Inside the Beltway

VC surfaces

A new four-legged angle — actually a dog named “VC” — has suddenly materialized surrounding Sen. John Kerry’s swift boat service in Vietnam.

In a 2004 presidential candidate questionnaire for Humane USA, Mr. Kerry was asked whether any pets have had an impact on his life.

“I have always had pets in my life, and there are a few that I remember very fondly,” Mr. Kerry replied. “When I was serving on a Swift Boat in Vietnam, my crewmates and I had a dog we called VC.

“One day as our Swift Boat was heading up a river, a mine exploded hard under our boat,” he continued. “After picking ourselves up, we discovered VC was MIA (missing in action). Several minutes of frantic search followed, after which we thought we’d lost him. We were relieved when another boat called asking if we were missing a dog.”

Said Mr. Kerry: “It turns out VC was catapulted from the deck of our boat and landed, confused but unhurt, on the deck of another boat in our patrol.”

J.J. Scheele, program director of Humane USA, confirmed yesterday that her organization did, in fact, receive the above statement from the Kerry campaign.

No military records on Mr. Kerry’s Web site, which aides say is a complete accounting, mention a mine exploding under his boat or any dog. The only report of a mine detonating “near” Mr. Kerry’s PCF 94 was March 13, 1969, when Mr. Kerry says he was injured and a man knocked overboard.

Magic cookies

Washington publicist Janet Donovan, who normally pens “Hollywood on the Potomac” (Congressional Quarterly signed her to write “Hollywood on the Charles” at the Democratic convention and “Hollywood on the Hudson” for next week’s Republican convention in New York City), says that despite rumors to the contrary the Bush vs. Heinz Kerry cookie cook-off remains in the oven.

“The First Lady Cookie Cook-Off sponsored by Family Circle has not come up with a winner yet,” says Ms. Donovan, noting that Fox News’ Brit Hume delivered a retraction on previous reports that the cookies were baked and Teresa Heinz Kerry’s “pumpkin spice” cookies had crumbled.

“Not so,” says Ms. Donovan.

According to the magazine, the winner will not be announced until November. And these are no ordinary cookies.

“So far, the cookie contest has predicted the winner in the last three presidential elections,” says Susan Ungaro, editor-in-chief of Family Circle. She says it was Hillary Rodham Clinton once remarking of her public service career — “I could have stayed at home and baked cookies and had teas” — that became the impetus for the contest.

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