Does anyone know what the heck is going on in Blair House in early January that's so all-fired important?

It couldn't just be that she's a bitch, could it?
(It was her decision, wasn't it?)

by Ken

This business of having every-day "In the Loop" -- and the real thing, with our pal Al Kamen -- is exciting but time-consuming. We have to remember to stay up to date.

Today Al is putting out a question that has given us too a lot of pause since we heard about it. Apparently he hasn't been able to turn up the answer. Let's hope this plea will turn up some information. We wouldn't want to think it's just that First Lady Laura Bush is a bitch.

No Child Left Behind?

Too bad President Bush and first lady Laura Bush turned down President-elect Barack Obama's request to bunk across the street at Blair House before the usual Jan. 15 move-in date. The Obamas wanted to move early so their daughters could start school.

There were simply too many previously scheduled events and guests, the first lady's spokeswoman said. When asked who might be bumping the president-elect out, the spokeswoman noted that the 70,000-square-foot, 119-room manse "is frequently used by White House officials, the State Department and its Office of Protocol for various events."

So it sounds as if things will be jumping at Blair House after the new year. We, of course, have not been invited.

But if you have, please let us know what smashing parties and going-away flings we're missing. Please forward your invites to movingout@washpost.com.

If any of our readers have information, could you copy us as you send it on to Al? We'd sure like to know what's going on in Blair House that's so important, it was impossible to accommodate the Obamas' seemingly simple request. Really, you wouldn't think it would be all that difficult for the White House to commandeer the space necessary to accommodate whatever-all is scheduled for Blair House -- assuming it really couldn't all be somehow squeezed into those 119 rooms.

Would it be too horrible of us to voice aloud our nagging suspicion that there ain't any damned thing going on in Blair House during that period, let alone stuff that couldn't be moved elsewhere?

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