By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : President Barack Obamas’ first state dinner in honour of the Indian prime minister has created quite a buzz in the US media with one daily calling it a “Night to remember” and another focusing on how “A-listers, fundraisers” made it to the event.
Calling it “A night to remember”, the Washington Post said: “The amount of pomp was just enough to give rise to goose bumps but not discomfort. Every speech was spot-on eloquent, not just one for the history books but one that mesmerised the ear with its musical cadence.”
But the conservative Washington Times turned the spotlight on “A-listers, fundraisers” attend White House state dinner.
“President Obama’s first state dinner attracted a bevy of Hollywood A-listers, big-money fundraisers and Washington power brokers to fete Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under a big top erected on the White House’s South Lawn to accommodate the larger-than-typical guest list,” it noted.
“Movie moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg joined big money bundlers such as Penny Pritzker, Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign finance chairman, and media bigwigs Katie Couric of CBS News and Brian Williams of NBC News at the dinner for more than 300.”
The influential New York Times took a different tack focusing on “Modern Flourishes as Obamas Host State Dinner”.
“It is an old tradition, a White House dinner governed by ritual and protocol that happens to be this city’s hottest social event. But at their first state dinner on Tuesday night, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches,” it said.
“They hired a new florist, Laura Dowling, who bedecked the tented outdoor dining room with locally grown, sustainably harvested magnolia branches and ivy. They selected a guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York, an American citizen who was born in Ethiopia, reared in Sweden and cooks up melting pots of flavours and cuisines,” the Times noted.
CNN turned its attention on how “Obama’s first state dinner blends pageantry with politics.”
“President Obama toasted a growing US friendship with India at the first state dinner of his administration Tuesday, an evening of regal pageantry and symbolic politics in a tent on the White House South Lawn,” it said.
A tradition dating back to 1874, state dinners are the most treasured and formal honour a US president can offer a foreign dignitary, and the most coveted invitation in Washington, it noted.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians)