BlogWatch: Maureen's Crib

It recently came to the attention of Dowd Central that Oprah Magazine did a virtual tour of Maureen Dowd’s Georgetown townhome recently. This fact came courtesy of Cannonfire blog that makes the argument that since Dowd lives in a nice house, she can’t possibly understand the working person:

Go here to visit Maureen's home:

The 1819 building was the first Maureen Dowd saw when she went house-hunting in 1995, and she fell for it immediately. There were the classic Georgetown details, including the six fireplaces, the wood floors, a pocket-size backyard, and what seemed like an endless number of rooms—two parlors, a den, a formal dining room, and three bedrooms.

Yet she claims to speak on behalf of the Democrats. Mere workers do not count.

Our second notice of the Dowd Estate came courtesy of long-time DowdHater® Bob Somersby of the Daily Howler:

PALACE LIVING: In 2006, Oprah magazine toured Dowd’s crib. If you’re curious, go ahead—just click here. “I go over the top at times with too many leopard-print pillows,” Dowd says. For ourselves, we’ve always admired journalists who can spot—and admit—their mistakes.

The timing of Somersby’s little dig right after it gets mentioned somewhere else is a curious coincidence proving to me that the world of DowdWatchers is not only small but also rather incestuous.

The house itself has a historical connection. The Oprah site says:

That President Kennedy lived there as a senator didn't lessen its appeal to Maureen the political junkie. She bought it immediately.

JFK lived in seven different places in Georgetown before becoming President and the historic significance of the one Maureen owns is summarized on the DC Traveler’s JFK Walking Tour Guide:

3260 N Street, NW (Stop 1) is where Kennedy began his career in the Senate. While living there, he attended a Georgetown dinner party in 1952 and met the captivating Jacqueline Bouvier. It was another nine months before, at another dinner party thrown by the same couple, he again met and this time, asked Jackie out on a double date to a carnival in Georgetown the following weekend.

A far more utilitarian description of the house is available on Zillow.com which estimates its current value at $1.2 million dollars, which is on the low end for toney Georgetown. The 1,608 square foot house was built in 1819 and has five bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

The Oprah tour has several pictures of the interior with this one of the bookcase. The resolution is too low to read the book titles, but there is clearly a set of Matryoshka Nesting Dolls it the form of Soviet leaders. Alas, there are no pictures of where the magic happens, and by that I mean the home office where she writes her columns. What did you think I mean, you pervs?