Politics

Party Time In D.C.

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 20, 2001 / 4:23 PM EST / CBS

The Bushes and the Cheneys, along with thousands of their closest friends, get a chance to kick up their heels Saturday night at a total of 10 inaugural balls.

But the hottest ticket in town, reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson, was Friday night's Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball, where the Lone Star State pulled out the stops to celebrate its native son.

Just looking at the crowds, it was clear that the nation's capital is going through a big change. It's not often that a party inside Washington, has so few Washington insiders.

The truth is, most Washington Insiders wouldn't be caught dead at any inaugural ball. They're considered to be boring, only for out-of-towners, fat-cat contributors, and for showing off fancy duds. That may be hitting below the belt buckle, as far as fans of George W. Bush are concerned.

"Tonight, we are gonna give Washington something to talk about!" said one woman attending the Texas affair.

They're delighted to bring their influence, and their livestock, to Washington. They also brought their Texas-sized wallets. After all, this kind of shindig doesn't come cheap.

Jimmy Carter spent just $3 million on his inauguration in 1977, but those days are long gone. President Bush is raising $35 million in private money, and the government will kick in another $13.5 million for services like security.

But on a night like this, style is always more important than those pesky financial details.

"Well, boots are a good start," said a woman at the Black Tie and Boots Ball. "We wear a lot of leather, a lot of fringe, we like to look ... there's a flair to it. This is my cowboy hat. I did not buy this special for this ball."

But if any of these people thought they'd get to cozy up to the new president, they got a quick education in inaugural balls. Most of them couldn't even get into the ballroom where Mr. Bush made a brief appearance, and showed off his boots. But, in the end, most just seemed tickled to be here.

President Bush will attend all 10 official balls; fewer than his father, but more than Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton still beats them all — he attended 14.