It is not clear what role, if any, Mr. Orszag will have in the future of his new daughter, Tatiana Zoe Milonas. He was not present for her Nov. 17 birth and has spent barely any time with her. Mr. Orszag lives in northwest Washington and shares custody of his two children from his first marriage, to Cameron Hamill. Both Ms. Milonas and Ms. Golodryga live in New York.

As with any story of this nature in Washington, the Very Serious People who traffic in it are obliged to emphasize that such silliness is beneath them. Mr. Baer said that nearly every press inquiry he has received was prefaced with the requisite faux-sheepishness.

“Everyone feels the need to say, ‘I’m really sorry I have to ask you about this’ and ‘I’m only carrying out orders from my boss,’ ” Mr. Baer said. (For the record: this reporter was only acting on orders from his boss.) And, of course, the Very Serious Media are not writing the Orszag Love-Child Story, they are merely writing about the media frenzy surrounding it.

Image FIANCÉE Bianna Golodryga. Credit... Ida Mae Astute/ABC

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect is not so much the timeworn themes of love, life and heartbreak. “Human relations are a mess,” said Marina Ein, a crisis public relations expert in Washington whose messes have included the travails of former Congressman Gary Condit. “We’re in the same situation as when Adam was trying to dodge the apple that was thrown at him.”

Even so, Adam didn’t have to deal with deficit forecasts, consumer price indexes or, for that matter, cable headlines like “Budget Baby Mama Drama” (thanks for that, MSNBC). And there’s a natural intrigue that goes along with an unlikely celebrity who becomes an even more unlikely piece of tabloid fodder. “There is something that a lot of people in Washington find shocking about this story, which is why we keep talking about it,” Ms. Ein said. “This is a person who seems so controlled in his professional life.” Indeed, someone who carries neat to-do lists in his breast pocket and a copy on his desk of Epictetus, the Greek philosopher who preached self-discipline. “And yet he’s so messy in his private life. This is an a-ha moment.”