Curl welcomes a “handsome new student” with “perfect hair” and a “Hollywood smile” to Washington

From Joseph Curl's January 22 Washington Times column:

When the handsome new student arrived on Thursday for a tour of his new school, fellow classmates swooned with delight, lining up to meet the mysterious cool kid and maybe, just maybe, win him over to their clique.

But the newcomer played it coy, running a hand through his perfect hair and flashing his Hollywood smile as he got his flirt on, clearly intent on playing the field for a bit.

“I understand there's an interest in who I am and what makes me tick,” he said aloofly. But with a James Dean-like defiance, he added, “I don't owe anybody anything.”

Sen.-elect Scott Brown won a special Senate election Tuesday in Massachusetts, giving Republicans 41 members in the Senate, just enough to thwart any legislation pushed by the majority Democrats. While he signed autographs Thursday at the Russell Senate Office Building with his new moniker - “41” - he also made it clear that he may, on occasion, be signing the number “60,” too.

[...]

But just to make sure, Mr. McCain heaped praised on the charismatic newbie, who isn't yet a senator and who, as the once-obscure state senator joked repeatedly on Thursday, doesn't have an office or even business cards.

“Senator Brown represents, I think, the dreams and the hopes and the frustrations that Americans feel today, and they want the kind of leadership that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts just sent us,” Mr. McCain said.

The maverick won chivalry points by escorting the rookie to his next class, past a throng of ogling reporters and photographers, lined up at times 10 deep. He handed the newcomer off to the senior senator from Massachusetts, who immediately tried to make amends to his new classmate for the mean things he'd said behind his new friend's back.