In the wake of Bush's 2004 reelection, the dinner makes a pitch beyond the President's constituency with the African-American comic, who makes cracks about Condoleezza Rice's first name. But the star of the evening is Laura Bush, who pushes her husband off the stage, takes over the mike and jokes about their dull home life. "Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching Desperate Housewives with Lynne Cheney," she says, describing a typical evening. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."
Richard Zoglin