The dog eats veal

First lady Michelle Obama told Jay Leno on Friday that the family had a little birthday party for their Portuguese water dog, Bo, who recently turned one year old.



"We had a really sweet celebration," Mrs. Obama said, "We had party hats."

As the Associated Press reported it, the dog "feasted on a cake shaped like a dog house that was made out of veal."

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Is it possible that no one in the White House knows about the animal-rights campaign to stop the consumption of veal?

America Wants To Know is not an advocate for animal rights and doesn't lie awake wondering if the meat under the Marsala had a happy life. But there are people, lots of them, who object to the way calves are raised for veal production and who have advocated a boycott of veal for many years.



They're probably all Democrats, too.

Then there's the cost factor. Veal is one of the pricier items in the supermarket meat case, and the nation has an unemployment rate of nearly ten percent. Is it good politics to feed the White House dog so extravagantly?

In a 1991 unauthorized biography of Nancy Reagan, author Kitty Kelley relates this story:

The First Lady did nothing to mitigate the damage to her image. When she received a letter from a Chicago woman criticizing the President's budget cut of aid to handicapped children, Nancy responded like a movie queen patronizing one of her fans. She sent a photograph of herself plus a copy of the Reagans' "favorite" recipe for artichoke and crabmeat casserole.

When another media barrage was aimed at the free-spending First Lady, her staff responded by directing that no more photographs be sent out without approval. Then they issued a new "favorite recipe": macaroni and cheese.

Maybe the people who usually object to this kind of thing won't object to it this time. Still, it seems like an awfully foolish and completely avoidable political mistake.

There must be a number of people on the White House staff who saw this feeding-the-dog-veal story between the time Bo's party was planned and the time Mrs. Obama told Jay Leno about it. Apparently it didn't occur to any of them that it might present an appearances problem.

And maybe it doesn't.

But if Nancy Reagan had thrown a birthday party for a dog and fed it veal, we'd still be hearing about it.

Copyright 2009

Editor's note: Eat like a Reagan! Here are Nancy's recipes for Ronnie's "favorites":

Nancy Reagan's Crabmeat and Artichoke Casserole

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 lb best quality crabmeat
1/2 lb small button mushrooms, sauteed in butter
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
Parmesan cheese, grated

Place artichokes in a buttered baking dish. Arrange crabmeat over the artichokes, then add sauteed mushrooms. Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour, cook briefly, then add cream and sherry and stir until bubbly and thickened. Pour cream sauce over crab mixture, stir to mix, and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve hot.

President Reagan's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 lb macaroni
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup milk

Boil macaroni in water until tender and drain thoroughly. Stir in butter and egg. Mix mustard and salt with 1 tablespoon of hot water, and add to milk. Add cheese to macaroni, reserving enough to sprinkle on top. Pour into buttered casserole; add milk, sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is crusty.