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January 29, 2007, New York City

Deborah Orin-Eilbeck, The New York Post's longtime D.C. bureau chief whose passion for politics and unrivaled integrity kept Washington on its toes, died yesterday after a battle with cancer.

"Laura and I were saddened to learn of the death of Deborah Orin-Eilbeck," President Bush said. 

"Deb had a distinguished, decades-long career as a journalist, covering every presidential campaign since 1980 and joining the New York Post's Washington bureau in 1988.

"Deb fought a valiant battle against cancer with the same tenacity, devotion, and determination that she brought to her work in the White House briefing room through numerous administrations," the president said "She'll be missed by all of us at the White House who cared deeply for her."

Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said, "Deborah was one of the nation's finest political reporters. She was never part of press group-think that so often rules Washington.

"Common sense ruled her mind, not dogma. I will miss her advice, and The Post's readers will miss her honesty and wisdom."

DeborahOrin-Eilbeck, 59, joined the New York Post in 1977 after a stint with the Long Island Press, and she immediately made her mark on New York politics.

When the Post dispatched her to Washington in 1988, she quickly emerged as one of the nation's top political journalists.

She covered four presidencies, interviewing leaders and dignitaries including President Bush, Barbara Bush, Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell.

Even one of her biggest sparring partners, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), reached out to wish her well during her illness.

"As hard as it is to believe, we really miss you around here," Clinton wrote.

Republican pollster John McLaughlin said, "Deb was a very honest and dedicated journalist. She always tried to find the truth and write the truth even when it hurt.

"Deb's integrity was impeccable. She kept her word and would never let you do her a favor, simply to avoid any appearance of favoritism.

"Deb's passing is our loss. There will be one less important voice to ask the tough questions of those who are our leaders now and to ask those who want to be president."

Orin-Eilbeck, 59, N.Y. Post Chief in Washington

By STEPHEN MILLER
Staff Reporter of the Sun
January 29, 2007


Deborah Orin-Eilbeck, the New York Post's long-time Washington bureau chief and a fixture of D.C. political reporting, died yesterday morning at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She was 59, and had been suffering from stomach cancer.

Renowned for her tough-minded reportage, and a must-read for political junkies, Orin-Eilbeck got her start at the Long Island Press, coming to the Post in 1977. She covered every presidential campaign from 1980, and in 1988 was named as the Post's Washington bureau chief.

A statement from President Bush posted on the White House's web site read in part, "Deb fought a valiant battle against cancer with the same tenacity, devotion, and determination that she brought to her work in the White House briefing room through numerous Administrations."

Stuart Marques, metropolitan editor at the Post in the 1980s and for many years Orin-Eilbeck's editor, said, "She was all about getting it first and getting it right, and she was totally dedicated to it."

Deborah Orin-Eilbeck, originally Deborah Slotkin, grew up in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan and attended Radcliffe College, where she majored in French and graduated with honors. She later studied at the Sarbonne in Paris, and earned a masters degree at Northwestern University.

 Orin-Eilbeck thrived in the sometimes over-the-top tabloid style of the Post. In the run-up to the Iraq war, one article under her byline began, "Weasel so-called allies France and Germany will hear fresh evidence today of Iraqi stonewalling, at an 11th-hour showdown with the United States in the U.N. Security Council."

Senator Clinton, not always an ideological soulmate of Orin's, reached out to her during her illness. "As hard as it is to believe, we really miss you around here," Ms. Clinton wrote, according to a posting on the New York Post's Web site last night.

Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the New York Post, released a statement saying, "She was never part of the press group think that so often rules Washington. Common sense ruled her mind, not dogma."

Orin-Eilbeck, who was married for the second time last year, maintained homes in Stuyvesant Town and in the Hamptons, where she indulged her talents as a gourmet cook and, according to the Post, "constant gardener."

Known for laser-like intensity when on a story, Orin-Eilbeck was also said by former associates to have been generous in helping fellow reporters. She also had a rapier wit. In 1993 on CNN's "Reliable Sources," she debated temporary New York Post owner Abe Hirschfeld. When Hirschfeld challenged her to invest in the paper, Orin retorted, "Abe, I've invested my whole career in The Post, which I think is more than you invested."

Surviving are her husband, Neville Eilbeck, her father, Aaron Slotkin, and a brother, Mark Slotkin.

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