Hello Washington!

Hello Washington! Bravo asked me to blog, and I was happy to as I was born in DC and spent my first few years in McLean, with a Dad in the Pentagon during the pre-Watergate era. When this show was announced, I wondered what it would be like -- how on earth they could do a Real Housewives show in DC without political candidates and lobbyists? None of them would do the show, but then again, they wanted “socialites” for ours and we all know how well that worked out.

Enter Mary – so far we like Mary. She has a fun husband who isn’t afraid to wear colorful trousers, five kids and a biometric guard on her closet door to keep her 23 year old out of it. She's fun when she's tipsy and wants to integrate DC hair salons, but otherwise seems a bit too earnest. Let's hope that changes.

Stacie…I’d probably enjoy having a drink with her, and she seems like a good mom, but I'm just not excited about anything else there. Good on her for selling real estate in a tough market, but I'm not on fire. She also seems way too quick to defend people she doesn't know, which in Washington, New York or anywhere else will get you killed.

Lynda – oh my. Lynda seems like the Ramona of this crew. What exactly does she provide for her clients, whom she says are dignitaries and ambassadors? Inquiring minds would love to know. I’m sure she runs a successful business, but it's all in the editing and in this edit, she kind of looked like a madam with a witty boyfriend. We shall see.

From the meadows of somewhere southwest of London, Cat flew in 18 months ago. Apparently she doesn't know quite what to do with herself once she leaves her Danielle Steele novel and the house. She seems quite lovely and sincere but got off on completely the wrong foot when she tried to draw a line between the personality of a leader and his effectiveness. From where I sit – a guy can be lots of fun at parties and not good at his job. She said that Bush always had time to show up at photography events, and Obama never has. That doesn’t surprise me one little bit. What's more important, passing out awards or figuring out healthcare reform?

OK, my biggest, burning-est question is, why wasn’t Edwina Rogers made a housewife? I really loved her and her polo hat. Oh, I think I know why – she was worried she'd never work again. Loved seeing her rake the giggly Barbie doll over the coals.

Speaking of giggly Barbie dolls, I have to tell you that my mother was horrified that the Salahis were included on the show, and even went so far as to say that they shouldn't be on television after the White House incident. Why? We lived there in the 70s, and although Mom and Dad were never political headliners themselves, they socialized with lots of people who were, and attended lots of parties, including some at the White House, WITH invitations.

When I watched Edwina question Michaele about her work as a lobbyist, I was convinced that Michaele was lying through her teeth, and probably never lobbied for anything other than party invitations. However I was surprised to do a little googling and discover that she actually did lobby a bill to help out the winery. Too bad she couldn’t speak in coherent sentences when asked about it.

Verdict? Four nice girls plus one who I think has engaged in bad behavior. Let's see how this shakes out – I’ll be watching – will you?

If you liked my blog, check out our book, Little Kids, Big City, which I wrote with my husband (who in season two will be Rich's stylist – LOL).