Where does Warren Buffett’s brilliance come from?

Would you believe his one-time neighbor Richard Nixon?
Extreme Mortman’s intrepid real estate reporter sends us this map of Northwest Washington, DC.  Note the proximity of the houses that at one time belonged to these two legendary Americans.

In September, Extreme Mortman’s intrepid real estate reporter was dispatched into the field to cover the open house of 4308 Forest Lane, also known as Richard Nixon’s home during the second term of his Veep days, located in Washington’s Wesley Heights neighborhood.  You can read his September report by clicking here.

The report noted that the 8-bedroom home was listed at $4.5 million by Long & Foster’s superb agent Meg Crowlie.

Today this comment was posted to that report:

Hi -
Just an update on 4308 Forest Ln., NW - it was reduced to $3,995,000 and we now have it under contract (!!! yea !!) and will settle in mid-December - lovely family that purchased it has only 2 kids not 7, but will enjoy the house none the less…
Curious as to what photograph you are referring to in the Master - none of us can find a photo that fits your description - let me know as the buyers are quite curious.
And thanks so much for the nice comments - really is a very special house and I’m glad you liked it!
Sincerely,
Meg Crowlie

It used to be that if you wanted to be an ambassador, you’d have to go to ambassador school.

Happily, those days are over.

We’re thrilled to announce a much simpler road to getting that coveted post in Switzerland or Monaco or The Bahamas or California: Vote for Extreme Mortman in the 2007 Weblog Awards for Best Political Coverage.

That’s right, it’s that easy.  Vote for us and we’ll make you an ambassador.  You don’t even have to raise money.  Just vote.  Right here.  Many, many times.
Think that’s crooked?  Well, we learn from our heroes.  Like Richard Nixon.

It’s an inspiring day in politics when Barack Obama gives a speech — calling for “a new era of American diplomacy” — and cites Nixon and Reagan, but not a Clinton:

Just look at our history. Kennedy had a direct line to Khrushchev. Nixon met with Mao. Carter did the hard work of negotiating the Camp David Accords. Reagan was negotiating arms agreements with Gorbachev even as he called on him to “tear down this wall.”

I agree with Obama — Ronald Reagan was a great president.  Nixon wasn’t too shabby, either.  He might consider dropping Carter from the pantheon of great presidents, however.  But as they say, baby steps.

Extreme Mortman’s intrepid real estate reporter was recently dispatched into the field to cover the open house of 4308 Forest Lane, also known as Richard Nixon’s home during the second term of his Veep days, located in Washington’s Wesley Heights neighborhood.  Our faithful man in the field files this report:

These days you don’t have to leave your desktop to tour real estate, of course.  See the virtual tour here.

But, alas, to appreciate this 8-bedroom home — listed at $4.5 million by Long & Foster’s superb agent Meg Crowley — requires a site visit.  And don’t forget the digital camera.

It’s the perfect home for anyone with seven children, essentially.  Or a need for a putting green in the backyard and a 15-minute commute to K Street.

My earnest recommendation: Buy this house.

And when you do, make certain to demand that the photograph in the gold frame of the master bedroom conveys with the title.  It’s a piece of history that should remain with the house forever.

So, what do you do when you’ve got your two kids in the backseat of the car for an afternoon of ‘forced family fun’ with a site visit of an open house of Dick Nixon’s former home? (Actual quote: ‘Aw, c’mon Dad, do we really have to do this?’)

Of course, you turn it up a couple notches and force them to also go see eight other former residences of future Presidents in DC’s upper NW neighborhoods. (Actual quote: “Yes, you do. And since you’re complaining about it, we’ll go see a couple other Presidents’ homes too.”)

Richard Nixon former residences:
4903 Forest Lane, NW, Washington, DC  (1957-1961)
4801 Tilden Street, NW, Washington, DC (1951-1957) The Broadmoor Hotel, 3601 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (1947)

George W. Bush former residences:
4429 Lowell Street, NW
4910 Hillbrook Lane, NW
5161 Palisades NW
4400 block of Cathedral Avenue NW

LBJ former residence: 4040 52nd Street, NW

All told, it’s about a 45-minute tour by car (thank you MapQuest!).  And, just like the forced family fun of our youth, you get to go get ice cream afterwards.”

Sources & Links:

1) Box 1 Folder 28: Committee on Building Lands–correspondence and meeting minutes, 01/26/1957; Text on folder “Approval of sale of residence of late Homer Stille Cummings at 4308 Forest Lane, N.W., at a price of $75,000.00 net. Executors to be so advised.”

2) The Bushes also lived on the 4400 block of Cathedral Avenue and the 4400 block of Lowell Street, according to information supplied by the Bush Presidential Library.

They then moved to a €œwonderful new,four-story house not far from Sibley Memorial Hospital on the 5100 block of Palisade Lane in the neighborhood of Kent, just a few blocks from Spring Valley.

The house was on Hillbrook Lane. Barbara Bush described it as a really old house.

3) 4429 Lowell Street NW

4) 1968 George H.W. Bush Christmas card for sale on eBay: 4910 Hillbrook Lane, NW

5) 1969 George H.W. Bush Christmas card for sale on eBay: 5161 Palisades Lane, NW

6) LBJ: 4040 52nd Street, NW

We learn that the Watergate Hotel is selling off everything as it prepares for a face lift.

How cool would it be to purchase this, the actual Watergate bug the Nixon burglars used?

Alas, I’ll probably end up with this ash tray:

Annoyed yet with that stupid new feature in the Sunday Washington Post Magazine where you’re supposed to compare two similar photos and list 14 ways they’re different? They must be running out of ideas because I swear this past Sunday they had us trying to identify differences in two pictures of poop after someone ate corn.
Anyway, an alert and loyal Extreme Mortman reader was rummaging through the National Archives’ dollar bin of remainders and spotted these two bits of classic Americana. We’ve been told the photos have been doctored a bit, but we’re not experts. In the spirit of that stupid new feature in the Sunday Washington Post, can you list the 14 ways the two photos are different? And no fair trying to guess which fellow was full of Dilaudid.

During this 30th anniversary of something Elvis-related, not sure exactly what, it’s worth taking this picture out of its hermetically sealed vault for one last look until we show it to you again.

Another White House wedding?  I’m happy, you’re happy, Oliver Stone’s happy.