A Candidate Who Confounds, Charms and Reaps Publicity (Arianna H.)

[Dover]

August 19, 2003
A Candidate Who Confounds, Charms and Reaps Publicity
By SARAH KERSHAW


OS ANGELES, Aug. 16 — Arianna Huffington was insisting recently that the handful of viable candidates in the California recall race should debate, when she was asked whether she saw Gary Coleman, the actor, as credible.

Ms. Huffington told her interviewer on CNN in a sultry Greek accent that sounded like Zsa Zsa Gabor, "I will hold Gary Coleman on my lap during the debate."

It was a classic moment in the campaign of the columnist-turned-candidate-for-governor. She does know how to win attention in a 135-candidate contest. But to do so, the candidate, who says she has a serious platform, sometimes acts like many of the less-than-serious actors in the recall comedy-drama.

Beyond acknowledging her knack for publicity, no one ever seems to know quite what to make of Ms. Huffington, who addresses her many high-powered friends as "dahling" and who, with a master's from Cambridge, is as lucid on Keynes as she is on Armani.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/19/national/19ARIA.html

[newyawker99]

1. Dover

Per DU copyright rules
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NYer99
DU Moderator

[Aaron]

2. Ty for posting

Arianna intrigues me. I'd be interested to see how she plays this if she'll drop out and endorse someone if it looks close or go all the way. I suppose we'll see eh?