ROGER SIMON COLUMN
DECEMBER 14, 2005
WASHINGTON - - "Good evening, Mr. President. Thank you for inviting me. Good evening, Mrs. Bush. The White House looks very lovely this year."
No, too long.
"Mr. President, thank you. Mrs. Bush, swell house."
Still too long.
"Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, gotta go."
Close.
This week the White House will hold its annual holiday party for the national press corps. It is a true gala. The White House is gorgeously decorated, uniformed Marines play delightful music, and reporters get to wander around eating and drinking in the State Dining Room, the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Red Room and the East Room.
The two things reporters like most about the party are the baby lamb chops (you never want to get between a journalist and a lamb chop) and posing for a picture with the President and First Lady.
Because hundreds of people are invited to this shindig, this means the actual amount of time you have to chat with the Bushes before the flash goes off and you are hustled away is about 10 seconds.
For the vast majority of the reporters attending, this is the longest time they will get with the president all year.
So you want to make it count. Whatever you might think of him, President Bush is a very engaging person (as is Mrs. Bush) and he has mastered the art of making everyone feel important.
Before you walk up to pose with the Bushes, a military officer calls out your name, so you never know if the president really remembers you or not.
At the last White House party I went to, the president gripped my hand and said, "Big Rog! How are you?"
I don't know who the next reporter in line was, but if his name was Louis, the president probably said, "Big Louie! How are you?"
Still, I appreciate the gesture. Each year, however, I resolve that I will ask the president a meaningful question.
I especially want to do so this year, because "NBC Nightly News" anchor and managing editor Brian Williams scored a huge coup this week by getting not just one, but three, exclusive interviews with President Bush.
As the network press release said: "In addition (to airing the interviews on the "Nightly News") Williams will report on his trip and interview with the president on NBC's cable networks MSNBC and CNBC. Coverage will also be included online on MSNBC.com and on the "NBC Nightly News Netcast," (www.nightly.msnbc.com). And Williams will blog throughout the day about the interview on "The Daily Nightly," (www.dailynightly.msnbc.com). Reports will also appear on NBC mobile, NBC radio and the podcast will be available for download after broadcast. Williams will do a follow up report on "Today" on Tuesday, December 13."
Talk about platforms! (By this time next year, NBC will have figured out a way to broadcast the nightly news to the fillings in your teeth.)
There is only one way I can compete with this: I will interview the president at the party this week and then I will come to your house and tell you about it.
True, it will be a slow process as I work my way across the country. And, true, unlike the very able Mr. Williams, I will have only 10 seconds with the president.
But I promise to make them meaningful seconds and I will do my best to bring them to you personally. So get the lamb chops ready.
Posted by rsimon at December 14, 2005 05:13 PM