Pubdate: Fri, 28 Jun 2002
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Section: The Reliable Source Column
Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: By Lloyd Grove, Washington Post Staff Writer

FOR BUSH DAUGHTERS, (NIGHT) LIFE ISN'T FAIR

We hope those fun-loving first twins, Jenna and Barbara Bush, had a good 
time Wednesday night at Stetson's, the Texas-themed Washington saloon where 
they were spotted by multiple witnesses sucking down Budweisers and 
chain-smoking cigarettes with a group of friends till well past midnight.

But we suspect that as a result of this item, President Bush's 20-year-old 
daughters - who've had embarrassing scrapes in the past over their 
under-age drinking in public places - won't be consuming much more alcohol 
in the nation's capital, at least not until they reach the legal age of 21 
on Nov. 25.

On the other hand, we hear they did enjoy themselves. Four Stetson's 
patrons, who told us they were sitting with members of a softball league at 
the next table on the bar's second floor, gave us a fill on condition of 
anonymity. "I don't want to be involved in this story in any way, shape, 
manner or form," one 28-year-old witness, a government employee, told us 
urgently.

Yesterday our sources - who expressed concerns that going public about the 
Bush girls would be bad for their careers - said one of the twins got down 
on the floor to help an inebriated young man perform a party trick in which 
he seemed to rotate his wrist 360 degrees. In the general haze, it wasn't 
clear if the helper was Jenna or Barbara.

"I have to admit I was pretty drunk," said the party trick performer, who 
initially told us we could use his name, but then had second thoughts. "My 
friend and I were at the bar, and he told me there were the Bush daughters 
at the table. I went up to them and asked them, 'What's your name?' And 
they laughed and said something like, 'Slayton.' So then I started 
performing some of my magic tricks. And I have this one trick where it's 
like I'm double-jointed and I move my hand around in the joint. When I 
asked for help, one of the girls - I think it was the light-haired one - 
volunteered. She got down on her knees next to me and helped twist my hand. 
I think the trick really shocked her."

Witnesses said Jenna and Barbara, who were with half a dozen friends, had 
no visible security, and a source sympathetic to them told us it's 
understandable why they'd want to down beers in a bar: "They're college 
students on summer break. It's hot outside. Duh!"

Stetson's owner Rob Deisroth - who initially responded with an "Oh Lord!" 
when we called for comment yesterday - said he wasn't on the premises when 
the Bush girls were spotted, and added that his waiters and bartenders 
didn't recognize them. It wasn't clear yesterday how the girls obtained the 
beers, or whether they were asked for identification.

"The median age of my customers is 29 - I cater to an older crowd - but if 
somebody looks visibly under 21, we card them," Deisroth said. "I suppose I 
could have somebody sitting at my front door to card people as they walk 
in, but that seems a little unpersonable."

Under-age drinking is a misdemeanor in D.C., and if a fake I.D. is used, 
the penalty can be up to a year in jail and a $300 fine. Unlike in Texas - 
where authorities merely cited the Bush girls when they caught them 
drinking in Austin - D.C. law requires the police to arrest an offender and 
take them to jail.

Even if the offender has Secret Service protection?

"Absolutely," said Police Lt. Patrick Burke, who oversees enforcement of 
the drinking laws. "We never have an issue with them. We understand that 
the Secret Service has a job to do, and they understand that we do, too."

Noelia Rodriguez, press secretary to First Lady Laura Bush, said: "All I 
can tell you is that the daughters are private citizens and we don't 
comment on their personal lives."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D