President Bush did stay up and watch the Iowa caucuses last night after all, after White House press secretary Dana Perino had hinted he would snore through it.
"He stayed up last night and watched the results with great interest," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said today.
Mr. Bush wasn't interested in talking about it, however. Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Silva wrote in his pool report today, following the president's meeting with economic advisers, that Mr. Bush ignored a question about last night's results.
"He sat, stonefaced, without answering, while the pool departed," Mr. Silva wrote.
The president is known for consistently going to bed early.
Mrs. Perino, when asked yesterday if the president planned to watch the caucuses, said, "What time do all the results start coming in? Because he goes to bed early."
But Mr. Fratto said Mr. Bush watched, and could identify with the candidates.
"He understands the feelings that the winners went through; he understands the feelings that those who didn't win went through also," Mr. Fratto said. "He's been through both scenarios, and he understands that it's a long campaign. That was just the first night and he'll be paying some attention to it."
Mr. Bush won Iowa in 2000, but then lost in New Hampshire to Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Democrat who is running again this year.
Mr. McCain tied for third in Iowa last night and is looking to the Granite State on Tuesday for a victory to thrust him back into contention.
Mr. Fratto, when asked if Mr. Bush was a "comeback kid" in 2000 following the New Hampshire primary, said the president "had that going" when he won South Carolina and then cruised to the nomination.
On the Democratic side, President Clinton said today that his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, can also be a "comeback kid" after being rejected by 70 percent of Iowa Democrats.
However, the New York Democrat has only five days to try and seize the momentum away from Sen. Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat, who crushed her and second-place finisher John Edwards last night.
-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times
