For all you political history buffs out there, AMC, the channel behind the hit Mad Men, is developing a miniseries about White House scandals of years past.
 
Reuters reported that the “Black Gold: The Teapot Dome Scandal,” is adapted from a nonfiction book that talks about the arrangement of Harding’s election to the White House by oil companies.
 
Harding was the 29th president of the U.S., serving until his death in 1923. He was also a influential newspaper publisher.

There are plenty of boring meetings on Capitol Hill every day, but according to Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the nightly Democratic whip count meeting isn't one of them. It's more like a friendly get-together, and Clyburn says it even "gets a little bit liquid sometimes."

There are only two attendees: Clyburn and Reps. John Larson (Conn.), Clyburn's longtime friend and the chair of the Democratic Caucus.

At a recent press conference with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Clyburn said the vote-counting duo spends "a lot of time together almost every evening."

"And where would that be?" asked Pelosi, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we work on the whip count ... it gets a little bit liquid sometimes, but we work on it," Clyburn said, chuckling.

A spokeswoman for Clyburn declined to comment on what liquids the lawmakers are sipping, but just to be on the safe side, staffers should probably double check the whip counts.

The tasks read like a list of bad high school summer jobs: Serving meals, shoveling trash, painting walls, and going door to door. 

Not exactly what you'd expect the president of the United States and members of his Cabinet to be doing on a Monday morning.

But those are just some of the things Obama administration officials volunteered to do, all across the region, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s National Day of Service.

President Barack Obama, the first lady, daughters Sasha and Malia, and first grandmother Marian Robinson all helped served meals to the hungry at So Others Might Eat. The girls poured coffee while the president served fried chicken.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood picked up trash near the Washington Navy Yard, part of a clean-up project on behalf of Living Classrooms.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Corporation for National and Community Service acting CEO Nicky Goren helped paint the walls at Ron Brown Middle School, along with participants in the City Year program.

And Nancy Sutley, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, canvassed the neighborhood, going door-to-door with Weatherize D.C. talking to to District residents and making the case for weatherizing their homes.
 
Also feeding the hungry and homeless Monday were Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner  (Washington Hebrew Congregation), Attorney General Eric Holder (Church of the Epiphany), Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Eric Shinseki (D.C. Central Kitchen), and Peace Corps director Aaron Williams (Miriam's Kitchen).
 
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and National Parks Service director John Jarvis helped clean up the D.C. War Memorial on the National Mall, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visited kids with H1N1 flu at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library.

While House Democrats were holed up in the windowless conference rooms of the Capitol Visitor Center for their annual strategy session, Sen. Saxby Chabliss (R-Ga.) and donors to his Political Action Committee were enjoying the sun in Florida at the fanciest hotel in the ultra-wealthy town of Palm Beach.

Chambliss hosted a fundraising weekend for his PAC at The Breakers, the historic Palm Beach hotel built in 1896 by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler. The weekend cost $1,000 for individuals ($2,500 for a PAC), not including airfare or lodging.

Thankfully, the PAC worked out a room block discount with The Breakers. According to a hotel employee, discounted oceanfront rooms cost Chambliss' guests $775 a night.

And of course, there was golf. The senator is ranked the upper chamber's No. 2 golfer by Golf Digest Magazine, and there was a Saturday round on the links and a line item on the entry form for guests to write their golf handicaps.

A spokeswoman for Chambliss told The Hill, "The senator is using his personal time to raise funds for Republican candidates to bring sanity and discipline back to Congress."

According to a study by Propublica.com, Republican candidates can only expect to see about a quarter of those funds.

The watchdog site reports that of the nearly $800,000 spent by Chambliss' PAC in 2007-08, 26 percent went to campaign donations.

More than 34 percen twent to entertainment, events, and travel, including more than $16,000 to the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Fla.

A spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee declined to comment, noting that the weekend was not an official NRSC event.

In the highly scripted world of presidential itineraries, security, and staff, it's hard to pull off a surprise. But that's exactly what President Barack Obama did on Saturday when he threw First Lady Michelle Obama an early 46th birthday party at Restaurant Nora in Northwest Washington.

The First Couple arrived at the internationally renowned organic eatery around 6:40 p.m., where Mrs. Obama was genuinely surprised to see about a dozen of their closest friends, including Eric and Cheryl Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt, who all flew in from Chicago for the occasion.

Joining them were Marian Robinson, the First Lady's mother; Special Adviser to the President Valerie Jarrett; Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife Sharon Malone; the First Lady's chief of staff, Susan Sher; presidential inauguration poet Elizabeth Alexander; Cindy Moelis, head of the White House Fellows program; Jocelyn Frye, director of policy and projects in the First Lady's office; and Anita Blanchard.

Chef Benjamin Lambert prepared a special lamb dish for the birthday girl, as well as seared Maine lobster and saffron risotto, complemented by organic wine, a 2008 Spottswoode Suauvignon Blanc. Lambert told The Washington Post that he'd been planning for the presidential meal for two weeks.

It was a late night for the Obamas, who didn't leave the restaurant until after 10:30 p.m. On their way out, a crowd of about 50 onlookers spontaneously broke into a round of "Happy Birthday" for the first lady. 

Photo: Obamafoodorama

Helping out tragedy-stricken nations like Haiti is fundamentally American, President Barack Obama said this weekend.

Making the case for why Americans should contribute aid to Haiti in the wake of a devastating earthquake there last week, Obama said the time to help is now.

"We act for a very simple reason: in times of tragedy, the United States of America steps forward and helps. That is who we are. That is what we do," Obama wrote in the issue of Newsweek on stands this week.

Obama outlined some of the administration's relief efforts in his piece, and encouraged people to give what they could to Haitians.

"In the days, months, and years ahead, we'll need to work closely with the government and people of Haiti to reclaim the momentum that they achieved before the earthquake," Obama said. "The United States will be there with the Haitian government and the United Nations every step of the way."

R&B singer Whitney Houston arrived Friday afternoon at Reagan National Airport. Houston is in town for the BET Honors, which will be Saturday at the Warner Theatre. Houston, who will be honored for her achievements in music, is spending the weekend at the W Hotel on 15^th St.

A public viewing and Catholic Mass were held Friday for House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Ohio) chief of staff, Paula Nowakowski, who died Saturday at the age of 46 from an apparent heart attack.

The service, which was open to the public, took place at St. Peter's Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. Following a noon Mass, Nowakowski was buried at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

On Wednesday, Boehner eulogized Nowakowski on the House floor, calling her, "as tough as nails -- a brilliant strategist who had a wicked sense of humor," and who "made a positive difference in thousands of lives."

Boehner's remarks were echoed in floor statements by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), among others. A moment of silence was also observed in Nowakowski's memory.