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Monday, December 3, 2007

Early warning

By Ken Herman | Monday, December 3, 2007, 11:30 AM

Generally, White House reporters get about 90 minutes notice that President Bush is going to have a news conference.

So it came as a surprise this morning at 10:48 a.m. when the White House announced that Bush will hold a news conference at 10:10 a.m. TOMORROW. That’s almost 24 hours notice.

How come the change in tactics?

Nothing too mystical, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, who says it’s been on the schedule for awhile “and he agreed to let us announce it early.”

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Bushes night out

By Ken Herman | Monday, December 3, 2007, 10:29 AM

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It was get-dressed-up-and-go-out night at the White House on Sunday as the president and the first lady headed out for the annual Kennedy Center Honors tribute.

This year’s honorees: Comedian Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, Beach Boy Brian Wilson, pianist Leon Fleischer and director Martin Scorsese.

Prior to motorcading to the Kennedy Center, the Bushes hosted a White House reception in honor of the honorees.

Pretty good guest list, including actor Theodore Bikel, actor Steve Carell, Army Chief of Staff George Casey, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Hootie & The Blowfish singer Darius Rucker and bassist Dean Felber, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, singer Aretha Franklin, musician Lyle Lovett, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, musician Itzhak Perlman, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, musician Earl Scruggs, comedian Martin Short, actor Ron Silver and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Also on the guest list were several CBS executives and correspondents, including Jim Axelrod and Bill Plante, the network’s men at the White House.

How’d they score the invitations? The Kennedy Center event was taped Sunday night for airing on CBS on Dec. 26.

And speaking of scoring, the presence on the guest list of comedian Martin Short and wife Nancy brings to mind a warm recollection Steve Martin offered the other night during a Washington q-and-a session hosted by the Smithsonian.

An audience member asked Martin if anything funny happened while making the 1986 film “The Three Amigos” with Short and Chevy Chase. Martin told of a Scrabble game in which Short passed him a note offering sex with Mrs. Short in exchange for the letters q and e.

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