There is an official private party here and the woman in black is being very hush-hush about who is sponsoring it. At first, her face is blank, until instructions come in via the earphone in her ear. As the humidity increases and a downpour begins, the few visitors rush into the building for cover. Inside, as a ranger explains where our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, a women dressed in a red, white and blue sequined vest is intently listening. People are losing sight of our founding principles, and Bush will bring them back.
Guests graze on prime rib, scallops, risotto, caviar and gourmet wines.
A wedding orchestra plays. After working the room, the Timoneys duck out with New York Gov. George Pataki for dinner at Striped Bass. She is unperturbed about the heckling John McCain received earlier in the day at her Shadow Convention, a four-day affair addressing campaign finance reform, poverty and the failed war on drugs. Hours later, Huffington takes it all in stride. Most of the heckling was from an isolated group protesting a Native American position.