HINCKLEY HILTON, D.C. — The Atlantic party certainly earned its name Saturday evening — just getting to the bar meant slowly floating through a sea of people.
Luckily, this was one those rare crowds that responds well to a few “pardon me”s.
Having made the trans-Atlantic, National Journal, CBS crossing, your humble Mirror contributor waited patiently for one of several frazzled bartenders to empty a Chardonnay bottle into a line of glasses.
All of that waiting is a good time to look around.
Hundreds of upside-down champagne glasses hung from the tented ceiling, creating impressive-looking chandeliers; and an amazing live band absolutely nailed a range of selections from the Great American Songbook.
“Who wants white wine?” the bartender asked everybody. Several hands shot out.
What the heck. The Mirror will take one “and a scotch on the rocks, please?”
She nodded, whipped around, grabbed 3 more glasses and filled the slowest pours of vodka tonics ever attempted. No scotch?
“What are you having?” she asked someone else — not The Mirror.
“Ahem.”
“Oh. What was yours again?” This was no Chris Bedford.
“Scotch. Rocks.”
Victory. There’s something about waiting too long for scotch that can make even Cutty Sark feel like you landed a glass of Pappy Van Winkle. (Of course, The Mirror would never ruin a glass of Pappy with Chick-Fil-A levels of ice.)
With that, it was back across the Atlantic with two cups filled to the brim.
Luckily, Bret Baier and his stunningly-dressed bride Amy were headed in the same direction, easily carving a path. The Mirror joined that motorcade.
Out of the way, Zeke Miller. Step aside, Geoff Morrell. Scram, David Corn. Moving by, Bill Plante. Coming through, Jason Chaffetz. Hey there, Kate Bennett. Excuse me, Steny Hoyer. Pardon me, John Kasich. The Mirror is looking for some celebs here!
(Kasich, by the way, was telling someone a presidential run may be in his near future.)
Eureka! There’s TV’s Tea Leoni and Tim Daly, the stars of CBS’s Madam Secretary!
Thank goodness Madeleine Albright and Bob Schieffer are small people — they didn’t really get in the way of the photos.