Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi had a simple desire when he came to New York this week for the UN General Assembly meeting: Rather than check into a hotel, he wanted to erect a bedouin-style tent in Central Park. Angry neighbors blocked that idea. But Donald Trump (?) offered Qaddafi the lawn of his property in the tony New York suburb of Bedford. Regrettably for Qaddafi, town leaders didn't share Trump's hospitality and issued a work-stop order on the tent-pitching process "because no permits were sought for the temporary residence." Tough luck, Muammar! Nevertheless, some columnists argued that the Trump estate, near Michael Bloomberg's horse farm and a stone's throw from Martha Stewart's place, might actually be a suitable place for the general after all.

• Will Martha and Muammar Have a Meet-Cute? At Commentary, Anthony Sacramone imagines what the new neighbors might say to one another. "I wonder what helpful hints Martha will have for Qaddafi? Perhaps how to fold the corners of his tent in a manner worthy of an Eagle Scout, or the inestimable value of lace, or perhaps she’ll proffer a few interior-design tips to rid his dwelling of that whole scimitar motif. (How 70s! 1570s!)"

• Trump and Qaddafi Would Probably Get Along, says Joshua Keating at Foreign Policy. "I would image these two might actually get along. They do share similar ideas about interior decorating." 

• The Donald Loves the Attention, Andrew Belonsky writes at Gawker.
  

Trump has a preternatural adoration for media sensation and though his company has distanced itself from the happenings — apparently the property's being rented to a Middle Eastern company — this connection no doubt pleases the boss man, whose appetite for headlines knows no bounds.

• Bedford Doesn't Want Qaddafi's Brand of Hoi-Polloi, Ben Smith says at The Politico. "Bedford, where Qaddafi's setting up, is the kind of tony suburb that takes its building code seriously, and not far from where Mike Bloomberg keeps a horse farm called "Gotham North."

• Maybe Martha's Hosting Instead, Jessica Pressler suggests at New York Magazine's Daily Intel blog. "Screw political correctness. She hears his chef has a great date-cake recipe, and she's going to have it."

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