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Sunday, January 18, 2009

You've Got Mail, Patty

Posted by on Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 3:41 PM

024a/1232320853-pattymurraysoffice.jpeg

Walking around the Russell Senate Office Building to get media credentials sorted for coverage of Tuesday's swearing in—a building with a lot of offices under renovation, presumably since there's a new Congress—I happened upon Patty Murray's office. There was a Washington State flag standing outside of it and, at the foot of the door, a FedEx package. That's the Washington State seal there above Patty Murray's nameplate.

Zoom in? Sure.

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On the other side of her door, there's this:

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Unimportant (but inauguration-related) fact number one: Harding's inauguration in 1921 was the first in which the president rode in an automobile instead of a horse-drawn carriage. Unimportant fact number two: He died two years later, shortly after giving the last speech of his life at the University of Washington, in what's now Husky Stadium. Take it away, internet:

In June 1923, Harding set out on a cross-country "Voyage of Understanding," planning to meet ordinary people and explain his policies. During this trip, he became the first president to visit Alaska... At the end of July, while traveling south from Alaska through British Columbia, he developed what was thought to be a severe case of food poisoning. He gave the final speech of his life to a large crowd at the University of Washington Stadium (now Husky Stadium) at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington. A scheduled speech in Portland, Oregon was canceled. The President's train proceeded south to San Francisco. Arriving at the Palace Hotel, he developed pneumonia. Harding died of either a heart attack or a stroke at 7:35 p.m. on August 2, 1923... He had been ill exactly one week.

 

Comments (4) RSS

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Posted by Alan Stein on January 18, 2009 at 4:18 PM
2
That reminds me, I still need to make my t-shirt with a picture of Warren G. Harding and the caption "REGULATOR"
Posted by The CHZA on January 18, 2009 at 4:26 PM
3
Heart attack or stroke my ass. It was murder, plain and simple.
Posted by Chris in Tampa on January 18, 2009 at 4:28 PM
4
come on Chris-
set a bag of shit outside the door, light it on fire and ring the doorbell.
don't forget to take pictures.
Posted by then order a Book of Mormon! on January 18, 2009 at 8:02 PM

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