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From her controversial role in the Florida vote recount after the 2000 presidential election to her stormy and ultimately doomed Senate bid, former Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) is a trove of drama, and it looks like her story could soon be heading to a bookstore near you. Former campaign manager Jamie Miller is penning a book about his former boss, he tells HOH.
He says the tale, which bears the working title “Katherine Harris v. Katherine Harris: The Rise and Fall of a Political Icon,” will examine how Harris’ public and private sides were often at odds. “She could talk to the faithful — go out there and throw them red meat, and everyone would be saying ‘Hey, we could win this thing,’ and then, behind the scenes, minutes after giving a great speech, she’d try tearing [staffers] down,” says Miller, who is now a Florida-based political consultant. “It’s about how the person and the persona were in conflict.”
Miller says he’s got about 35,000 words on paper and plans interviews with “prominent people” who can recollect their dealings with the often-mercurial Congresswoman. He’s in talks with an agent and hopes to find a publisher in time for a book release sometime in late winter or early spring of next year.
The Orlando Sentinel first reported on Miller’s book-in-progress.
Other former Harris aides — and there are plenty of them, because Harris was notorious for cycling through staffers at an alarming pace — have considered books about their time working with Harris, but Miller’s tome looks like it could be the first in print. Ben McKay, another former Harris staffer who has previously hinted that he might be interested in writing a tell-all book, says those plans are on the shelf for the moment. “I can understand people would want to write that kind of book for cathartic reasons, but I don’t need that now,” says McKay, who is with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Other former staffers say Miller’s book will likely deliver some dish — not because, they say, Miller’s looking to air grievances. It’s just that Harris’ oft-bizarre behavior speaks for itself and that even a “tell some” book about Harris would be a juicy read. “Like they say, ‘You just can’t make this stuff up,’” one former staffer tells HOH.
HOH wonders whether actress Laura Dern, who got kudos for her performance playing Harris in the recent HBO movie “Recount,” might be available to reprise her role if Miller’s book is ever turned into a screenplay.
Staffer’s Choice: Harman or Harvard. So you’re a staffer for Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), and you’ve been accepted to a coveted spot at the exclusive Harvard Law School. Your boss is sad to lose you, so you defer enrolling for a year to stay on and fight the good fight.
But now it’s your moment to say goodbye to Capitol Hill and head for the ivory tower ... and then an official-looking fax arrives at your office from the folks at Harvard: “At Jane Harman’s request, we rescind your acceptance at Harvard Law. She tells me she can’t live without you. Sincerely, Elena Kagan, Dean” Below the signature there’s a handwritten line: “So sorry, maybe next year.”
Far from trying to sabotage her departing staffer’s nascent legal career, Harman was playing a little prank on Hank Greenberg, her law-school-bound telecom staffer. Harman arranged with Harvard Law — where she’s an alum — to have the note sent over, and Greenberg apparently knew the fax was a spoof (whew!).
Taylor: Preventing Another Underwear Bomber
March 19, 4:09 p.m.
The intelligence community faces challenges daily. No example is more emblematic of the problems faced than the so-called underwear bomber of 2009. As threats emerge, the hunt for “persons of interest” must occur in a more reliable and efficient manner because the consequences of inaction can be catastrophic. Read Full Article
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