Lights out at 10pm for Bush party guests
Excerpt:
Since he first ran for president, George Bush has portrayed himself as the "anti-Bill Clinton", and his social life is no exception.
The administration has just published the list of guests invited to spend the night in the White House since Mr Bush assumed the presidency 20 months ago, and the contrast with his predecessor could not be more striking.
Where Mr Clinton – ever the social climber, even in the most powerful job on earth -- played host to a steady stream of celebrities and power-brokers from the worlds of politics, academia, business, publishing and Hollywood, Mr Bush's circle has been folksy, intimate and almost wilfully devoid of glamour or intellectualism.
Most of the 160 people who have spent the night since inauguration day have been old friends or golfing partners from Texas. Scratch around the list for well-known names, and the best you can do is Ben Crenshaw, the golfer; Kinky Friedman, the Texas singer- songwriter turned author; and a couple of minor-league country music artists. No Barbra Streisand or Warren Beatty – almost nobody, in fact, that Mr Bush has not known for years and already considers his personal friend.