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Anniversary Ball It's All Simply MarvelousBy Rick Horowitz
The Nation's Capital is seldom thought of as The Nation's Party Capital, but for one glittery weekend, at least, Washington shook off its staid reputation and proved it could celebrate with the best of them. Another night or two of such goings-on, and those of us in the bash-and-ball biz may even have to recalibrate our stereotypes! The occasion for all this beaming bonhomie, of course, was the third anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Bush Administration's signature foreign-policy achievement. On hand to mark the moment -- to swap war stories and crow just a little (and who can blame them?) -- were most if not all of the U.S. invasion's principal architects, from Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney to Condi Rice, George Tenet and Tommy Franks. George and Laura Bush, notorious non-party types (especially the president), went all out this time to honor the men and women who removed a brutal dictator and brought democracy to a troubled corner of the Middle East. The guests entered the White House East Room under a gigantic red-white-and-blue banner that declared "Liberty on the March," and both décor and dinner were selected to heighten the mood. At every place setting, miniature figurines of a toppled Saddam Hussein, surely destined for heirloom status. Tucked into each centerpiece, meanwhile, were wallet-sized photos of countless smiling Iraqis, their gratitude for the American effort evident on each and every face. The menu featured tournedos of Texas beef with baby snow peas, flash-grilled Euphrates monkfish in a drizzle of savory oils and coffin bits, and for dessert, a "Coalition of the Willing" meringue that melted into exquisite nothingness at first contact with the tongue. Scrumptious! Speaking of our coalition partners, Tony Blair was a surprise no-show; the British prime minister and wife Cherie begged off at the last minute to attend to pressing matters on the other side of the pond. But the party didn't miss a beat, helped along by the sophisticated song stylings of the U.S. Navy Jazz Band. Nor, despite the Blairs' unexpected absence, did the guest list lack for international cachet. On hand to offer their personal thanks were such Iraqi stalwarts as deputy president Adel Abdul Mahdi and former exile and longtime Pentagon favorite Ahmed Chalabi. "This is a wonderful moment," Mr. Chalabi told reporters early in the evening as he shook hands along the spectators' rope line. "Even in our dreams, it was not like this." The president struck a similarly upbeat note, while conceding that the goal of a free and democratic Iraq still had a few wrinkles to be ironed out. In a toast interrupted by applause and sporadic gunfire, Mr. Bush voiced his admiration for the U.S. military, "the greatest force for freedom the world has ever seen," and said he was confident that Iraqi forces would "soon be ready" to take on more responsibility for protecting their own country. "What we have done in Iraq," the president declared as digital cameras flashed and electrodes sparked, "will have ripple effects all across that region, and indeed, across the entire Muslim world." For his part, Mr. Cheney -- a man not generally given to big gestures -- was as expansive as anyone in the room could remember seeing him, grabbing arms and slapping backs all evening long, with an especially warm greeting for Zalmay Khalilzad, our ambassador to Iraq. To the delight of the crowd, the veep even took a turn on the dance floor with wife Lynne, swaying to the strains of "The Sheik of Araby." And his own toast was a masterpiece of brevity. "We won," he said. "Just like we said. Next question?" But if there were any further questions, they were quickly drowned out by the cheers and the car bombs. Electricity was quickly restored, but soon it was time to go home, smiles and mementoes carried off by the happy crowd into the cool, crisp Washington night. We can hardly wait for next year's party! Posted 3/21/06. Get
beyond the rope lines with award-winning commentary from syndicated
columnist Rick Horowitz!
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Rick Horowitz
