This isn’t Funny Anymore
Two uninvited guests inexplicably “crashed” President Barack Obama’s first state dinner on Wednesday night, and the incident has left many scratching their heads as to how this could have happened.
The couple, Michaela and Tareq Salahi, who are reportedly auditioning for a Washington D.C. based reality show were able to gain access to the party when protocol was not maintained at the Secret service checkpoint.
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At this point, it is easy to imagine the sheer volume of comedy this will produce for late night television hosts, and conservative pundits such as this one. The “we were a second away from Joe Biden being the leader of the free world” jokes are too numerous to even fathom. And yes, the First family’s penchant for partying is well documented. We can go on and on about the stream of protocol blunders ranging from DVD’s and iPods, to bowing indiscriminately and buzzing New York City in Air Force One. While those incidents are certainly perceived as bad by a good portion of the public, in most cases the most damage that is done is that the president and his country gets a bit of a red face, and somebody gets fired because of said incident’s possible impact on future electoral maps.
This, however, is much more serious than any of that.
No matter which side of the political ideological spectrum we fall on, the President of the United States is in fact the most powerful man in the world. Whomever holds that office, whether you had a stake in electing the person or not, and political policies notwithstanding, the president should be protected at all costs.
It goes without saying that the Salahi’s should be brought up on federal charges, and the Secret Service agents responsible for this “mishap” should be immediately investigated and fired.
These are serious times we live in. We are engaged in two wars which we must win, while we are also trying to somehow prevent a madman from wiping a tiny nation known as Israel from the face of the earth. These things are no laughing matter. Western civilization itself could hang in the balance.
Every day, there is at least one story in the news that will make any engaged American question their safety, yet our government and its supposedly unlimited resources fell flat on its face when it came to ensuring the safety of the one man who I many ways holds the keys to ours.
One couldn’t even classify this as unacceptable. This is downright frightening. It’s one thing to have to endure lapses in judgment that occasionally make the Obama administration look like its perpetually getting “pantsed” on the playground, but what if a future lapse in judgment, (by whichever department commits it) ends in something much more tragic and leaves a lasting scar on the American psyche?
Apparently, nobody’s thinking about that. Somebody should.
Yeah, but it’s bad, but nowhere near as adorable as this.
I’m such a cutie-pie.
Comment by skippystalin — November 30, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
You’re 100% correct - this isn’t a tabloid story, it’s a homeland security story. In the meantime, the how-to is simple: the staffer did it. http://skylafreeman.com/2009/12/01/who-cleared-in-the-salahis/
Comment by S.F. — December 1, 2009 @ 12:15 am
I agree that the security of the President should be taken completely seriously, and that someone should be fired over this. However, I don’t think the Salahis did anything legally wrong — (morally, that’s a different question). Ultimately, they just walked right in. Based on their accounts and accounts of the Secret Service, they didn’t go through a window or tunnel underground, but rather walked right in.
Also, it’s not rumoured that their prior relationship with Obama may have helped them get in: http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2009/11/obama-met-with-salahis-in-2005-theyre-linked-to-obamas-radical-pal-rashid-khalidi/
Comment by Andrew Lawton — December 1, 2009 @ 12:46 am
How does the Secret Service blunder relate to “madman from wiping a tiny nation known as Israel from the face of the earth” ?
I mean seriously, this just shows how we have a lack of internal security. As disrespectful and shameless as what the Salahi’s have done, it’s not totally their fault. There were three lines of defense that have failed…they SHOULD be punished first.
I’m starting to feel that we may have to look towards Fidel Castro to fixing this country. Not just the communist part, but someone who just fixed the problems and not go through all this bureaucracy.
I mean seriously, fuck all those other country’s…thats just how I feel right now. They have arms, they have strong young men, they have fat wealthy leaders. Let them figure their own shit out…we seriously need to fix ours. After we save Isreal, it’s not like we’ll even get a congratulatory slap on the ass.
The most powerful country (currently) should not have so many impoverished, sick, homeless and undereducated people.
Comment by Gorillamonk — December 1, 2009 @ 11:36 am
The toned down security may be nescessary for the kind of guests who may be invited or want to visit the White House these days. I’d imagine a fair number of Obama supporters (and potential party guests) are intensely hostile to any type of law enforcement presence, or any situation where they may be asked to produce proper identification. Many of Obama’s most vocal supporters during the campaign are people who have been convicted of crimes, some for felonies.
I saw a bit on the news this morning, where the person overseeing the lists of guests made it a policy that folks wouldn’t be hassled with irritating security details. I’m sure many who read this have worked in enviornments where there are or were “facilitators” individuals who always wave certain people in, leave the back door ajar, etc.
I suppose we’ll have to wait until the debut of the porn tape on youtube of some rap goon and his bitches throwin’ down in the Lincoln bedroom, to really know what’s transpired.
Comment by will — December 1, 2009 @ 11:52 am
@will
wow! I can’t believe you said that. Thats the kind of blurred edged that stresses the lines of decency. If those people were the ones convicted of felonies, then the amoral Madoff’s of the world MUST be on the other side.
Comment by Gorillamonk — December 1, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
I can’t believe I said it either…what’s come over me these past days, weeks??…oh, wait, it must be “THE CHANGE”. Just think of me as you would Jeremiah Wright, continually “stressing the the lines of decency”
The era of the button-pusher’s is upon us, shall only Van Jones Inc. be allowed to play?
Comment by will — December 1, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
@will
I like how you worked that all in, good show.
Comment by Gorillamonk — December 1, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
Oh please. It’s very funny. President or not, you reap what you sow. He assigned guest list responsibilities to a political crony who was more interested in being photographed than in actually doing her job, and this is the result.
The President is still just a human being. He’s not god or king. If something bad happens to him as the result of some epic act of stupidity (note that the couple did have to pass through a security screening so the worst case is somewhere around exactly what happened - a minor wound to the ego) then that’s just more chlorine in the gene pool. This rule applies to the rest of us humans as well.
Comment by EvilRedScandi — December 2, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
They were invited,”off the record”. They’re fellow travelers of Obama. The guest list had to be approved by the Indians who would never approve of palestinian terror supporters being there.
Comment by ck — December 2, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
It was definitely not the fault of the secret service, although like gentlemen (unlike the Obama admin) they will take the blame and fall on their swords. It looks to be shaping up as an inside job by a amateur employee/agent of the Obama administration itself. Too bad the msm in this country (US) will try to cover this up for Obama. The absolute amateur hour going on over at the WH these days is a huge national embarassment.
Comment by lynne — December 5, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Indians?
BTW…What’s become of the delightful Right Girl?, I just discovered her excellent blog, and she’s not around much. Please come back…with pearls!
Comment by will — December 6, 2009 @ 5:58 am
It was a state dinner for a bigshot from India.
Comment by ck — December 7, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
Ah, I see, thanks
Comment by will — December 9, 2009 @ 4:27 am
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Pingback by Steyniac 401th « Free Canuckistan! — December 12, 2009 @ 4:26 am
Wow, this story is about important and meaningful as this one obscure story about some jock, I believe he plays golf, getting in a scandal over some extramarital affair.
Comment by Tupper Lake — December 21, 2009 @ 8:38 pm