October 26, 2007

Spooks On The Hill

Washington, D.C., is a city known more for its buttoned-up, wonky ways than its quirks and superstitions. But make no mistake, the nation's capital is one weird place, and in the spirit of Halloween, we present a few recent examples of the paranormal that hit a little too close to home.

Much of the publicity surrounding Jenna Bush's recent sit-down with Texas Monthly magazine focused on her serious professional pursuits and candid musings on her father's presidency. But she also confessed to interviewer Skip Hollandsworth that she thinks the White House's "kids' bedroom" is "filled with millions of ghosts."

I get scared there sometimes. I’m not kidding. I have heard ghosts, I really have -- ghosts singing opera. One night, opera noises came out of my fireplace. When I told my sister, she didn’t believe me, but the next week we were up late in that bedroom and we heard 1950’s piano music. People will think I’m crazy for saying that.

Crazy? Maybe. But then again, Jenna's not alone. One-third of Americans recently confessed to AP-Ipsos pollsters [PDF] that they, too, believe in ghosts. That's about the same percentage of Americans who approve of the job [PDF] her father is doing in office.

It's also comparable to the percentage of people who believe in UFOs, which may or may not be good news for Dennis Kucinich. Actress and new-age guru Shirley MacLaine claims in a new book that the pint-sized Ohio Democrat and presidential contender once had an "extremely moving" close encounter with an unidentified flying object at her home in Graham, Wash.

The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for 10 minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind.

Reports on the passage do not say whether MacLaine elaborated on what exactly Kucinich heard on the balcony, and campaign and congressional aides did not return calls to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Kucinich's hometown paper. The curious may want to check out MacLaine's book, "Sage-Ing While Age-Ing," for more details. (The Gate staffers are, frankly, a little too scared of what we might find in there.)

The White House Web site has a whole page devoted to the ghosts within its walls. And some helpful conspiracy theorists over at ufoevidence.org have a 1952 Washington Post article detailing D.C.-area sightings from the olden days.

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reports on the hottest political costumes this Halloween, and The Hill provides a helpful guide to creating the perfect Larry Craig costume.

Photo Illustrations: Reuben Dalke

Posted at 2:33 PM
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