Seen at the Social Safeway, 7:45 p.m., Valentine’s Day: Scary-looking security dude standing guard at the in-store Starbucks. Black SUV idling by the shopping cart corral. John Negroponte waiting in line to buy his sweetie some grocery store roses.

Could he be cuter??

So I’m guessing Mrs. Former Intelligence Chief today is enjoying her two dozen: 12 red, 12 ivory. The other possibility is that Diana Negroponte (who, like all residents of giant houses in Woodley Park, hearts the City Paper) is reading this right now and thinking: “Hold the phone. I only got one dozen. Who did schmoopie bear give the other to? Condi?”

Hey, at least he didn’t send his lackey into the store to do his dirty work. He only does that when it comes to Iraq.

But these days—-exactly two since he started work at the State Department—-Johnny’s feeling the love. His first order as new boss: Go home. He got to be the lucky guy to announce a bunch of pansies shut down the federal government, sending everyone home early because of an inch of snow and a little bit of ice.