BILL Clinton raised laughter at last week's Washington dinner honouring the Northern political leaders when he joked that David Trimble was wearing smarter suits since he won the Nobel Prize. There were no blushes because Trimble and John Hume had already left for Oslo on Tony O'Reilly's jet, but Ann Smith, who runs the local UUP office, thought Clinton's remark was obviously "tongue in cheek". Others believed the President had noticed that Northerners are now "dressing for TV" when coming to the White House.
Indeed, Gerry Adams's "Tiocfaidh Armani" style is so well known that The Irish Times correspondent Joe Carroll asked him after a White House press conference if he was wearing Armani. Adams indignantly denied it, offered to show the label and asked: "Is Mr Armani still alive? If he is he owes me money for all the publicity I've given him."
Meanwhile, another natty dresser the Minister for Sport, James McDaid, dubbed the playboy of Leinster House, was the guest of President and Hillary Clinton at the White House on Thursday as the impeachment drama gripped Capitol Hill. The gala evening in a giant heated pavilion on the White House South Lawn celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Special Olympics for handicapped athletes. Ireland is campaigning to host the event in 2003, so our man was no doubt discreetly lobbying, while the guests listened to Christmas carols from the likes of Eric Clapton, Jon Bon Jovi, Tracy Chapman and Vanessa Williams.