Try This Political Verse and Table on for Size

The poetry and furniture of politics.

* The Democratic convention has provoked Coronado’s Lorne Fleming, 47, a self-employed heavy-equipment maintenance manager, to commit (conservative) verse: “What’s Up? 1992?”

Here are three of the stanzas to chew on.

Hilly and Willy

And Tipper and Al!

And the Demos still tell us

They’re really our pals!

We got us a ticket

That really won’t wash

Slick Hilly, Hick Willie

And hill billy, by gosh!

Global warming’s a hoax!

And socialism soaks

Only us ordinary folks

To pay for liberal jokes.

* Here’s one for people who study the role of home furnishing in diplomatic relations.

President Bush and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gotari met to discuss the Free Trade Agreement for an hour Tuesday at Mission San Diego de Alcala.

In the days before the big meet, the White House advance crew decided that it just wouldn’t do for the two leaders to meet over just any old table.

The hunt was on for a politically correct table that was both gorgeous (can you spell photo op ?) and could seat 14 (each president has six aides).

Finally, the perfect table was located: the walnut dining table from the official campus residence of University of San Diego President Author Hughes.

Made in Italy in 1870, the table is part of the collection inherited by USD from the Religious of Sacred Heart, the French nuns who founded the San Diego College of Women in 1949 (the distaff forerunner to USD).

Even though the table’s pedigree would seem impeccable, the Secret Service takes no chances.

Agents were sent to inspect the table and make sure there was nothing in its background that could prove embarrassing to Bush or Salinas.

The table passed its background check and was carted (gently) off to the mission to play its part in history.

Between the Covers

People and their gigs.

* Encinitas writer Ivan Goldman is in demand these days: newspaper interviews, talk shows, probably a nationwide book tour.

Reason: He’s the co-author of “L.A. Secret Police: Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network,” which is just reaching bookstores but has already caused the new L.A. police chief to shut down the super-snoop unit.

A story in The Times last week identified Goldman, 49, as a former part-time copy editor at The Times.

True enough, but he’s also a former Washington Post reporter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist, Fulbright scholar and associate professor of communications at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

He held several editing jobs at the San Diego Union from 1986 until being laid off as part of the merger in February. That’s when he started working on the book with former LAPD detective Michael Rothmiller.

“I always thought I had an interesting book but I never thought I had a spectacular-newsbreaking book,” Goldman said. “But if that’s the way the news media wants to treat it, who am I to argue?”

* San Diego political consultant John Dadian will handle the San Diego County portion of Bruce Herschensohn’s U.S. Senate campaign.

In the primary, the same work was done by Jeanette Roache, wife of Sheriff Jim.

* It never hurts to restate the obvious.

Police Chief Bob Burgreen has just issued a memo to all cops:

“For security reasons, shotguns are not to be left in vehicles taken to central garage for repair or service.”

* San Diego Union-Tribune military writer Gregory Vistica, who broke the Tailhook story, is being courted by literary agents who want him to write a book about Tailhook and sexism in the military.

There have also been movie feelers.

A Taco and English Lesson

A large banner listing ingredients outside the El Tijuanito Taco Shop in Kearny Mesa: “All The Combos Includes . . .”

They does?