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Via Politico: . . . Another illustration of presidential hubris involved the Bush family. The White House put out a picture of a private meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 27 that included former President George H.W. Bush and his son, Jeb, the former governor of Florida. The Bushes were in town for the annual black tie dinner the next night at the Alfalfa Club, a gathering of business and political elites. The two featured speakers, both intended to be brief and humorous, were Obama and Jeb Bush. The president spoke to good reviews. He left before Bush spoke....

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is skipping an annual rite of passage for Washington's movers and shakers: the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner on Saturday night. Obama attended last year's affair, held less than two weeks after he was sworn in to office. The White House did not explain the president's decision not to attend this year.

When House Republicans planned their annual winter retreat, they extended an invitation to Alaska Gov. Sara Palin, hoping the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee would give a morale-building speech to the more than 130 Republican members of Congress gathered this weekend in Hot Springs, Va. Retreat organizers tell ABC News that Palin politely declined, giving a perfectly understandable reason. According to the Congressional Institute, which hosted the conference, Palin said she simply could not make it to the retreat because pressing state business made it impossible for her to leave Alaska this weekend. So where is Palin this weekend? She's...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will head to Washington this weekend, in a move certain to set tongues wagging about the former Republican vice presidential nominee's national aspirations. The Alaska governor, who ignited nationwide excitement in the GOP base when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) selected her as his running mate, will address the exclusive Alfalfa Club, an organization of prominent politicians and business leaders who hold a major dinner every January. Palin told the Anchorage Daily News she will attend the dinner because President Obama will be there. “How often will I have an opportunity to have dinner with the...

WASHINGTON - President Bush ventured out of the White House on a chilly Saturday night to a Washington hotel warmed by a roast of bigwig guests. The president and his wife, Laura, took a short motorcade ride to a hotel, just blocks from the White House, to attend to the Alfalfa Club dinner, an annual event where Washington political and business leaders gather to give humorous speeches about the goings-on in the world. Also invited were Bush's parents, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush. The club is already a family affair — the former president's...

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush attended the annual Alfalfa Club dinner Saturday night, a lighthearted gathering of Washington's political and business elite. Typically rife with humorous speeches, including one-liners from the president, the black-tie gala at the Capital Hilton downtown is attended by the social club's 200 or so members and their guests. Besides being closed to the press, other past traditions have included anointing a president over toasts of Champagne - last year Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., receiving the honorary title. Vernon Jordan, a civil rights figure and influencial Washington lawyer, was the incoming president for this...