Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker is enjoying a surge of popularity in recent weeks as his bank regulatory plan has been championed by President Barack Obama. The 82-year-old is so hot right now that three senators on Tuesday tried to claim him as a native son.

The geographical turf war happened during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday, prompted when Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) invited Volcker to send in his picture to add to the senator's wall of photos of "famous New Jerseyans."

Cooing about Volcker, Memendez continued, "Born in Cape May, New Jersey, married a Jersey girl. That's about as Jersey as it gets. So..."

Not so fast. Volcker also lived in New York City while working as Fed chairman, and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was quick to claim a little piece of Volcker for his home state.

"Which state did you live [in] longer?" Schumer asked the Economic Recovery Advisory Board chairman.

"Well, as of now ... I've lived longer in New York," Volcker replied. Score one for Schumer.

But the third tri-state area representative was not to be outdone. Connecticut's Chris Dodd (D) jumped in, "But you wished you lived in Connecticut." Volcker laughed, "I wish I lived in Connecticut, exactly," he said.

Proving once again the adage that it’s not what you know but who you know in Washington, the presidents of two Minnesota private colleges got an unexpected surprise Wednesday when they were ushered into the Oval Office to meet President Barack Obama.

The Rev. Robert Koopman of St. John’s University and MaryAnn Baenninger of the College of St. Benedict were having lunch in the White House mess with Denis McDonough, the St. John’s alumnus and chief of staff of the National Security Council, and Jim Dwyer of the St. John’s development office, when McDonough dropped the bombshell: They were all going to be meeting the commander-in-chief.

“He said we better hurry because we have an appointment with the president,” Baenninger said after she and Koopman spent about five minutes with the president, who posed for photographs with them while Vice President Biden cooled his heels outside the Oval Office.

“He was very personable and friendly, and talked about the importance of higher education,” said Baenninger, who has headed the Catholic women’s college since 2004.  “And he was taller than I expected."

Fr. Koopmann, the Benedictine priest who became St. John’s 12th president last July after the death of his predecessor, Br. Dietrich Reinhart, said Obama praised McDonough as “one of the good choices I made.” And he noted that Obama put his arm around him as they posed for photographs.

Koopmann and Baenninger were in Washington for the annual meeting of private Catholic college presidents. McDonough, a 1992 St. John’s graduate from Stillwater, was scheduled to join Fr. Koopmann and Baenninger at an evening reception on Capitol Hill for alumnae of the two colleges, but had to cancel because of a last-minute meeting of the National Security Council.

Matt Lindstrom, who heads the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at St. John’s, announced the creation of a Washington Fellows program for students of the two colleges, which is named after former Republican Sen. David Durenberger, an alumnus of St. John’s.

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) and The Daily Caller's Tucker Carlson are good friends. Who knew?

ITK caught up with Carlson Tuesday night at a party for Facebook at the W Hotel. An exiting Carlson said was headed to Morton's steakhouse for a cigar at Jackson's invitation. But before he left, he sang Jackson's praises.

"Jesse's great," said the co-founder of the newest news site on the political scene while vigorously chewing on a piece of nicotine gum. "He's a cool guy and he doesn't take himself too seriously, which makes him really fun to hang out with."

Carlson left moments later for the Connecticut Ave. restaurant, and what he said would be his third social stop of the night.

Carlson hasn't always been so chummy with members of the powerful Jackson family: as co-host of CNN's Crossfire from 2001 to 2005, Carlson tangled with Jackson's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, on issues ranging from poverty to religion.

Smoking is forbidden in Washington, D.C. restaurants, and a spokeswoman for Morton's said there was no smoking indoors on Tuesday night. If any cigars were smoked, they would have had to have been enjoyed on the second-story outdoor patio. In the snow.

Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va.) turned 51 Wednesday and his staff threw him a surprise party with chocolate ice cream cake, his favorite. The cake, pictured at left, is from Harris Teeter.

The congressman isn't planning on painting the town red. He said he’ll most likely have a quiet evening with his wife.

University of Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow was seen leaving the House Cannon Office building late Wednesday afternoon, according to an ITK spy. Tebow was wearing a suit and was rumored to be meeting with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). Tebow had a small group of people with him, including a cameraman, for a documentary.

Tebow will attend the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, as will President Barack Obama. Tebow will be starring in an anti-abortion rights ad that will be shown during the Super Bowl this Sunday.

Two Indiana and Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday made a bet on this Sunday's Super Bowl, which features teams from their respective states.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is known for taking photos around Capitol Hill from what he says is his "unique vantage point" (a.k.a. closer than most people ever get), and he was at it again on Wednesday when President Barack Obama addressed Senate Dems at the Newseum. 

Leahy had a front-row seat at the Q&A session, and he was spotted snapping photos throughout. One attendee said he resembled a "White House tourist." 

But if Leahy wanted to commemorate the occasion, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) was much less formal, appearing at the event in sneakers. And his fashion choice didn't go unnoticed by the president. 

"Nice sneakers by the way," Obama joked when Bayh stood up to ask a question. The Hoosier didn't miss a beat. "You've got to stay on your feet around here, right?" Bayh replied.

Bayh has been caught wearing sneakers in the Capitol a few times before. He told ITK last fall that a heel injury required him to wear comfy shoes on the Capitol's miles of marble hallways.

Rep. Kendrick Meek's (D-Fla.) campaign for the Senate got a turbo-charged boost on Tuesday after announcing it would sponsor a NASCAR race car in the Feb. 14 Daytona 500 race. 

The car's driver, Mike Wallace (no relation to the former "60 Minutes" host), is the younger brother of retired racer Rusty Wallace, who raced in NASCAR's upper circuit, the Sprint Cup series. 

But Republicans haven't let Meek get all the positive attention without some criticism.

Ken Spain, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Commitee, tweeted a jab about the route the race car might take on the track: "Steering hard left."

Two dozen recording artists signed a petition last week encouraging Congress to pass the Performance Rights Act, which would require radio stations to pay royalties to singers in addition to the songwriters who already get paid.

Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Josh Groban, Fergie and Mary J. Blige are among the singers who signed the petition, which was timed to coincide with the Grammy awards.

"In speaking with these talented artists, I heard three constant refrains," said Daryl Friedman, vice president of advocacy and government relations for The Recording Academy.

"First, their concerns for background singers and musicians and older legacy artists who need to be fairly compensated," he said. "Second, their willingness to sit down with radio to work out a solution; and third, if radio still refuses to talk, their commitment to take the fight to Washington."

Broadcasters argue playing the songs is free promotion for the singers, which leads to other money-making gigs. Songwriters, on the other hand, don't get any of the limelight, which is why they receive royalties.

Satellite radio, internet radio and cable TV music channels are already required to compensate performers.

Take a look at my post from yesterday about the music industry's overall decline in music sales.