Fame?

I've always thought the concept of out-of-touch "Washington elites" was mainly the product empty-headed political mud-slinging. Sometimes, though, you see things that at least partially explain why the notion has the traction that it does. Today's Reliable Source column in the Washington Post pondered how such a high-profile public figure like Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to keep his out-of-wedlock child a secret for as long as he did. While the article itself is interesting, in particular when it talks about questions of what financial dealings elected officials need to disclose, the head-scratching element came about two paragraphs into the piece when the writers referred to Schwarzenegger's "equally famous wife". Granted, Maria Shriver is known in her own right as part of the Kennedy family and as a journalist. Still, only in the Washington DC area would anyone think to place Shriver's notoriety on the same plane as that of a global movie star. Nice try, Washington Post.