Kat to join other ‘Idols’ at White House

Runner-up McPhee still recovering from bout of bronchitis, laryngitis

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updated 11:58 a.m. ET July 28, 2006

WASHINGTON - Put your worries to rest, Mr. President. Katharine McPhee is well enough to make her Oval Office appointment.

The American Idol runner-up has recovered from a nasty bout of bronchitis and laryngitis just in time for her audience with President Bush on Friday, says Eric Green, a publicist with the Fox network program.

McPhee, champion Taylor Hicks and the rest of last season’s Top 10 are the first contestants from the hit show to be invited to the White House.

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Sure, dignitaries from Iraq, Romania, Britain, Sudan and Saudi Arabia also got an invite to the Oval Office this week. They may have had issues of war and peace to discuss, but how many of them survived the challenge of performing a Stevie Wonder tune on live TV?

It’s unclear how familiar Bush is with their talents. Asked whether he had ever seen the show, the White House responded that he was “aware” of it.

Their tour and photo opportunity with Bush — with still cameras only, no reporters allowed — comes during a one-day visit to Washington for their “American Idols Live” tour. McPhee was supposed to rejoin the group Thursday night in Pittsburgh after missing a string of recent performances. However, according to RealityBlurred.com, McPhee did not perform in Pittsburgh. A moderate on one of her fan site's claims her flight was delayed due to bad weather.