Posted on 11/29/2009 4:38:09 PM PST by kristinn
White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers has been dodging the heat so far for her failure to ensure the first state dinner by the Obama administration went off without embarrassing the Obamas.
Worse still, her failure resulted in a potentially lethal security breakdown that has international repercussions.
Slowly the press, which adores Rogers almost as much as they adore her boss First Lady Michelle Obama, are beginning to look past the acknowledged faults of the Secret Service to Rogers' failed stewardship of the dinner.
Rebecca Dana and Lloyd Grove have a devastating article at the Daily Beast that noted several previous White House social and press secretaries who were aghast that Rogers was so derelict in her duties:
How on earth did it happen? Since when can someone throw on a red sari, knot a bowtie around her husband’s meaty neck and traipse into the White House, makeup artist and camera crew in tow? And—in a question asked over turkey and stuffing at the homes of several former White House social and press secretaries yesterday—where, oh where, was Desiree Rogers?
Breaking with tradition, Rogers was a guest to the state dinner, which honored Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife. She arrived solo, in a cream-colored Comme de Garcons dress, a curious choice that has since been the subject of considerable sniping online.
In the past, White House social secretaries have worked, not partied, on the nights of major events, racing around to make sure everything is going according to plan. But Rogers has occupied a bigger spotlight than her predecessors, doing more interviews, making more public appearances, and generally cutting a more glamorous figure. Just a few weeks after President Obama swore the oath of office, Rogers turned up at New York Fashion Week, sitting in the front row of three shows and taking photographs with Anna Wintour. According to three former White House officials, Rogers made it clear from the beginning that her approach to running presidential social functions would be a sharp break from past custom.
In February, 2009, in a longstanding tradition, all of the former White House social secretaries gathered for a private luncheon at the Four Seasons to welcome Rogers to the post and pass on their collective wisdom. Said one person in attendance: “She was very friendly, but her position was clear: They’re different. They got here differently. These are different times. The old rules are going out and the new rules are being made up.” Rogers told the Associated Press Thursday that no one from her office had been at the security checkpoints to assist Secret Service members in managing the flow of guests and verifying their place on the list. The former White House officials, all from previous administrations, said they considered this a jaw-dropping oversight.
Michael "Spikey" Isikoff reported at Newsweek today that back in February Rogers had essentially eliminated the position of the person in her office assigned to greet guests at the gate to ensure things went smoothly.
Isikoff also reports the Obama administration is putting all blame on the Secret Service and is dismissing any inquiries as to the responsibilities that night of Desiree Rogers:
The White House staff member whose job was to supervise the guest list for state dinners and clear invitees into the events says she was stripped of most of her responsibilities earlier this year, prompting her to resign last June.
The account of Cathy Hargraves, who formerly served as White House "assistant for arrangements," raises new questions about whether changes that she says were made by President Obama's social secretary, Desiree Rogers, may have contributed to the security lapses...
Her job duties included overseeing the invitations for guests at state dinners and keeping track of RSVPs, she says. On the evening of state dinners, she says, she physically stood at the East Gate portico entrance and greeted each of the guests as they arrived, checking their names off a computerized printout of those who had been invited.
But when she met with Rogers last February and went over her job responsibilities, she says the new social secretary told her, "We don't feel we have a need for that anymore." Rogers's explanation, according to Hargraves: "In these economic times, I don't think we're going to have very many lavish expensive dinners. It wouldn't look very good."
A White House official (who asked not to be named because of the ongoing investigation) has refused to comment on any aspect of Hargraves account, saying, "it doesn't matter," because the Secret Service has already publicly apologized for violations of its own procedures that allowed the Salahis to crash the Tuesday night event.
In case Rogers is wondering what effective guest security at a presidential dinner is like, she can watch this video by Politico of herself and fellow Obama administration muckety-muck Valerie Jarrett being forced to present proper identification before they enter the magnetometers at the White House Correspondents Dinner last May at the Hilton Washington.
OMG!! She is a BAD JOKE!!!<P Saw a scroll on Fox tonite that said the Party Crasher girl has met Bammy before and had her pic taken with him at their Polo thingy.....hmmmmm.....I have guessed it was a SET UP to get more money for SS.
BO and MO aren’t sitting together ‘cause they ain’t close...and because BigFoot is wearing her size 12 $500. tennis shoes, and the lady needs some floor space there.
Still couldn’t get it to show.
He saw them before the couple was on White House property. The version I read before made it sound like they were all in one vehicle when he saw them. This one sounds like the make-up and camera people were in a vehicle ("a make-up woman got out and fixed the woman's hair and started powdering the man's forehead"), and that the couple had already gotten out of either the same vehicle or a different vehicle. Either way, the camera and make-up people were not seen accompanying them onto White House grounds much less into the White House.
You couldn't pay me to even try on that contraption.
Looks like burlap after making a few trips around the world.
AP Photo 9 months ago White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers at the White House to attend a dinner hosted by President Obama, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 in Washington. The National Governors Association is holding its winter meeting in Washington this weekend.
Yeah! We take dat one you got. Look fine foe duh job!
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Thanks Dinah. You’d think the editor of Vogue would fix herself up a bit and at least try to look presentable. That’s one really ugly woman. We’re talking American Kennel Club here.
LOL. I ‘m afraid not.
Descendant of voodoo priestess wears a burial shroud. It’s all making sense now.
Witchcraft in the White House!! OMG!!!
I think she need one these here hats.
Yikes! Can’t she afford a bra?
Somebody with skills needs to post that pic, along with Michelle...along side Our Gal SARAH.
The comparison would be stunning.
And if somebody takes me up on it, please tell me how to down load it so I can post it at work.
Ms. Rogers seems to have similar taste in fashion to that of the First Lady.
AWWWW geez!!!!
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