Just a Bump in the Beltway

I'm convinced that reality simply doesn't matter any longer to this White House. This should scare any thinking citizen shitless.

Beats Working

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, August 1, 2006; 1:46 PM

As part of his new media strategy to get out of Washington and reconnect with the voters, President Bush dined with "community leaders" Sunday night in Miami Beach.

Or so the White House wanted you to believe.

In fact, Bush spent the evening at the exclusive Joe's Stone Crabs restaurant talking about sports and movies with a bunch of former Miami Dolphins football players, an actor and the flamboyant host of a raunchy and ribald Spanish-language variety show.

It was only hours after Bush had learned that an Israeli air strike had killed dozens of Lebanese children, a moment for soul-searching if there ever was one.

But what did Bush want to talk about?

Former Dolphin Jim Kiick told Steve Wine of the Associated Press that topics of conversation included movies, the 1972 Dolphins and fellow attendee and former Dolphin Dan Marino's achievements -- but little politics.

Kiick added: "It was a pretty wild feeling to know you're having dinner with the most powerful person in the most powerful country. Usually it costs you $20,000 to get close to the president."

It's not the first time the White House has used a euphemism to describe with whom Bush was meeting as part of his new campaign to, as counselor Dan Bartlett put it, "get a sense of what's on the minds of the people out in the country."

During his recent trip to Chicago, Bush's dinner with "opinion leaders" was actually with business leaders and the mayor. His breakfast, which Bartlett described at the time as being with "leaders in the small business community," was actually with the CEOs of large companies, two of them in the Fortune 500, and one of them being Kraft.

And while Bush evidently was happy to make time in his presidential schedule for small talk and big crab legs, at least two members of the current Dolphins organization turned down his invitation -- because they were too busy.

Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban and defensive end Jason Taylor told the AP's Wine that their obligations at training camp took priority.

Bush made mention of his evening during his remarks yesterday at the Port of Miami: "This trip is a little different from the last time I spent the night here in Miami," he said, referring to his visit in 2004 for his first debate against Democratic challenger John Kerry.

"Last night Jeb and I had some crabs with members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino and his really dynamic wife; TV stars -- Andy Garcia, a movie star. We had a fantastic experience. It's a lot better, by the way, than preparing for a presidential debate."
The Guests

Some 24 hours after the dinner in question, the White House finally turned over to the press corps a list of attendees. In addition to the president's brother, Marino and Kiick: Nick Buoniconti, a linebacker on the 1972 Miami Dolphins team and wife Lynn; Garcia and wife Marivi; "Sábado Gigante" television host Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco, and wife Teresa Muchnick; Jim Mandich, tight end for the 1972 Dolphins and wife Bonnie.
1972: A Great Year . . . for the Dolphins

What's so special about the 1972 Dolphins? They were the only team ever to have a perfect season in the history of the National Football League. Bush's record isn't quite so good.

And where was Bush himself during that 1972 season? No one really knows.

The 17-game Dolphins winning streak extended from September to December 1972. Bush was suspended from flight status in the Texas Air National Guard in August 1972 after failing to take his required annual flight physical. During that 1972 Dolphins season, he had supposedly transferred to an Alabama guard unit. But available records and recollection of guard members who were there at the time suggest he didn't show up.