President

The men and women who go the hard yards to cover the White House belong to an organization that calls itself the White House Correspondent's Association. This outfit puts on a little soiree every year, where members can decompress after the tortures of being condescended to, hour after hour, by spokesman Jay Carney.

Members are entertained by speeches and the presence of celebrity guests.  This year, these will include Ms. Kim Kardashian and Ms. Reese Witherspoon.  The featured speaker at this year's event will be Mr. Jimmy Kimmel who recently interviewed President Obama on his late night show, asking hard-hitting questions about the president's favorite movies, among other things. The president himself will tell a couple jokes, building camaraderie with those who daily press his administration for facts in pursuit of the high truth and justice.

One wonders if Mr. Kimmel will manage some jokes about the record 45 million Americans on food stamps while attendees enjoy their dinner, the menu for which follows:

Menu for Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Association scholarship dinner at the Washington Hilton, selected by the WHCA board at a tasting that included nine courses and four wins (hat tips: Reuters' Caren Bohan, WHCA's Julie Whiston and Hilton wizard Sinead Fitzpatrick):

--Salad: Black Lentil Terrine with lump Crabmeat, Tango Green and Red Artisan Greens, Red and Yellow Tear Drop Tomatoes -- drizzled with a Dill Vinaigrette

--Bread Presentation: Seven-Grain Rolls, White and Wheat Rolls; Sourdough Rolls, Flatbreads and butter

--Entrée: Texas Rubbed Petite Filet with a Calvados Demi, paired with Duo of Jumbo Shrimp seasoned with Red Curry; Roasted Haricot Verts, Baby Pepper, Patty Pan Squash; Tasso Mache Choux Risotto

--Dessert: The Galaxy -- Rich Chocolate Truffle Mousse layered with Chocolate Genoise and Almond Macaroon, Ganache Truffle Center finished in a chocolate glaze, garnished with fresh raspberries

--Freshly brewed regular and decaff coffee; variety of regular and herbal teas

--Wines: Estancia Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

I was struck by these sentences in President Obama’s speech:

Now, what makes today’s stalemate so dangerous is that it has been tied to something known as the debt ceiling – a term that most people outside of Washington have probably never heard of before.

President Obama’s speech in Tucson was fine, as far as it went. The protocol in such circumstances seems to require presidents to call for healing, unity, civility, fellowship, and a determination to move forward, as well as a shout-out to heroes and victims. The president appears to have done all this, and with generally satisfactory results; I leave it to others to debate whether he failed or succeeded.