than half a million dollars for Obama. Eacho is currently the CEO of Carlton Capital Group, a private wealtht management fund in the Washington area.


SUSAN EISENHOWER
Ike’s grand-daughter is an international security expert and frequent political commentator,  but the lifelong Republican recently switched her party affiliation to Independent, and passionately endorsed Obama in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.


SPENCER OVERTON
This law school prof is one of the nation’s leading experts on election law, and a frequent commentator on issues of voting rights, voter suppression, and campaign law. Overton was two classes behind Obama at Harvard Law, and has worked for the DNC, NAACP, and a few prestigious “white shoe” law firms during his career.


HOWARD GUTMAN
An original member of Obama’s national finance committee, this Williams & Connolly partner has advised Democratic candidates for president, Congress, and governor. He also went K Street on the HBO series of the same name, playing (what else?) a well-connected  Washington attorney.


WILLIAM KENNARD
This managing director at the Carlyle Group and former FCC chairman was a tech advisor to Obama’s campaign, working alongside such fellow techies as Julius Genachowski and Google’s Eric Schmidt. Obama has promised to appoint the first ever chief technology officer, part of a broader initiative to create a more efficient, transparent government.


STEWART BAINUM JR.
A former Maryland state senator and chairman of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (Comfort Inn and EconoLodge), Bainum’s father was a former plumber who opened a nursing home business and took it public in 1969. Partly, as a result, Bainum Jr. has twice made the Forbes “400” list.


TIM BROAS
This Winston & Strawn securities litigation attorney co-hosted one of the first D.C. fundraisers for Obama with fellow inner-circle allies Greg Craig and Kevin Downey. A veteran of both the Kerry and Bradley campaigns, Broas, an avid marathon runner, said recently that his claim to fame is, “that I’ve been to 74 Bruce Springsteen concerts.”


SHEILA JOHNSON
Black Entertainment Television co-founder and billionaire Sheila Johnson was one of Obama’s earliest backers, and continued hosting fundraisers for him throughout the campaign. Already a global ambassador for the non-profit CARE, there is speculation that she may be offered one of a handful of prestigious diplomatic posts in the Obama administration.


JULIUS GENACHOWSKI
A friend of Obama’s since their days at Harvard Law, this tech guru who will serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has Washington pundits speculating about the larger role technology will play in the new administration. Genachowski has  also served on the boards of Expedia, Hotels.com, and Ticketmaster.


Next up: Champions of the Campaign

Kai Milla, Vernon Jordan, Valerie Jarrett, Ann Jordan, Richard Parsons, and Janice Cook Roberts

Location: Vernon and Ann Jordan Residence

WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos By Tony Powell

HONORING LEADERSHIP: Democratic Party heavyweights and other assorted pals gathered at the home of Vernon and Ann Jordan to celebrate the groundbreaking career of Time Warner Inc. Chairman Richard D. Parsons after he was interviewed at George Washington University by Soledad O’Brien for the next segment of PBS’s series, The History Makers, a national oral history project devoted to African-American leaders.

POWER PACKED: The presence of top Obama advisors guaranteed major buzz as talk focused on speculation about the new administration’s likely economic and foreign policy initiatives as well as various high-level appointments expected in the coming weeks.

Click here for a full photo gallery from the event.

Buffy and Bill Cafritz

Location: Fairfax Embassy Row Hotel

WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by James R. Brantley

WELCOME HOME: “We missed it when it was gone, but now its back,” said Vernon Jordan, waxing rhapsodic about a long-missed haunt as he, his wife, Ann, and co-hosts Bill and Buffy Cafritz welcomed guests to dinner at the Jockey Club. Re-opened after 10 years with a chef poached from New York’s 21, “The Jockey” is back with soft lighting, the old red-and-white-checked tablecloths, and all the social set’s fattening favorites: crab cakes, puff potatoes, Dover sole, rack of lamb, and dessert soufflés.

THE GANG’S ALL THERE: Polly Kraft, Ben Bradlee, George and Liz Stevens, Molly Raiser, James Billington, Debbie Dingell, and Gahl Burt.

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The 13th annual record of notably social personalities from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.

By Kevin Chaffee

John Pyles and Barbara Harrison

This roster is neither the first, nor will it (inevitably) be the last to single out certain individuals, who, by virtue of birth, rank, wealth or accomplishment, take part in the social life of the nation’s capital. Estimable precursors – drumroll here – include The Green Book,” so-called for its faux green suede cover, which has appeared continuously since 1930; and the Blue Book of Washington, D.C., which ceased publication around 1990 after a century in print. The Social Register, sometimes called the “Black Book,” also contains the names of numerous prominent local figures, many hailing from so-called “blue blood” families, although it merged its thin Washington volume into a much larger 12-city national version back in the 1980s.

A major difference separating Washington Life’s list from the others – apart from having no discernible color – is that we do not publish a “phone book” containing addresses and contact information, much less schools attended, club memberships and yacht listings. Ours is merely an alphabetical nomenclature of people who make a difference by adding immeasurably to their city, and by extension, their country and the world. Another point of contrast is size. Compared to the many thousands of entries contained in other directories past and present, WL’s Social List, currently about 700 names and counting, is relatively small. We do not see the need to include every member of the Congress, Cabinet or Court (i.e., Supreme), much less all those with top jobs listed in the “Plum Book” of political appointments.

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Yoriko Fujisak, Alexandra de Borchgrave, and Japanese Amb. Ichiro Fujisaki

Location: Japanese Embassy Residence

WL EXCLUSIVE - Photos by James R. Brantley

HIGH HONOR: Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and his wife Yorkio hosted a reception honoring Alexandra de Borchgrave’s Heavenly Orders, a collection of inspirational poems influenced by Buddhist teachings and paired with Japanese art. ART & SOUL: The evening included heartfelt personal tributes, a stirring recitation by the author, an exquisite musical interlude by Yoko Nishi on her 13-string koto, (Japan’s national instrument), plus saki, sushi and other traditional Japanese fare enjoyed by Arnaud de Borchgrave, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Buffy Cafritz, Ann Jordan, Britty Cudlip, John Damgard, Bob Kimmitt, Bill and Ann Nitze, Julian Raby, and Bill and Lynda Webster.

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WL’s list of head-turners.

Top from left to right: Steven and Jean Case, Vernon and Ann Jordan, James Kimsey, Jacqueline Mars. Bottom from left to right: Paul and Nancy Pelosi, Roger and Victoria Sant, and Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn.

It’s hard to elicit a physical response from a Washington crowd; that is, to “turn” a head. Although we’ve produced this list for several years, 2008’s A-list has seemingly evolved into a roster of national names rather than one merely dedicated to the stars in our local firmament; after all, 2008’s elections have brought some bonafide rock stars to town. All eyes have been on Ben Bernanke to solve our financial woes, and we’ve all been waiting with baited breath to find out whether Christopher Hitchens will finally quit smoking (maybe it would help if he had God on his side). We said goodbye to longtime favorites Joe Gibbs, as well as beloved British Ambassador Sir Manning and his wife, Lady Catherine. While farewells are always sad, they make way for new faces such as financial heavyweight David Rubenstein and Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. Over the years, we’ve found that A-list status is less about the job and rank than one might think; it’s about having a personality that electrifies the room. We’re happy they’re here.

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