{"id":1988,"date":"2007-10-19T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2007-10-19T09:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2007\/10\/waldorf-salad-blair-egan-bloomberg-at-the-al-smith-dinner.html"},"modified":"2007-10-19T09:01:00","modified_gmt":"2007-10-19T09:01:00","slug":"waldorf-salad-blair-egan-bloomberg-at-the-al-smith-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/10\/waldorf-salad-blair-egan-bloomberg-at-the-al-smith-dinner.html","title":{"rendered":"Waldorf salad: Blair, Egan, Bloomberg at the Al Smith Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last night was the legendary Al Smith dinner here in New York, where a certain former British Prime Minister<\/a> (who, rumors insist, is considering becoming a Catholic, and a deacon at that) was the keynote speaker. <\/p>\n

How’d it go? <\/p>\n

Let’s check the New York Times<\/a>: <\/p>\n

<\/a> So a mayor, a governor and a prime minister walk into the Waldorf. …<\/p>\n

It could have been the setup for a joke at last night\u2019s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria, where New York\u2019s political and Roman Catholic elite donned white tie, dined on foie gras, traded barbs and touched on deeper matters, like the ongoing threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n

Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, delivered the keynote speech, urging continued vigilance by the United States, Britain and their allies in combating terrorism. He received a standing ovation and even a \u201cHear, hear!\u201d shouted from a balcony.<\/p>\n

But not all the elected officials \u2014 and there were plenty on hand \u2014 came away unscathed.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Edward M. Egan, the archbishop of New York, opened his speech by apologizing for the evening\u2019s late start. \u201cGovernor Spitzer asked that Prime Minister Blair fill out an application for a New York State driver\u2019s license,\u201d he explained, referring to Eliot Spitzer\u2019s latest controversy, involving granting licenses to illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Alfred E. Smith IV, the evening\u2019s M.C., suggested that Mr. Spitzer might not be suited for a speaking role at the dinner, which is known for its light tone. He turned to the governor, who sat inches away: \u201cSelf-deprecating humor\u2019s not really your thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Mr. Spitzer seemed unfazed. \u201cThere are some good folks there with a good sense of humor, and so it\u2019s all good fun,\u201d the smiling governor told reporters on his way out.)<\/p>\n

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg received the warmest cheers of the night, and even Mr. Blair had a bit of fun with the rumors that he might pursue a presidential run. \u201cBeing a mayor of a city like New York is fantastic preparation,\u201d Mr. Blair said in his remarks, trailing off as the crowd cheered.<\/p>\n

The annual event is considered the most politically prestigious event for New York City\u2019s Roman Catholics, and has gained a reputation as a major social gathering in election years, when organizers traditionally invite the presidential candidates to speak from the white flower-filled dais.<\/p>\n

Two of New York\u2019s most prominent political figures, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, skipped last night\u2019s event. But they attended in spirit \u2014 if only as the butt of jokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings look pretty good for Senator Clinton right now,\u201d Mr. Smith said. \u201cBut I hear her campaign lives in fear of hearing four terrifying words: Al Gore\u2019s losing weight.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can read more about what Blair had to say right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last night was the legendary Al Smith dinner here in New York, where a certain former British Prime Minister (who, rumors insist, is considering becoming a Catholic, and a deacon at that) was the keynote speaker. How’d it go? Let’s check the New York Times: So a mayor, a governor and a prime minister walk…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ripped-from-the-headlines"],"yoast_head":"\nWaldorf salad: Blair, Egan, Bloomberg at the Al Smith Dinner - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/10\/waldorf-salad-blair-egan-bloomberg-at-the-al-smith-dinner.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Waldorf salad: Blair, Egan, Bloomberg at the Al Smith Dinner - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last night was the legendary Al Smith dinner here in New York, where a certain former British Prime Minister (who, rumors insist, is considering becoming a Catholic, and a deacon at that) was the keynote speaker. 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