by Scott Ott
NEWS ANALYSIS
(2004-01-21) -- While many journalists agree that President George Bush's State of the Union address was little more than a 54-minute display of political stagecraft to portray him as a steady Commander-in-Chief during an election year, few have noted the political significance of the dinner Mr. Bush enjoyed before the speech.
It was there over roast beef, green beans and tossed salad, that Mr. Bush demonstrated the depth of his political ambition and the influence of political advisor Karl Rove on every aspect of Mr. Bush's daily life.
Although only a handful of people joined Mr. and Mrs. Bush in their private White House dining room, according to an unnamed dinner guest, the President clearly viewed it as an opportunity to appear 'presidential' in the face of growing criticism of his administration from Democrat presidential contenders and members of Congress.
Before some of the guests had finished eating the salad, a waiter asked Laura Bush if the diners were ready for the main course. Mr. Rove allegedly whispered something to Mr. Bush, who then said somberly, "Now is not the time to change course."
As a Latina waitress served him a generous slab of beef, the president remarked to his guests that the nation's meat supply is "safer than ever, and further regulation would only harm the American farmer."
Mr. Bush, speaking in Spanish, thanked the waitress and later noted that the White House had a hard time finding an American willing to take the job. Eventually, they located the recently-naturalized Latina, whose parents had immigrated illegally in the 1970s.
"Her diligent toil serves our nation well," Mr. Bush said. "There are many like her parents, who would love to take low-paying jobs like this, but current law forbids it due to their illegal alien status. They would benefit, and so would we all, from my proposed temporary worker program."
The unnamed dinner guest noted that the President would often ask for condiments to be passed to him, but if they didn't arrive quickly, "he would unilaterally reach across the table and grab what he wanted."
"It is tempting to believe that the gravy or the salt will just arrive on its own," Mr. Bush reportedly said. "That hope is understandable, comforting -- and false."
During the dinner, several Republican pollsters, at the direction of Mr. Rove, periodically interviewed the dinner guests one-on-one.
As the guests left the White House, Mr. Rove presented them with poll results which showed that Mr. Bush was more popular during dessert than at any time since the initial mingling-and-hors d'oeuvres period.
He was also more popular during dessert than any previous president had been during the final course of any pre-State-of-the-Union meal during the past 30 years.
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