Politics

Katherine Harris and Anders Ebbeson’s mansion, featuring 18,000 square of air-conditioned area, was inspired by the Rodin House in Paris. (Harold Bubil. - Sarasota Herald Tribune)

For someone who enjoyed the spotlight as much as former Rep. Katherine Harris seemed to, she’s been remarkably low key of late — that is, if you don’t count that palatial waterfront mansion she’s constructing in Florida.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune describes the home (and check out the ocean-side view of the house) that Harris and her husband, Swedish businessman Anders Ebbeson, are building on the bay, south of downtown Sarasota, as a “French inspired mini-palace,” and it’s reportedly as large as 23,000 square feet (18,000 of which are air-conditioned) — that’s seven times larger than the White House residential quarters, though only twice as big as the beachfront home GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is planning.

The lavish abode isn’t sitting well with some neighbors, and there’s been grumbling, we hear, about the massive project. Back in Washington, those familiar with Harris’s notoriously rough treatment of her staff (she cycled though campaign aides the way some people go through clean socks) have been expressing sympathy for the contractors and other workers involved in the project. “She treated staff like the hired help, you can only imagine how she treats the actual hired help,” says one Harris-watcher.

We aren’t surprised to hear that Harris covets a Versailles of her very own: nothing less would befit a former Secretary of State (nevermind that it was for the state of Florida, Harris justified travel to foreign countries by explaining that her job as secretary of state demanded it).

Here’s what the Loop is reading Monday morning:

George Clooney is only one of the thousands of White House visitors. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP) Knock, knock — This nifty Washington Post database lets you search the White House visitor logs. For example, you can see who has visited the famed bowling alley--too bad they don’t list the scores! And here’s a preview of tidbits you’ll find--including the fact that Oprah Winfrey has dropped in five times (George Clooney on three).

Diva battle — We missed this Twitter war: Grover Norquist v. Cher. Suzi Parker has the back-and-forth between the tax guy and the diva.

Long memories — Can something that happened more than 150 years ago still reverberate on the campaign trail? Our colleague Sandhya Somashekhar has the story of how a massacre by a Mormon militia in 1857 Arkansas is playing out for Mitt Romney’s Republican presidential bid.

No jacket required — The G-8 summit ended this weekend, but here’s a photo gallery that gives you a behind-the -scenes look at the business-casual meeting of world leaders at Camp David.

(Marlon Correa) The Loop has gotten lots of entries in our contest to pick the site to locate a missile-defense system on the East Coast. From the Jersey Shore (to protect that national treasure, Snooki) to a goof-prone town called Accident, Md., (what could possibly go wrong there?), you’ve got plenty of ideas for where the big guns should go.

But we’re looking for more!

You have until May 25 to submit your suggestions for where the Pentagon should install the sites, which are meant to protect us from as-yet non-existent missiles from Iran and North Korea, and which the top military brass says we don’t really ... well, you know ... need.

But hey, the West Coast has some, and we want in. But where to put them? That’s up to you!

Alas, a few of you have even written in with suggestions for where missiles should be aimed, not where the anti-missile missiles should be located. We’ve chuckled over a few such entries — but they won’t earn you a place in the winner’s circle (and one of our coveted Loop T-shirts!).

You can leave your entry as a comment on the blog — you may want to double-check that there’s an active e-mail address associated with your washingtonpost.com log-in.

You can also e-mail us at intheloop@washpost.com. (Please make sure you include a home or cellphone so we can contact you.)

The top five winners will receive a coveted In the Loop T-shirt and the usual bragging rights when we announce winners. (If you need to enter “on background,” that’s fine.)

Happy missile-siting, folks.

Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Crosse) (Mark Crosse - Associated Press) Maybe the great outdoors isn’t as appealing as it used to be.

The fourth annual National Get Outdoors Day, scheduled this year on Saturday, June 9, aims to get kids — and adults — out to parks and forests to hike, fish, pitch a tent and learn about nature at sites across the country.

The event, a person who had been involved in the program told us, was also seen as a way to fight child obesity by getting kids off their keesters and on the move.

It’s a public-private sponsorship by federal, state and local government agencies as well as the recreation industry. A Bush administration official told us relevant government officials were “endlessly flogged” to make sure a pilot effort of the event was a success.

In 2009 events were held at 63 sites in various parks and recreation areas nationwide. There were 91 events in 2010 and it grew to 117 last year, according to the organization’s Web site, www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org.

Here’s what the Loop is reading Friday morning:

Rep. Trent Franks will be hearing from D.C. constituents. (Matt York - Associated Press) Trash talk — We hope Rep. Trent Franks is ready to solve some trash-delivery problems. After the Arizona Republican refused to allow Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton to speak at a hearing about abortion in the District, Washington residents have a plan: they’re going to show up at his office and ask him to solve “local problems,” since he’s become the city’s advocate, reports Ben Pershing.

Tempest in a C-Cup — A blog written by the wife of a Foreign Service officer has been restored to the State Department’s Web site — after a link to it was taken down when the blog’s subject matter was deemed out of bounds. The blogger dared to use what our colleague Lisa Rein calls “the N-word — Nipple” in a discussion of her recovery from breast cancer surgery.

Flack needed, stat — Attention, communications professionals looking for a challenge — a huge one: Marion Barry is hiring a coms director. Applicants must be adept at spinning and possess excellent clean-up skills for when the boss really puts his foot in it, Monica Hesse reports. (Just try explaining away a doozy like those “dirty Asian shops.”)

Least shocking headline of the day: “Al Gore’s girlfriend is activist, Democratic donor.”