Flat Earth: The first Monica

GIVEN WHAT has been going on not far from Georgetown, you would not especially envy someone called Monica Monica.

To her friends, Dr Monica L Monica, a 48-year-old New Orleans ophthalmologist, is known as Monica Squared. She says she once asked her father, Elihu Root Monica, "Did you stutter, or what?" He said: "I loved you so much and felt so much honour in the name that I named you twice."

Far from avoiding the inevitable jokes, Dr Monica is planning to run for Congress. She is after the seat of Bob Livingston, who was designated Speaker of the House of Representatives but rocked the impeachment debate last month with the announcement that he would leave Congress after being exposed as an adulterer. Monica Squared insists this is not a stunt. "I was Monica long before the other one was," she said. "It's on my driver's licence."