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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sounds Like They Could Use Some Group Therapy

Compiled By Staff Writer Rick Bo

“The McLaughlin Group” is a little smaller.

Syndicated columnist Jack Germond has left the PBS political talk show, saying he’s tired of dealing with blowhard host John MacLaughlin.

Germond said he thought McLaughlin was “not very considerate of us sometimes … I just got sick of him. It’s just one of those things that builds up over time and I just got to the point where I said … I don’t need it anymore.”

Besides, Germond’s once-regular guest appearances had been cut back to about every other week. “I got tired of hanging by my thumbs all the time,” he said.

Said a surprised McLaughlin: “I hold Jack in the highest personal esteem. I wish him all the luck in the world. I hope to talk to him about this, find out how he feels.”

Loose talk

Chastity Bono, Sonny and Cher’s gay girl, on her White House hopes (in the San Francisco Examiner): “I don’t think this country’s ready for a female president, let alone an openly lesbian president. Besides, I definitely don’t think of my girlfriend as first-lady material.”

Maybe she’ll let Jack join the First Wives Club

Bette Midler turns 51 today.

Unfortunately, as voters, kids just don’t do it

Eight-year-old Kelly Catalane of Sewickley, Pa., was so disappointed that Bob Dole lost the presidential election that she sent him a consolation note - which the Republican candidate answered with a four-minute phone call. “He said it helped him very much and made him feel better about the campaign,” Catalane said.

Not to mention what they did to Forrest Gump

Movies like “JFK” and “Nixon” are giving young people a twisted sense of history, says Julie Nixon Eisenhower: “It’s really amazing to think how carelessly Hollywood allows historical figures to become props for the entertainment industry. Many young people are unable or unwilling to sort out the propaganda or artistic license from the truth.”

Yet another round of Watergate hearings

John Ehrlichman, once one of Richard Nixon’s men, was among the first in line at the National Archives to check out the newly released Watergate tapes. He arrived mid-morning and “stayed for much of the day,” reported the Washington Post.

So, don’t invite the ones who’ve fooled around

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are thinking of celebrating their 50th anniversary next November with a Buckingham Palace party for British couples married in 1947 - more than 440,000 in all. Just one catch: The palace can only accommodate a crowd of 8,000.

Charles shot a cow, and, boy, was his face red

British animal rights supporters are upset over reports that 14-year-old Prince William killed his first stag during a hunting trip in Scotland last month with his father, Prince Charles, with one calling it “a throwback to the 19th century.” No word whether William’s face was smeared with the stag’s blood, which is a traditional ceremony.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino