No, not McCain, who apparently brushed into this morning's Senate Republicans meeting with nary a word for his once-beloved press scrum. Terry McAuliffe,the Clintons' famed moneyman, wants to bring the Team Hillary touch to Virginia:
The brassy 51-year-old Syracuse, N.Y., native is preparing to run for governor of Virginia in 2009, a bid that will start with a Hillary-esque 60-day listening tour of the Old Dominion.
Potential opponents dismiss him as a cynical Daddy Warbucks who has long plotted to buy himself a governorship — claiming he even mulled runs in his native New York and Florida, where his wife’s family lives.
McAuliffe’s pals dismiss such criticism and say his unique blend of charm and cash will prove irresistible.
“Terry could sell shit to the zoo,” explains longtime pal Paul Begala. “He’s the best salesman in the world.”
--Eve Fairbanks