‘Gracious’ Bush welcomes Gregoire

WASHINGTON – Some Democratic colleagues call her “Landslide Gregoire.” But President Bush may have done more to raise Christine Gregoire’s status simply by calling her governor.

Bush, a Republican and former Texas governor, singled out Washington’s new Democratic governor at a White House dinner Sunday night, Gregoire said.

“It was tough getting here, but welcome,” Bush told Gregoire, as he hosted a state dinner honoring the nation’s governors.

Washington state’s former attorney general won the governor’s race on the third count by just 129 votes of about 2.9 million ballots cast, and her status as chief executive is being challenged in court by her Republican opponent, Dino Rossi.

Gregoire, who attended the dinner with her husband, Mike, recounted the president’s greeting at a news conference Monday. She is here for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

Bush’s comment was typical of the bipartisan acceptance she has received throughout the four-day session, which ends today, Gregoire said.

While her fellow governors are universally aware of the unusual circumstances of her election, “Republicans and Democrats alike come up to me and congratulate me and are very encouraging,” Gregoire said.

Bush, in particular, was “very gracious to Mike and me,” Gregoire said. “He made a point to talk to me.” First lady Laura Bush also was gracious and welcoming, Gregoire and her husband said.

Rossi, assisted by the Washington state GOP, contends illegal votes and election workers’ errors irrevocably tainted the election results. He’s pushing for a new election.

Rossi’s spokeswoman, Mary Lane, said Monday that Gregoire was reading too much into Bush’s comments, which she called little more than a courtesy.

“The president of course is a gentleman, so of course he would say that,” Lane said. “The fact is, she is only the governor in the most legalistic and technical of terms.”

Gregoire “should enjoy being governor while she can, because she may not be in a few months’ time,” Lane added.

White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said he could not verify or deny the president’s comments, which were made in a private meeting with the governors.

But he said Bush and other administration officials are treating Gregoire as the governor.

“Governor Gregoire is currently the governor of Washington, and to that end we afford her the same courtesy and respect that we would to any of the 49 other governors,” Lisaius said.

Gregoire, in her first visit to the capital since being sworn in as governor, said she has heard almost no talk of partisanship among her fellow governors. Issues such as overly stretched National Guard troops, cuts to the Medicaid budget and Internet taxation defy partisan labels, she said.

“We’re all facing the same challenges,” she said.