Area Republicans and local town officials who have been invited to, or informed of, the president's visit to a small rural town known for its art galleries, chocolate and scenic beauty were told not to publicize or discuss the event.
However, an invitiation released to The Litchfield County Times by a member of the GOP confirms the president's visit and provides details of a fund-raiser meant to inflate the war chest of the candidate hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Cheshire) after only one term.
Attempts to reach Mr. Cappiello Thursday for comment on the fund-raiser were unsuccessful. A Danbury resident, Mr. Cappiello represents the 24th District in the General Assembly.
Reached by phone, one person working to raise money for Mr. Cappiello's campaign gave a phone number for the press office at the White House in response to questions. A spokesman there said he could not confirm the president's trip to Kent.
Eamon Welch, the coordinator of Mr. Murphy's campaign, had this to say: "Wow. President Bush flying in to help his friend Dave Cappiello is a clear and stunning signal that [Mr.] Cappiello's real intention is to continue President Bush's ways of running Washington, whose policies and politics have led us to where we are today-with a tarnished image around the world, on the verge of a recession and in the middle of a civil war in Iraq. If [Mr.] Cappiello is the Republican candidate, this will be the lasting image of the campaign-[Mr.] Cappiello and [Mr.] Bush side by side."
Many Republicans in Connecticut remain surprised and anguished that, in 2006, Mr. Murphy, then a Democratic state senator, was able to defeat an esteemed and longtime incumbent, Nancy L. Johnson of New Britain. First winning a seat in Congress in 1982 in the then Sixth District, Mrs. Johnson was known for her devotion to constituent service and a concern for the environment that reflected the progressive thinking in the western part of the sprawling Fifth Congressional District. (The Sixth and Fifth districts were collapsed into one new Fifth District after Connecticut lost a House seat).
Ironically, given the guest of honor at next week's fund-raiser, Mrs. Johnson's defeat was credited by some analysts to her perceived willingness to work with the Bush administration on the war in Iraq, Medicare and other issues.
Asked if the support of Mr. Bush represented an issue for Mr. Cappiello in Litchfield County, State Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen) said, "I think there's a lot of discontent in Litchfield County with the president's performance in many areas-but I don't believe in guilt by association. So, for example, I don't hold Barack Obama accountable for what his preacher might have said or done."
Saying at another point, "I certainly have many areas where I disagree very strongly with this president personally," Mr. Roraback noted the high-profile impact of the president visiting one of the smallest towns in the state on behalf of a state senator. "Certainly the president of the United States is a singular position," he said. "The price of the ticket is beyond my ability to afford, but ... I don't know when the last time the town of Kent had a visit from a sitting president, but I bet it was a long time ago, if ever."
Kent's first selectman, Democrat Ruth Epstein, said Thursday that she had been informed of the president's visit to her town but given few details, other than to expect the presence of the Secret Service.
"That's about all I know. I was just told to keep it under wraps," said Mrs. Epstein, who said the president would appear only at the Kissingers' home and would not be making any other stops in town. Despite being the town's chief elected official, as a Democrat she did not receive an invitation.
Neither Mr. Roraback nor Mrs. Epstein could recall a time when a sitting president visited Kent.
"We had James Baker in town when his son was at South Kent School," Mrs. Epstein said in reference to the chief of staff for President Ronald Reagan, former Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State in the adminstration of George H.W. Bush. "[Mr. Baker] actually married a local gal so a lot of us went to the wedding."
Otherwise, Mrs. Epstein said, "The closest we ever got [to a presidential visit] was Eleanor Roosevelt at Housatonic Valley Regional High [in Falls Village], where she spoke at a graduation."
The invitation to the fund-raiser next Friday notes that doors open at 10 a.m., guests must arrive no later than 11 a.m. and that the event begins at 11:30 a.m. All guests are required to have photo identification, and all bags, briefcases and purses are subject to search, the invitation says.
Those planning to attend must RSVP by April 22.
The honorary chairs for the fund-raiser include Mrs. Johnson, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays of Fairfield County, Connecticut GOP chairman Chris Healy and Lieut. Gov. Michael Fedele.
The event co-chairs are Mr. and Mrs. L. Scott Franz, Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Hawes, Henry Miller and Jack Orchulli. The vice chairs are Mr. and Mrs. William Beattie, Dan Bertram, Emil Gaspari and Michael Vlock.
"You can be sure there's going to be electricity in the air in Kent next Friday," Mr. Roraback said. "It's a visit from the president."
Dr. Kissinger has a long and distinguished career in world affairs, having served as Secretary of State to the Nixon and Ford administrations. Under President Ronald Reagan, Dr. Kissinger chaired the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America (1983-85) and served as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He is the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize (1973), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977) and the Medal of Liberty (1986).
On May 3 at 4 p.m., Dr. Kissinger will give a talk at the Kent Memorial Library about the importance to America of a stable relationship with the Russian Federation. The event, which is sold out, is part of a series of lectures on Russia.
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