''Just think - Pamela Anderson and Mitt Romney in the same room. Isn't that a sign of the apocalypse?'' Bush joked, drawing rousing laughter from the audience.
Don't fret, though, the apocalypse isn't on its way yet.
Romney's eldest son Tagg told us as we entered the dinner that his dad wasn't at the event because he was in Reno, Nev., giving a speech for the presumptive GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain.
Mitt Romney and wife Ann were supposed to be at table No. 1 with staffers from the National Review, but alas, duty called.
Bush's joke, obviously crafted when Romney was still planning on coming, still went over well with the audience, though, since no one knew the Mittster had skipped out.
A Fan Favorite
Utah attorney Clark Waddoups is a Senate vote away from becoming a federal judge after President Bush nominated him earlier in the week. We heard nothing but praise from Utah's political elite, who repeatedly mentioned that Waddoups is above partisanship. Want some proof?
He practiced law in the liberal bastion of California before he came to uber-conservative Utah. He got his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University before getting a law degree from the University of Utah. How middle of the road could the man get?
But we can also point out that some of his biggest fans appear to be the Republican leaders of the Utah Legislature. His last two prominent cases were defending the Legislature's decision to phase out a state employee health benefit (he won) and trying to kill a referendum that ultimately eliminated the private school vouchers law (he lost).
Becker Watch
Salt Lake City's new mayor, Ralph Becker, has made at least three trips to Washington, D.C., since taking over for firebrand-turned-human-rights-crusader Rocky Anderson. And he hasn't protested once.
As far as we can tell, the most exciting thing he has done is ask Utah's delegation for more bike paths and visit an old high school friend.
Keeping with the approach, what should we expect when President Bush heads back to Utah for a couple of fundraisers later this month? Don't hold out for Becker to lead the protest.
Somewhere, Tribune headline writers are weeping.
White House mouthpiece
A media aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch recently headed down Pennsylvania Avenue to work at the White House in the remaining few months of President Bush's term.
Salt Lake City native Jared Whitley will serve as associate director in the White House Communications Office and is now in charge of rapid response to media inquiries. That leaves Hatch's response to media requests solely in the hands of former Tribune editor Mark Eddington.
Ever the spokesman, Whitley let us know about his departure with a fancy news release.
''Even as a cock-eyed optimist in freshman English classes, I never thought I'd have the chance to write on behalf of the president," Whitley said in a statement written by Whitley.
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* BURR and CANHAM report for The Tribune from Washington. They can be reached at tburr@sltrib.com or mcanham@sltrib.com. For more political tidbits, visit http://blogs.sltrib.com/utahpolitics.
