Bushes, Cheneys greet Nevadans at ball

Benjamin Grove and Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 | 9 a.m.

By Benjamin Grove and Suzanne Struglinski

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, Laura Bush and daughters Barbara and Jenna made the inaugural ball set aside for Nevada and 17 other state and U.S. territories their first party stop of the evening Thursday. They stayed five minutes, danced one dance, waved to the crowd and left.

"We're having the time of our life," Bush said. "We want others to celebrate democracy around the the world.

"Thanks for letting me serve our great nation for four more years."

Revelers hoisted digital cameras and cell phones in the air the moment the Bushes hit the stage. The same happened when Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife showed up around 10 p.m.

"This is the rowdiest bunch yet," Cheney said, drawing cheers from the crowd. "It leads me to think about what you've been doing for the last couple of hours."

At the Constitution Ball, long lines snaked through the packed ballroom for a cash bar and a buffet of pasta, beef, salad, cheese cubes and bread. No one seemed to mind paying for drinks on top of their $150 tickets. The drink line was long throughout the evening.

The crowd varied in ages, with children and senior citizens alike in ball gowns of every color. Cowboy hats and string ties complimented a few tuxedos.

Las Vegas headliner Rich Little addressed the crowd just before the first family arrived, greeting them with a poem that ended:

"The election is over, so let's let this thing pass / I'll hug your elephant and you can kiss my ..." and he trailed off with yells and whistles from the crowd. He also did an impression of President Reagan.

Ball attendees took photos in front of an inauguration seal. Items for sale include a $5 official program, a $21 money clip, a $90 coaster set and a $69 ice bucket, all emblazoned with Inauguration 2005.

Other bits and pieces from inauguration week:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Thursday re-asserted that Democrats were not going to "shy away" from a fight with President Bush on important issues.

Reacting to Bush's call for unity on the day Bush was sworn in for a second term, the Nevada senator again said that he hoped for compromises with the White House.

"This country needs unification," Reid said. "We've been divided too long."

Reid said he hoped Thursday marked a "new day" of bipartisanship. But he added that it could only be a new day if Bush carries forward his promise to reach out to Democrats.

As he has before, Reid asserted that Democrats have an obligation to oppose Republicans on some issues. Reid has vowed to fight Bush on Social Security reform and on some judicial nominations, among other issues.

"We're going to work as hard as we can to live up to the expectations the American people have of us," Reid said.

Reid plans to outline the party's top 10 priorities on Monday. He hinted that among them would be putting the nation's "fiscal house" in order, strengthening education and improving access to health care.

Meanwhile, back in the Las Vegas Valley, Democrats held a news conference Thursday to say they hoped members of both parties can set aside the differences highlighted during the election. But state party chairwoman Adriana Martinez said the state should be wary of some of Bush's plans in his second term.

"Bush's vision is to privatize Social Security and turn Nevada into a nuclear wasteland," she said. And, because the election was so close, she said, "make no mistake, the 2004 election was not a mandate for anything."

The hottest after-ball ticket for Nevadans was to the party at the Hard Rock Cafe, where political consulting firm November Inc. hosted a bash that included a gig by keyboardist and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., and four members of his former high school garage band. The other musicians still sometimes play together. Porter was just being allowed to sit in, he said.

"I'm the problem," a nervous Porter said before the set.

Later in the night, Porter and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., recognized about a dozen Iraq war veterans who are recovering from wounds and had been invited to the party, drawing applause from the crowd.

Nevada's three Republican lawmakers in Congress had high praise for Bush's inaugural speech.

Ensign said the president's words transcended politics.

"It wasn't a Republican speech or a Democrat speech," Ensign said. "It was an American speech. It was a very statesman-like speech."

Ensign said it was too early to tell where Bush's vision of spreading freedom would take the United States, including whether it could take the nation to moving troops to other nations.

"The president clearly believes in the spread of freedom to make America more secure," Ensign said. "Democracies don't attack each other."