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OU Dobbs‘ abrupt exit from CNN? A surprise. Lou Dobbs’ longtime disaffection with CNN? No surprise. They were waltzing together as closely as Kate and Jon.
Lou Dobbs’ brain and intellect — and ego — are as large as his mouth. Smart, knowledgeable, opinionated, he goes the way he wants to go.
Defender of gun ownership, he swings right on gun control. Supporter of gay rights and women’s right to choose, he’s left on social issues.
Ahead of the curve, the man predicted the fiscal crisis. Raised the hammer on corporate profiteering at the expense of the middle class. Pointed out flaws in the bank-bailout bill. Waged war on border security, exposing how the feds have lost track of visas, and five years later the subject of immigration became mainstream dialogue.
His interminable fight on behalf of border agents Ramos and Campion? Remember how the US government subsequently commuted their sentences?
He analyzed. He predicted. He never saw an argument that wasn’t a fight. Lou Dobbs is brilliant. Fearless. Determined to go how he wants to go. He takes sides.
CNN doesn’t take sides. CNN’s mantra is neutrality. CNN was formed to bring the story, not the slant, to planet Earth. An information highway, the route of this giant worldwide cable network is reporting situations, not establishing positions. They’re into anchors, not advocates.
They know about big-time know-it-alls — right-winger Bill O’Reilly, left-winger Keith Olbermann, right-winger Sean Hannity, left-winger Rachel Maddow, Fox on the right, MSNBC on the left, and they’ve surely heard of our de facto president Rush Limbaugh.
Not for them. Result? Longtime tensions. Hassles. Lou didn’t fit their mold. Whispers around were words like “disdain . . . animosity . . . ”
Even times he led the network, he didn’t get A-1 promotion. CNN chief Jon Klein and Lou Dobbs, totally professional old-school gentlemen — and I know them both — never ever never criticized each other.
Publicly, they praise one another. But we whose job it is to have ears to the ground and eyes everywhere else, knew something had to give.
Loving advocacy journalism, Peck’s Bad Boy, who’d rather say “Eff you” than “OK, I will,” would not toe the line. “Bland” is a word Lou Dobbs can barely pronounce.
With time to go on his contract, possibly this moment of farewell — which caught even staffers off-guard — suited him. Look for an announcement from him.
‘TIS Friday the 13th. All kinds of superstitions. Sammy Sosa‘s pre game ritual has been to splash coffee on his shoe tips and toss it on the ground in three directions . . . Shaquille O’Neal wears new sneakers, size 22EEE, each game.
R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe likes orange clothes for traveling. Maybe fans don’t pester stars wearing bright orange . . . Bono has a pair of lucky bedroom slippers . . . Cameron Diaz thinks a friend’s necklace wards off aging.
Michael Jordan wears North Carolina gym shorts under his trunks . . . Bill Pullman wears his dad’s shoes for auditions . . . Steve Spielberg carried a gold ET charm in his car’s glove compartment.
HRH Prince Edward, who’s in his 40s, decorates his room with teddy bears. Look, what can I tell you . . . Jim Carrey‘s phobia is pets. Including goldfish.
With Kim Basinger, it was agoraphobia. With Cher, it’s a fear of dentists. With Frankie Muniz, it’s some panic about sushi.
Kirsten Dunst‘s mother wrapped her in a brown quilt at birth. She schleps this security blanket wherever she goes . . . But Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean lost the precious “blanky” he’s had since age 5. A South Carolina hotel maid tossed out what she thought was an old rag.
Scarlett Johansson, known to clutch a “Hello Kitty” pillow, says: “I find it comforting.” Nice, especially since she’s now married . . . Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain tours with a pet purple frog in her shoe bag. Look, if I couldn’t tell you about Prince Edward’s teddy bears, how do you expect me to know about a purple frog?
Purple must be something, because Donny Osmond calls his purple socks “magic talismans” . . . Freddie Prinze believes an old shirt he had on when he met Sarah Michelle Gellar (now) Prinze brings him good luck . . . Tiger Woods favors red when he tees off on Sundays. His mom thinks it’s his “power” color . . . Elizabeth Hurley‘s bugaboo is wet wood, and I have no idea what that means.
SO this exec repeatedly requests his Manhattan town car service’s same longtime driver. Yesterday, Alberto hauled him to Long Island.
Charming, punctual, efficient Alberto is Brazilian. With a family. In 30 years here, Alberto has, for some reason, acquired not more than 17 words of English.
On the LIE, his steady passenger commented: “Less traffic suddenly. I wonder if it’s the economy.” Following a moment of silence accompanied by deep pondering, Alberto’s response was: “Si. 6 p.m.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.