Don’t forget the ham hocks

After President Bush called German asparagus "fabulous" following a dinner with Chancellor Angela Merkel in that country last week, two Washington state lawmakers decided it was time to introduce him to the homegrown variety.

Ten pounds of Washington state asparagus were delivered to the White House on Tuesday courtesy of Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Doc Hastings.

Well, not the White House, directly. An aide followed protocol and delivered the package to the vice president's liaison office in the Senate, where staffers were described as "cautiously excited and curious."

About 40 percent of the nation's asparagus is grown in Washington state on 10,000 acres in the Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley and Walla Walla area.

"Mr. President, if you liked the German variety, we guarantee you will love the Washington state variety," Murray and Hastings wrote in a letter to Bush.

In 2006, also after a dinner with Merkel, Mr. Bush also had high praise for the roasted boar he was served.

Taking a page from the asparagus growers, congressional Democrats promptly vowed to spend the remainder of Mr. Bush's term "sending him more pork than he'll know what to do with."