Dear President Obama #313: Interlopers on the guest list
Reporter's Note: The investigation continues into the unexpected and uninvited guests who turned up at the President’s State Dinner. So far they have not started investigating uninvited letters…and I hope it stays that way.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/27/art.salahis.cnn.jpg caption="President Obama meets the Salahis at Tuesday’s state dinner."]
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Dear Mr. President,
You’ll forgive me for bringing it up I hope, because I really hate to, but this whole State Dinner Party Crashers story is getting out of hand. When I saw that photo of you welcoming them to the White House, my jaw fell to the floor. (Maybe you heard it?) I was already stunned that they’d made it into the White House uninvited; the fact that they stood right in front of you and chatted you up, boggles my mind.
I know that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. I suspect that maybe this gate-crashing couple also got a little lucky. But when it comes to the security of the White House and the president, luck is simply not supposed to be part of the equation.
Let me see if I have this right: Your staff was on the ball enough to ensure that the decorations were lovely. They arranged a nice menu; helped write a brief and strong toast. They even made sure America got absolutely no more than a two-minute glimpse of Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony, because allowing TV cameras to show the entertainment would somehow upset the whole affair.
But this very basic idea that there ought to be a guest list and someone ought to be checking it, eluded their grasp. The notion that the security of our president is paramount, 24-7, was forgotten in the excitement. You know that I always speak frankly and I’ll do the same today. This incident made your whole crew look like amateurs; not the real professionals that you, and we, are counting on them to be.
These words may seem harsh, and I hope you will take it on faith that I am not aiming them at you. By the time those interlopers reached the Blue Room, you had every right to believe that they belonged. But that picture of you smiling and visiting with them will undoubtedly be used against you relentlessly by political enemies who want to portray you as outmatched, inexperienced, and unprepared for the job. (Not to mention what the people of India must think; after all, their prime minister was standing right beside you.)
I am sure your team is terribly embarrassed. I suspect you are too. I imagine a lot of people are apologetic. You know that I have a ready and able sense of humor, and I am willing to laugh off many human frailties, because we all have them. But while some people may want to excuse this incident as a prank, and the couple in question seems intent on eventually explaining away any wrong-doing (indeed, a spokesperson insists they did no wrong,) the simple truth is what was endangered was not merely you…but the security of our nation.
With greatest respect, you are not a private citizen anymore, Mr. President. You are the living, breathing leader of the world’s undisputed Superpower. Your staff is an extension of you. Just as they bask in your glory, their mistakes taint your record. And your record helps the world refine its opinion of all of us.
The only saving grace of this story is that nothing more serious happened; they were not terrorists, or lunatics, or sociopaths who lunged for you in an unsuspecting moment. We are lucky that the offenders appear to be nothing more than glory-seeking, social climbers. But like I said, when it comes to your security, luck should have nothing to do with it.
Regards,
Tom
|
|
Filed under: Letters to the President • Opinion • President Barack Obama • Tom Foreman |
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
On Twitter
Search the AC360 blog
The President has to look into the eyes of his security men wether he is indeed safe and check their loyalty.
Totally agree and feel the whole event was mis-orchestrated as shown as well by Michelle Obama's strapless gown choice. While she looked beautiful, I felt the gown was too revealing for a first lady at such an official White House event. and gave the impression of a trophy wife instead of suggesting the well-earned respect she deserves. At their leisure and private times of course I would have no such objections, but President Obama could not show up at this formal event bare armed and shouldered so why should she?
I totally agree with you and appreciate your unusual lack of humor about this incident. I felt the whole event was badly orchestrated as exemplified in Michelle Obama's gown (as beautiful as it and she were) which I felt was inappropriate for our first lady at an official White House event.
At those times when she is a "private citizen" (a private evening out or at the beach, etc.) so much bareness and glamor would have been fine, but not when officially representing our President.. It cast her in the role of trophy wife, an undeserved role for this accomplished lady.
The party crashers unknowingly performed a service to the Secret Service and this country. Could you imagine where we would be if these people were anti-Americans or better known as terrorists. They showed us that we have a weak link in the security of the White House. I would rather find out this way than the way we found out about the scum bag that had the bomb in his shoe on the airplane, or 9/11, or the many other acts of terror on the United States of America. My hats off to "The Party Crashers" . They may have saved us from a devastating act of terror in our White House".
God Bless America
I suspect there was a big payoff to the "list man" and not a security breach through mistake.
Natalie Robinson Garfield
And it's not only the President and his family's security that is now in doubt, but that of every person invited to the White House (whether it be a head of state, a famous musician, college athletes, or a school child). Sadly, there are some really evil people out there (and some who are simply mentally ill) who intend to do harm because they can if given the opportunity. At any rate, anyone who enters the White House deserves better protection than what was received at this event.
Unfortuately I think heads should roll. When it comes to our President, there are no "do overs."
I totally agree with you and appreciate your unusual lack of humor about this incident. I felt the whole event was badly orchestrated as exemplified in Michelle Obama's gown (as beautiful as it and she were) which I felt was inappropriate for our first lady at an official White House event. At those times when she is a "private citizen" (a private evening out or at the beach, etc.) so much bareness and glamor would have been fine, but not when officially representing our President.. It cast her in the role of trophy wife, an undeserved role for this accomplished lady.
Everyone is trying to decide if and how the couple can or should be punished. I think they are missing the point. What about punishing White House Security for the poor job they did avoiding this in the first place.
While these two individuals claim they did nothing wrong, and all the fingers point to them in dishonor, the finger of dishonor is pointed away from the failure of security procedure, just as was the case with the Northwest flight that flew without radio contact for over 70 minutes and proper security procedures were not followed.
The whole concept of improved national security since the attacks of 9/11 are now in question in the minds of each man and woman in not only our society but within the world as it has been revealed to the world the ease with which one may gain entry to our leadership.
I could care less about their motives at this point, that they aspire to be "reality" show stars because to be honest, they just rose to the highest of reality show stardom in my ever so humble opinion.
Regardless of additional measures taken upon allowing these uninvited guest into the state party, they were allowed in, and what happened from that point on could have taken a very serious and dire turn. Explosive devises can be as small as a piece of paper in the form of plastic, and any number of events could have turned this into another 9/11 once they were given access to the state dinner and terrorist have been known to accomplish the "unaccomplishable" in what we believe can and cannot happen.
We cannot turn the attention away from this mistake and make it a personal story of "fame seekers." It is and was a violation of our national security at the highest level and nothing more or less.
I am sure that in some dark cave in a distant land, terrorist are watching this news with a gleam in their eyes and plans hatching like chicks at a hatchery.