Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog

As many of you know, I’ve long put my trust into my associate fellow at the Institute, Eli Perle. He takes care of the web, books my interviews, and has truly been my aid-de-camp. So it was with great sorrow that when I returned from my last Mid-East trip, Eli greeted me with the sad news that he’s decided to seek greener pastures. He feels - and I think correctly - that he’s gotten all he can get out of his tenure at the Institute. I’m sure there was more we could have gotten out of him, but I don’t want to be accused of holding back a promising young politico. Eli’s still deciding where he’ll end up, but we’re sure he’ll be fine.

In the meantime, the Institute is happy to bring aboard two new staffers: Jimmy Havermayer and also recently, Poppy Cartwright. (see, it takes two to fill Eli’s well-trod shoes) Jimmy drove me around the Florida panhandle as a volunteer for the Giuliani campaign, and I sensed in him then that he had a keen grip on life but knew when to ask for directions. It’s Jimmy’s first time in the District, and I’m sure he’ll do fine. Poppy, some of you may remember, first interned at the Institute last summer, and now has joined us on a fulltime basis.