Too Much Trump, Plebes Harrumph, but Keep Reading

Drive Time: Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder’s limousine has grown a few inches and nearly doubled in cost over the one used by his predecessor. Wilder’s black Lincoln Town Car replaces the stretch Cadillac used by ex-Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, and it costs $37,923 plus trade-in of the Cadillac, which cost $19,949 plus trade-in four years ago. Wilder aide Laura F. Dillard said former Gov. Charles S. Robb’s car commanded a higher trade-in price, which brought down the cost of the Baliles car.

* A Mayor’s Lament: Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry Jr. was scheduled to leave a Florida alcohol abuse treatment center Wednesday, but not before he got in some complaints about his treatment--his treatment by the media, that is. Barry’s press secretary, Lurma Rackley, said in Washington the mayor had complained that cameras were “positioned on top of trucks to shoot over into the center’s courtyard” and that TV news crews were “standing near the entrance of the center unnerving patients and their relatives.” Barry faces arraignment in Washington on perjury and drug charges.

* Carter’s Case: Former President Jimmy Carter favored groceries over guns in a recent speech in Minneapolis. “This year, $1 trillion will be spent on armaments,” he said. “Sixty percent is spent by two superpowers, 20% more by their close allies. If we can just cut this in half, this would mean we could have $500 billion annually for food, medicine . . . and the elevation of the human spirit.” Carter will be an official observer at the Nicaraguan election Sunday.

* Picture This: The latest benefit using convicted Iran-Contra figure Oliver North’s name will be in Washington, D.C., in March. The event is to raise money for the Media Research Center “and its continuing effort to combat the liberal bias in our national news media,” according to the invitation. What’s the bait for big spenders who buy a $10,000 table? A photo opportunity for two with North.