Friday was one of those highlights of a lifetime.

I stood in a line with only nine other people and on your behalf welcomed the President of the United States to western Washington. “W” was in fine form. Tanned, relaxed and in good humor, he evinced every mannerism the press whines about but that are endearing to Americans: the impish grin when he is amused, looking you (and only you) in the eye when he talks with you, and saying things in ways that put you at ease.

The President was here to help Congressman Dave Reichert as Dave seeks to defend his seat for the first time (which conventional wisdom says is the most difficult.) I don’t see Dave losing, but we have to work to get the job done. At the state convention, I noted that Dave had really grown in the job and because of his looks, history, and heroism, he has real star power – a sure winner.

But, truth be told: compared to the President of the United States coming down the stairs from Air Force One silhouetted against the Great Seal of the United States, no one has star power. No one!

After leaving Boeing Field, the President; Dave and his campaign staff; and the Washington State Republican Party (our own Andrea Innes playing a prominent role) put on a world class event in Medina that netted somewhere north of $750,000 – shared about equally between the State Party and the Reichert Campaign. They all put themselves on the map with that event. They did us proud.

I suspect that the President will return before the 2006 campaign season is over because there was one person missing from last Friday’s event: Mike McGavick. Our next US Senator was attending his son’s college graduation, which is one of the few reasons one could miss a presidential event. In fact, if I had been on his staff I would have counseled him to do exactly as he did. Fatherhood is a series of once in a lifetime events that you cannot miss. The important thing is that Mike has what it takes to win and better than that, he has the guts, class and smarts to be a great Senator. And right now Washington is sorely under-represented in the United States Senate.

I read that our students are having trouble with the math portion of the WASL. Well it’s no wonder. The Democrats are trying to tell us that when we add up our two partly good Senators we get a great one. But addition is not what it’s all about. It’s multiplication. And however you cut it, two times zero will always be zero.

C’mon back Mr. President.