Hillary Eats Super Bowl Crow
Jan. 30 -- With the Baltimore Ravens having whipped theNew York Giants in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Sens. Hillary RodhamClinton and Charles Schumer had to eat some crow today.
New York Sens. Clinton and Schumer gave a public recital of Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem The Raven at the Capitol this afternoon, having lost a Super Bowl bet with their Maryland counterparts, Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes.
Baltimore's team is named after the classic work by Edgar Allan Poe, who lived and died in Baltimore.
"This is taking longer than the game," joked Schumer in the middle of the 18-verse poem. He and Clinton liberally inserted a number of football references into the text.
"Four interceptions!" exclaimed Schumer at one point, referring to the throwing woes of Giants quarterback Kerry Collins.
For her part, Clinton jokingly pointed out that Poe, despite his Baltimore ties, wrote most of The Raven in New York.
A beaming Mikulski wore Ravens purple and a team cap to the event. After the recital, Sarbanes poked more fun at his New York colleagues by reading aloud from the letter in which Clinton and Schumer proposed a bet with the Maryland senators and confidently predicted a Giants victory.
If the Giants had won the Super Bowl, Mikulski and Sarbanesagreed to sing the Frank Sinatra standard New York, New York on the Capitol steps. This afternoon's reading was moved inside due to bad weather.
Today Sarbanes and Mikulski also introduced a resolution congratulating the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on the Senate floor. The resolution commends the "unity, loyalty and enthusiasm" of the Ravens' fans.
Purple Reign for Maryland Politicians
In another bet between New York and Maryland politicians, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has to pay off Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley — tickets to Broadway shows andbathing New York’s City Hall in purple lights.
New York Gov. George Pataki also owes Maryland Gov. ParrisGlendening a bushel of Long Island Little Neck clams.
