Can Sen. Kerry's New Chief of Staff Be Muzzled?
There are staffers on Capitol Hill who cash in big time after a few years and go make gobs of money in the private sector. And then there are those who are so loyal - almost to a fault - to their bosses that they never leave.
And so it goes with David Wade, the longtime aide and sidekick to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who's known for his political prowess, biting wit and fanatical love of the Boston Red Sox. (He once ran - unsuccessfully - for president of Red Sox Nation, the team's official fan club).
Wade, 33, has just been promoted. After working for Kerry for twelve years, he has just been named chief of staff, succeeding David McKean, who will become staff director to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry now chairs in the new 111th Congress. (Speaking of loyalty, McKean had been Kerry's chief of staff since 1999.)
Kerry calls Wade "one of my most trusted advisors and one of my best friends." The senator says Wade is "simply one of the best. He could've served anywhere in public service but he chose my office and the United States Senate. I like his loyalty, and I love the way he fights...I'm extremely lucky to have him at the helm now."
Wade, who left Kerry briefly (with the senator's blessing) to work on the Obama presidential campaign as spokesman to vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, now has one huge looming challenge: Will he be able to bite his acid tongue in his new lofty role?
The jury is out on whether this man can be muzzled. But to give you an idea of how difficult a challenge he faces, we've listed some of Wade's greatest acid-tongued hits:
"You read GQ to pick suits and ties, not to pick a commander-in-chief... As a GQ fashionista would say, the magazine's political coverage has the longevity of the Soul Patch and the sophistication of The Mullet." - on GQ's upcoming article on Kerry.
"He's going in here to debate a leviathan of forensics." - on Biden debating Sarah Palin.
"I don't know how to say no firmly enough. Absolutely not. That's not a misdiagnosis, that's called malpractice." - on whether Biden had Botox.
"I'll have to trigger the 'laughable' clause in Sen. Kerry's iron-clad rule of never discussing his vice presidential short list and make a special exception in the case of Rod Blagojevich. No, nay, never. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Rod Blagojevich wasn't on the short list, he wasn't on the long list, and he's quickly gaining ground on Jack Abramoff on a very different kind of list." - on Rod Blagojevich allegedly being on Kerry's 2004 VP list.
"At first I thought, that's not Rush, that's just the OxyContin talking. Nonetheless, this is a despicable but unsurprising new lie from a man whose closest brush with combat came when customs officials tried to take away his Viagra." - on Rush Limbaugh's attacks on Kerry's Vietnam record.
"With the McCain campaign coasting on fumes, perhaps T. Boone Pickens has decided there's more money to be made in the oil business than there is to lose in the smears business." - on Kerry enemy T. Boone Pickens.
So now you know why Sen. Kerry's new chief of staff may be wearing a muzzle from time to time.
By
Mary Ann Akers
|
January 7, 2009; 1:30 PM ET
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Posted by: gemerson | January 7, 2009 2:17 PM | Report abuse
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Posted by: atsegga | January 7, 2009 5:31 PM | Report abuse
Not sure I read anything that requires a muzzle, good humor, both democrat and republican, maybe Washington needs more humor, maybe on Fridays Frankin can do some stand up in the Senate for those stuff suites. Lord knows Reid the last two days has provided some humor.
Posted by: bconner1 | January 8, 2009 11:16 AM | Report abuse
LOYALTY ASIDE...HOW DID SUCH A REFRESHINGLY OUTSPOKEN PERSON COME TO WORK FOR SUCH A STUFFED SHIRT? MOST POLITICIANS NEED SOMEONE LIKE THIS GUY TO SAY WHAT THEY
CANNOT. THEN THEY CAN STEP UP AND CLARIFY THE COMMENTS OF THEIR RASH, YOUNG ASSOCIATES. THIS SERVES TWO PURPOSES: ONE, IT ALLOWS WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID TO BE EXPRESSED IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS WITHOUT THE SENATOR HAVING TO ANSWER; AND TWO, IT ALLOWS THE SENATOR A SECOND OPPORTUNITY TO BLOTHIATE.
LAM-09
Posted by: LAMWISE | January 8, 2009 12:06 PM | Report abuse
One word for commenters: spellcheck!
Posted by: tmorgan2008 | January 8, 2009 12:22 PM | Report abuse
What's to muzzle? Is there anything here that would embarrass anyone? The statements are penetrating, accurate, and humorous--are they not?
Posted by: redwheelbarrow7 | January 8, 2009 1:30 PM | Report abuse
Wow, we'd be looking at the second Kerry inauguration if he'd let Wade respond to the Swift Boaters ! Edward from wv
Posted by: edwardfromwv | January 8, 2009 3:24 PM | Report abuse
Amazing what spews out when you skewer stuffed shirts. Muffle Wade? I hope not.
Posted by: SmartBlonde | January 8, 2009 7:26 PM | Report abuse
As another poster commented here, if Kerry had let his aide respond to the Swift Boaters, we wouldn't have had that incompetent boob George W. for the past four years.
This guy is hilarious and en pointe in everything he says! John Kerry can't be nearly as big a stuffed shirt as people thought he was -- not and be able to get the loyalty of a guy who talks like this one.
Great article, except why on earth would anybody want to "muzzle" him????
Posted by: danjanbee | January 9, 2009 1:37 AM | Report abuse
Where's the beef? Muzzle? These are Neo-Con talking points, similar to being called "Un-Patriotic" for speaking out against the war. Why is it that people become so uneasy with political wit when it comes from the left? Are these comments not based in truth? Must Democrats maintain a certain degree of denial, and servitude, to the right wing blow hards? I for one appreciate people like Wade and love comments like that. Is it politically correct to appease the people that you disagree with, or politically correct to appease the people that would do you harm? The very people Wade is talking about are people who would decree every liberal democrat in America "Un-Patriotic" and therefore less than human. If anyone needs a muzzle, it is Rush Limbaugh and trash like him. This is just my opinion of course. I suppose I need a muzzle now, too!
Posted by: Fascistfighter | January 9, 2009 11:21 AM | Report abuse
The Blagojevich assessment alone demonstrates Wade's acumen. Hopefully Wade will remain outspoken. His candor is refreshing. I agree with gemerson that this article is a non-story.
Posted by: mjohnson99 | January 9, 2009 12:43 PM | Report abuse
Thanks Akers for reminding me why you $uck.
Posted by: PatrickNYC1 | January 9, 2009 1:55 PM | Report abuse
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Wow Mary Ann, great non-story. D.C. really must be horrid and devoid of personality if a (great) sense of humor can't be appreciated. Why would he need muzzling? To avoid offending the myriad narcissists that D.C. attracts so often and so well? Might as well suggest that Milbank needs muzzling for adroitly offending one of the pols he so rightly skewers. None of those quotes were without merit or basis in fact.