WASHINGTON - A copy of The Cincinnati Enquirer is in the White House every day. It's from 1888. And it's in a painting.

To see a larger copy of the painting, click here.

William Harnett's painting, "The Cincinnati Enquirer," last fall was reframed and rehung in the White House library.

The new frame is more in the style of the late 19th century, according to White House spokesman Jim Morrell, who is a former spokesman for Cincinnati Rep. Rob Portman.

The painting is hung over a fireplace. President Bush sees it "whenever he's in the library," Morrell said. (Liberals: Insert wisecrack here.)

The painting was given to President Jimmy Carter by oil baron Armand Hammer.

"I think it's lovely. I've always liked it," said Maria Downs, spokeswoman for the White House Historical Society.

According to the society's book Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride, the painting is actually a jab at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

In 1886, the paper had given Harnett's painting "The Old Violin" a crummy review, saying it was technically adept but didn't have any people in the painting.

"His may be one of those queerly constituted natures that run to fiddles and rusty hinges. ... If it is not so, then he ought to give wider scope to abilities so genuine and play upon living, breathing subjects."

Harnett's response was to paint the newspaper and to play up the word "Gath." While the paper had a column at the time under that name, the word Gath was synonymous with the word Philistine, which meant the same thing then as now: a cultural nitwit.

"It was a move made with malice aforethought," the book says. "That the Philistines would probably never see this riposte would not lessen the artist's satisfaction at this private revenge."

TOILET PAPER TO TAXES: The new head of international tax issues for the Internal Revenue Service is Robert H. Green, formerly a top international tax executive with Procter & Gamble.

Green had served as director of international taxes for P&G and ran corporate planning in Germany.

He must be competent - that's part of his title. He also was named U.S. competent authority, whose job is to help resolve international tax disputes.

WHAT ABOUT BOB? Rep. Rob Portman, a Terrace Park Republican, scored a public relations coup by getting on Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes after the State of the Union speech. Unfortunately, Sean Hannity called him "Bob" Portman. Four times. Portman mentioned the error to a producer - during a commercial.

THEY SAID IT: "I keep remembering he was Michael Dukakis' lieutenant governor." - Sen. Jim Bunning on Iowa caucus winner John Kerry.

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Carl Weiser covers Washington news for the Enquirer. E-mail cweiser@gannett.com or call (202) 906-8134.