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Despite the deep gloom of The Obama Age, young conservative operatives still manage to have fun in Washington. Friday evening, I attended an event at the Union Pub organized by Tom Qualtere of the Heritage Foundation.

I've known Tom since he was a college activist with Young America's Foundation, and covering YAF events is also how I got to know Sergio Gor of Americans For Limited Government. As a student at George Washington University in 2007, Sergio hosted a YAF-sponsored "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" event that made headlines when leftist students at GWU posted defamatory posters.

I brought a surprise guest to Friday's event -- my Donkey Cons co-author Lynn Vincent, who is now collaborating with Sarah Palin on the Alaska governor's biography. This led to casual conversation in which Sergio recounted how he spent several weeks last year as a campaign aide assigned to assist Palin's family in Alaska. Sergio's conversation was off-the-record, of course, but I suppose I won't be divulging any major secrets to say that Sarah Palin's dad, Chuck Heath, seems to be a favorite character of Republicans who've met the family.

Political gossip, however, is not the point. Sergio is a mild-mannered, easygoing guy, but don't let his unassuming demeanor fool you. The kid is a sharp operator and very resourceful.

This being summer in D.C., the nation's capital is aswarm with interns, one of whom is Hannah Giles, daughter of Townhall.com columnist Doug Giles. Now interning with the National Journalism Center, the lovely Miss Giles was a guest at Friday's event. Fridays being Fridays in D.C., the event at Union Pub was just one of many invitations on Miss Giles' social calendar, so she departed about 9 p.m..

Our group was seated at a table on the patio of the pub, next to the intersection of D Street and Massachusetts Avenue. About five minutes after Miss Giles left, a late-model Chrysler convertible pulled up to the stop sign at the intersection. In the passenger seat was Miss Giles and behind the wheel was none other than Sergio Gor. This provoked comment from the table:

"Hey, look, it's Sergio."

"Dude, that's not even his car."

"Dude, that's not his girl, either."

Doug Giles can relax. Sergio is a fine young Christian gentleman. A sharp operator, but a gentleman, nonetheless.