Bush's visit puts Reichert on spot

Whether Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, of Auburn, walks out of Air Force One or greets President Bush on the Boeing Field tarmac Monday, there will certainly be plenty of cameras ready to capture the moment.

Some of them may belong to Reichert's 8th District political foes, eager to tie the two-term congressman to a president struggling in approval polls.

"If we can get that image, absolutely. Are you kidding?" enthused Sandeep Kaushik, an aide for Democrat Darcy Burner, who lost to Reichert in 2006 and is facing state Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Bellevue, for the opportunity to take on Reichert again.

On Monday, Bush is to hold a fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, hosted by Reichert's campaign and the state Republican Party. An e-mailed invitation says the afternoon event will include a $10,000-a-person VIP reception and a $1,000-a-person general reception.

As for the political calculus of Reichert appearing with Bush, who took 33 percent of the King County vote in the 2004 election, state Republican Party officials and Reichert's office were keeping quiet.

All questions about the event were referred to the White House, which only confirmed Bush's schedule.

But former state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance stated the obvious: "President Bush is not popular in the Pacific Northwest. But if you're Dave Reichert, you know the Democrats are going to link you with President Bush whether he comes here or not, and there is no one who raises money like the president of the United States. There is a huge financial upside and no political downside."

The average take from a presidential visit ranges from $250,000 to $1 million, said Vance, who added that such events are planned long in advance. Last year, Bush raised about $800,000 at a private Medina reception where he spoke for 45 minutes.

Reichert himself is certainly aware that the presidential visit could become grist for the opposition.

During his hotly contested 2006 race against Burner, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a television ad showing Reichert stepping off Air Force One with Bush when they were on their way to the Medina event.

Linking a candidate with an unpopular president of the same party is pretty standard stuff in politics, and protesters are gearing up for Monday's visit, just as they did when Bush was last in town.

Seattle — 2,800 miles from Washington, D.C., and the largest city in a state that never decided a national election — has not been a frequent stop for Bush.

But throughout the city's history, presidential visits have generated plenty of interest, both good and bad, since the first time a commander in chief stepped off a steamship here 127 years ago.

In a short speech, President Hayes noted that Seattle, as well as everywhere else he traveled in the fall of 1880, vied to be known as "the center of our land." He settled the dispute by saying every place the flag flies is entitled to that distinction.

President Theodore Roosevelt arrived in 1903, also by steamship, and predicted Alaska would become as populated as all of Scandinavia.

Thousands came out to greet President Kennedy when he rode in a convertible from Boeing Field to downtown. During a foreign-policy speech before a University of Washington audience, he said, "There cannot be an American solution to every world problem."

Raising money for then-Sen. Slade Gorton, President Reagan spoke at the Westin Hotel in 1985 and received high marks from the guests, who paid $1,000 to attend.

President Clinton visited Seattle often, holding fundraisers as well as attending events such as the conference of Pacific Rim countries in 1993 and the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in 1999.

Amid heavy security to protect him during massive street protests during the WTO, Clinton referred to the "interesting hoopla" in his speech at the Port of Seattle.

This will be Bush's fifth trip to the Seattle area as president. The first time, in August 2003, he attended a private Hunts Point reception in the backyard of wireless pioneer Craig McCaw. About a year later, he returned for a private $2,500-a-plate fundraiser in Medina.

In June 2004, in the heat of his re-election campaign, Bush spoke at Fort Lewis with Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

Last year, after speaking at the private Medina fundraiser, Bush experienced something typically Seattle: drenching June rain, which soaked the president as he waved goodbye to well-wishers from the stairs to Air Force One.

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com