Nels Olson —If you’re a Bush-administration official looking for a new job, Olson, DC’s headhunter par excellence, is the man to know.

Jamie Gorelick —The former Fannie Mae executive can shed light on the housing crisis, plus she’s a possible attorney general in an Obama administration.

Ron Fournier —The new AP bureau chief for Washington is one of politics’ keenest observers—as well as the subject of some controversy this election season.

H. Patrick Swygert —Now that he’s out of office, will the longtime president of Howard University tell stories?

Carol Schwartz —The only Republican on the DC city council lost a tough primary battle against a well-funded opponent backed by the business community.

Sarah Palin —The Republican vice presidential pick is at the top of everybody’s dance card.

Jack Johnson —From dead dogs to dead suspects, the Prince George’s county executive had a rough summer. How’s he feel about where the county is heading?

Carolyn Weyforth —The former communications director for Mitt Romney has stumbled into one of the most exciting jobs available: press secretary to the Jonas Brothers.

This article first appeared in the October 2008 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here. 

Photo by Flickr user Mr. T in DC

Today is the last day you can vote on our five photo finalists in this month's transportation-themed contest, so get over there! 

Attention foodies: Due to Rosh Hashanah, Todd Kliman won't be chatting today. But you can still submit your questions in advance for his chat next Tuesday, when he'll return.

So, yesterday, was uh, kind of scary, in terms of financial and general economy news. The bailout failed to pass the Houses, the Dow dropped like a billion (or 700) points, and lawmakers freaked out. House leaders are now promising all sorts of compromise.

In light of a shooting on Sunday night at an Adams Morgan restaurant, one blogger ponders if the neighborhood is "more dangerous than Anacostia." 

Dan Snyder gets a bit excited about the Redskins win over Dallas—and sports blog Mr. Irrelevant filmed it.

Sad news, as the remains of two children were found in a freezer in a Maryland home of a woman who had adopted three children from DC.

What: Opening gala of the Sant Ocean Hall.

Where: National Museum of Natural History.

When: Thursday, September 25, 7:30 PM.

Ticket price: Free but by invitation only.

Who: The main focus of the night was top staff members at the Smithsonian, including Wayne Clough, its new secretary, and Christian Samper, former acting secretary and current director of the Museum of Natural History. Roger W. Sant, the hall’s namesake—in honor of the $15 million he and his wife donated for the renovation of the hall—was also present. He’s the billionaire president and cofounder of AES Corporation and chair of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez was also in the house. Other guests included donors to and members of the science community.

What: The Canary Foundation’s—er, no, wait!—the Fabretto Foundation’s Casino Night and Masquerade Ball. (The charity beneficiary was changed at the last minute on Wednesday).

Where: Teatro Goldoni.

When: Saturday, September 27. The evening was divided into two events: a charity poker tournament from 5 to 10 followed by a black-tie masquerade ball from 10 to 1.

Who: The invitation announced a small crew of hosts, including Teatro Goldoni owners Michael Kosmides and Jose Garcia, but the focus of the evening was on Katherine Kennedy and her Blonde Charity Mafia costars Krista Johnson and Sophie Pyle—and their camera crew.

Whether Barack Obama or John McCain wins on November 4, transition planning for both sides is well under way. There are some 3,000 presidentially appointed positions. Amassing all the résumés is a big job, which is why it starts before there’s a winner. Somewhere filed away are the plans for the Al Gore and John Kerry White Houses.

Jockeying for positions is also well under way. Kerry’s said to be angling for secretary of State under Obama, a move that on the diplomatic circuit might make potential vice president Joe Biden seem the more concise speaker.

Susan Rice, one of Obama’s top foreign-policy advisers and considered a likely secretary of State, is said to be more interested in becoming national-security adviser—bad news for James Steinberg, the former Bill Clinton deputy national-security adviser and current head of the LBJ School at the University of Texas. Steinberg’s on any Obama NSA short-list, and the only class he’s teaching this fall wraps up just before the election.

In Susan Rice’s case, foreign-policy officials are worried about continuing a trend in which the President appoints a friend to the top NSC position. It didn’t work well for either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush—and raises talk of bad karma around another national-security adviser named Rice.

Photo by Flickr user Rob Shenk

Lots of you weighed in over the weekend on who should take the late Tim Russert's place on Meet the Press. Got more to say? Leave a comment on the post.

And how about them Redskins, eh? They beat longtime rivals Dallas in a close and well-played match, 26-24. So we didn't get it quite right in our predictions for the season, but, hey, if the Redskins are winning, all the better.

Steamy! Katharine Graham and bazillionaire Warren Buffett had a long-running affair while Buffett was married, according to a new authorized biography of Buffett.

A bailout agreement has been reached—now lawmakers just need to vote on it.

Two people were shot last night, and one died, at popular Adams Morgan Ethiopian restaurant Meskerem.  

This week, our good friend Craig has brought us a nice mixed bag of potential love connections—from a dog attack years ago to daily encounters on Capitol Hill—and one marriage disintegrating for all of us to see. Yikes.