Modern Flourishes at Obamas’ State Dinner/Obamas’ Uninvited Guests Prompt an Inquiry

Modern Flourishes at Obamas’ State Dinner
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: November 24, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/us/politics/25dinner.html?th&emc=th


WASHINGTON — It is an old tradition, a White House dinner governed by ritual and protocol that happens to be this city’s hottest social event. But at their first state dinner on Tuesday night, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches.

They hired a new florist, Laura Dowling, who bedecked the tented outdoor dining room with locally grown, sustainably harvested magnolia branches and ivy. They selected a guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York, an American citizen who was born in Ethiopia, reared in Sweden and cooks up melting pots of flavors and cuisines.

They invited local students to witness the arrival of the guests of honor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, and presented a mélange of musical entertainment, including the National Symphony Orchestra; Jennifer Hudson, the singer and actress; Kurt Elling, the jazz musician from Chicago; and A. R. Rahman, the Indian composer who wrote the score to the movie “Slumdog Millionaire.”

And at the tables, the meatless menu included a mix of Indian and American favorites, including some African-American standards. Collard greens and curried prawns, chickpeas and okra, nan and cornbread were served to the 320 guests — including some well-known Republicans and prominent Indian-Americans — who started off with arugula from the White House garden and finished up with pumpkin pie tart. (After a tasting at the White House on Sunday, the Obamas gave the dishes their stamp of approval, Mr. Samuelsson said.)

And don’t forget the dinner plates. For an administration that publicly prizes bipartisanship, what could be finer than an eclectic mix of Clinton and Bush china?

“He wants to set a tone that’s different,” Vishakha N. Desai, a dinner guest and the Indian-born president of the Asia Society, said of the president. “Obama’s celebrating not just his African-American heritage, but the cultural diversity of America. And that’s a powerful message to send to the world.”

Mr. Obama greeted his guests in Hindi and hailed the contributions of Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., saying that such “giants” are “the reason why both of us can stand here tonight.”

Mr. Singh responded, “Your journey to the White House has captured the imaginations of millions and millions of Indians.”

The evening was a potent mix of politics, diplomacy and glamour, with the administration’s favored donors mingling with lawmakers from Congress, cabinet secretaries, Indian dignitaries and Hollywood celebrities decked out in tuxedos and designer dresses. The first lady wore a golden sleeveless gown created by Naeem Khan, an Indian-American designer.

For Mr. Obama, it was also a rare break from the bruising business of governance, allowing him to showcase his role as a world leader (and a gracious host) at a time when he is managing battles over health care legislation and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — all while watching his standing falling in the polls.

The guest list included the actors Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood, the directors Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan, the writer Jhumpa Lahiri, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a Republican, and Indra Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo.

“It does allow him to stand above the current squabbles in politics, to assume that role of head and state and remind people of the stature of the presidency,” said Doris Kearns Goodwin, the presidential historian, who noted that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most famous state dinner — for the king and queen of England — occurred during the Depression.

“It’s a break from the daily concerns,” Ms. Goodwin said. “This is our moment for that kind of ceremony, for that pomp and circumstance, and that’s nonpartisan.”

President Ulysses S. Grant held the first White House state dinner when he hosted King David Kalakaua of Hawaii in 1874. Through the decades, leaders have used the occasions to reward prominent allies and to nurture diplomatic relationships with more or less regularity, depending on the president. (President George W. Bush held only six state dinners, while President Bill Clinton hosted more than 20.)

So as Washington buzzed in recent days about who was invited and who was not, many wondered how the country’s first African-American president and first lady would put their personal stamp on the occasion.

The Obamas promptly distinguished themselves from their immediate predecessors by holding their dinner under a grand tent on the South Lawn to allow for a more expansive guest list. (President Bush held his dinners indoors, which sharply limited the numbers of guests.) And they emphasized some of their favorite themes, including bipartisanship, diversity and a focus on healthy meals.

The president invited several prominent Republicans, though Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, and Representative John A. Boehner, the House minority leader, sent their regrets. (The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, also could not make it.)

Mrs. Obama made a splash by showcasing deep, rich colors — apple green for the tablecloths and varying shades of plum, purple and fuchsia in the hydrangea, roses and sweet peas in the centerpieces.

There was White House honey and sage from the garden and a menu that gave vegetables and beans — including eggplants and lentils — top billing. (For a White House keen on promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, what could be more serendipitous than a guest of honor who happens to be a vegetarian?) And the Obamas shook things up by serving, among other dishes, Indian food to an Indian delegation, typically a no-no.

“You wouldn’t try to outdo the Indians; that would not be typical,” said Anita McBride, who served as Laura Bush’s chief of staff and took pains to praise Mrs. Obama as moving in a new direction. “It’s the perfect combination of American food with a nod to the visiting country.”

As for the dozens of schoolchildren invited to participate in the day’s events, many savored the chance to see the White House up close. One group of young women spent time with Mrs. Obama in the State Dining Room and learned about the history of American state dinners and sampled some pumpkin pie.

“These events probably seem like they’re miles and miles away, like they’re just untouchable,” said Mrs. Obama to the young women, some wearing sneakers and short sleeves.

She said she hoped this would inspire them to think harder about their place in the world around them.

“Who knows, maybe one of you all sitting at this table, one of our little mentees, will be living and studying somewhere in India — maybe New Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore,” the first lady said. “Just imagine that. Start thinking about your future in that way. This visit at this table is the beginning of that for all of you.”

Helene Cooper contributed reporting.







Obamas’ Uninvited Guests Prompt an Inquiry
By HELENE COOPER and BRIAN STELTER
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: November 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/us/politics/27party.html?hpw


WASHINGTON — The Secret Service is investigating how a couple aspiring to be reality-show celebrities managed to appear at President Obama’s first state dinner without being on the guest list, provoking questions about security at the White House.

The inquiry was begun after a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, slipped past multiple layers of high-level White House security Tuesday night and managed to rub shoulders, literally, with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, among others, at Washington’s most exclusive social event this year.

Edwin M. Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service who spent his Thanksgiving Day dealing with phone calls from reporters, would not discuss the investigation in detail but said the initial focus was on “a Secret Service checkpoint which did not follow proper procedure to ensure these two individuals were on the invited guest list.”

While the question of how well the president is protected is never a casual one, it has taken on special resonance with Mr. Obama, the nation’s first black president. Even when he was a candidate, his security rivaled that of a sitting president, because of both the size of the crowds he attracted and the number of threats. Secret Service agents began guarding him 18 months before the November 2008 election, the earliest a candidate has ever been provided protection. It was not clear how close the couple got to the Obamas.

Representative Peter T. King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, called for a Congressional investigation, saying in an interview Thursday that he was shocked at the lack of security at the White House on Tuesday night. Since 2003, the Secret Service has been part of the Department of Homeland Security.

“Obviously, somebody dropped the ball,” said Mr. King, of New York. “I mean, you’re talking about the president of the United States and the vice president and a powerful world leader, the prime minister of India.” The prime minister, Manmohan Singh, was the guest of honor.

Mr. King said he had seen people turned away from similar White House events, including a congressman who brought his daughter instead of his wife, whose name was on the list. He also raised concerns about the Secret Service’s assertion that Mr. Obama was safe because all guests passed through metal detectors.

“The fact they went through the magnometer is incidental,” he said. “They could have had anthrax on them. They could have grabbed a knife from the dining room table.”

He added, “The next time it will be a far worse reality than a reality TV show.”

Mr. and Mrs. Salahi, meanwhile, remained silent Thursday about their White House visit.

Producers for Bravo, the cable channel, have been following and filming the couple this fall. The channel confirmed that Michaele Salahi was being seriously considered for the coming series “The Real Housewives of D.C.”

In a statement on Thursday, Bravo said Half Yard Productions, the producer for the series, had been under the impression that the Salahis, two polo-playing devotees of Washington’s social swirl and online social networks alike, had been invited to the dinner.

The “Housewives” cast “has not been finalized,” Bravo said. “Michaele Salahi is under consideration as a cast member; as such, Half Yard Productions were filming the Salahis on that day. Half Yard was only aware that per the Salahis they had been invited as guests.”

A White House official, informed of Bravo’s statement, said that was not the case. “We’ve already confirmed that they weren’t invited,” he said.

A publicist for the couple, Mahogany Jones, said they would not comment formally for now, but issued a statement.

Their counsel, Paul W. Gardner, “states emphatically that the Salahis did not ‘crash’ this event,” the statement said. “We look forward to setting the record straight very soon.”

Mr. Gardner, an entertainment lawyer, did not respond to a message left at his Baltimore office.

Brian Williams, the anchor of “NBC Nightly News” and a guest at the dinner, saw the Salahis arrive when he was waiting in a line of cars to enter the East Gate of the White House. In interviews broadcast on NBC on Thursday, Mr. Williams said the couple’s vehicle was turned away, adding, “Actually the first ring of Secret Service security had worked.”

“After their vehicle was turned away, they hopped out,” Mr. Williams said. “What attracted our attention was there was at least one camera trailing them. And a makeup woman got out and fixed the woman’s hair and then started powdering the man’s forehead.”

The Salahis apparently then joined a line of dinner guests at an entrance for pedestrians. What happened at checkpoints at that entrance is the focus of the Secret Service investigation.

Not two hours after the party, Mrs. Salahi had on her Facebook page a dozen photos of her and her husband with Washington’s social elite.

There the couple were, with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty of the District of Columbia “and his lovely wife,” Michelle (Mrs. Salahi is holding Mr. Fenty’s elbow). There Mrs. Salahi was, with three Marines in full-dress attire (her hand is touching the collar of one Marine, who smiles at the camera). And then there she was, her sari glittering, snaked around a grinning Mr. Biden, her hand resting on his chest, his arm wrapped around her waist; and both Salahis, with a smiling Mr. Emanuel, described on Mrs. Salahi’s Facebook page as “Chief of Staff of the United States White House.” It was not clear who took the pictures for Facebook.

The White House has said the Salahis were not seated for the dinner. It was not clear Thursday when they left the White House on Tuesday, and under what circumstances.

Whether or not they wind up on “Housewives,” the couple have certainly acted as if they were stars. They are now scheduled to be on “Larry King Live” on Monday.

On her celebrity-minded Facebook page, Mrs. Salahi telegraphed her television aspirations, writing, “Get Ready Kelly Ripa — Don’t you want a friend to tag team Regis!” She also suggested herself as a co-host for NBC’s “Today” show. On Facebook, she has more than 4,000 friends.

“There are definitely people that lobby very aggressively to be on shows,” said Michael Hirschorn, a former executive vice president for original programming at the reality-centric VH1 channel and a founder of Ish Entertainment.

The stunt brought to mind another set of fame-seekers: the Heene family of Fort Collins, Colo., who mesmerized the nation for several hours last month after setting aloft a homemade saucer-shaped balloon — and the notion that their 6-year-old son was in it — in an apparent effort to gain attention from television producers.

Mr. Hirschorn said prospective reality stars were becoming smarter about “self-producing,” knowing they had to inject drama into the shows.

“At this point,” he said, “there must be what, a thousand reality personalities on TV at any one time? So they know they have to stand out.”

Even so, Mr. Hirschorn added, this “would seem extreme to me.”

Janie Lorber contributed reporting.