Editor´s Letter
Opening the Gates of Po wer
The A-List, Gatekeepers, Power, Charity, Afghanistan … Oscar
winners. Not only running themes this issue, but also topics
about which our cover subjects, Laura Bush, Condoleezza Rice
and Michael Douglas are well-versed. When our friend Rima Al-
Sabah told us about the benefit dinner she was hosting with the Kuwait-
America Foundation for UNICEF, we jumped at
the chance to cover it. But that wasn't easy. Our
photographer took only one shot of the three
award winners before Mrs. Bush asked Michael
Douglas if he would like to stand between her
and the Secretary of State. Michael gracefully
obliged (who says no to the First Lady?). I instantly
thought, "Does protocol allow us to run that as
our cover photo?" Luckily, the one picture we did
take with Mrs. Bush in the middle saved us from
that choice…
Choices
….And choices are something we have a lot of in
Washington. Which school should our kids attend?
Federal in Georgetown or downtown PN Hoffman
loft? Café Milano or CityZen? The Washington
National Opera Golden Gala or the National
Gallery of Art (or both)? All choices… and choices
require the help of someone who is "connected."
This issue, we delve into the subject of Washington's facilitators and
"gatekeepers," both the obvious and not so obvious. (In advance, I'd like
to apologize for leaving the city's most useful gatekeepers off the list:
parking attendants. You were on until two days before we went to press. I
swear I was only in that spot for one hour!)
A List for April
Gatekeepers and meter maids aside, true power lies in the hands of
the A-List. In Washington, as in Los Angeles, we love our celebrities:
the President, First Lady, Placido Domingo, the Frists, Vernon and Ann
Jordan—the list goes on. To find out who's in this year's, see page 54. We
also explore social power in the "WL Zeitgeist Roundtable" with Kevin
Chaffee, Chuck Conconi and Roxanne Roberts. Speaking of "A-List,"
Michael Douglas wasn't the only Hollywood star in town recently—Alec
Baldwin was advocating on the Hill two days before Jessica Simpson.
Read more about Hollywood on the Hill on page 42. And on our new
back page feature, "This Town," mystery columnist Michael Strange takes
a funny shot at the parallels between L.A. and D.C.
Power Look
In "Accessory to Power" we show you how to fashionably make your
mark… it's all about the bag! Cars are power symbols, too. In this month's
"What's Hot" we show how to match yours with the right timepiece.
If you can spend $200,000 for a matching Bentley Continental GT
and Breitling Bentley watch set, turn to the "Financial
Roundtable" to hear what top wealth management
experts Edward J. Mathias, Steve Thormahlen, Lawrence
P. Fisher and Neil Folger have to say about investing
your $30 million…
Homeward Bound
In our Embassy Row feature, we meet Colombian
Ambassador Andrés Pastrana and his wife Nohra (a
warm thanks to both for opening up their home to
WL), and in "Over the Moon," columnist Vicki Moon
keeps us abreast of comings and goings in the Hunt
Country and Middleburg.
Events, Balls and Galas
This month WL was proud to serve as the exclusive
magazine sponsor for the Best Friends benefit and
the Washington National Opera's 50th Anniversary
Golden Gala, which was truly a glittering affair. And
mark your calendar for these future WL-sponsored
fetes: The Phillips Collection Gala on April 7th, the Corcoran Ball on
April 21st, and the Vital Voices benefit on April 27th (with co-chairs
Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Hillary Rodham Clinton and special
guests Sally Field, Julia Ormond, Christiane Amanpour, Elizabeth Cheney,
Diane von Furstenberg and Lisa Ling.) And you should plan now if you
want to attend the Mosaic Gala on May 9th with special guest Queen
Raina of Jordan; the Shakespeare Theater Will Awards on May 13th; the
Charity Works 2006 100 Point Vintage Wine Event on May 19th; and the
Washington Ballet's "Beatles Ball" on June 1st.
So enjoy… and if you happen to be a gatekeeper, remember, it's okay to
leave the door open sometimes…
Nancy Reynolds Bagley |
