Obama's team is trying to keep Desiree Rogers out of the Congress's (and the media's) clutches. Invoking separation of powers (no less!), the White House is trying to save the reputation of its social secretary who was, many believe, responsible for the goof that allowed the Salahis (that crummy pair of climbers and defaulters) entry into the state dinner for the Indian prime minister.
It should be noted that NPR reported, possibly in jest, that the Salahis will be among the first deployment to Afghanistan under the President's new "surge."
Mr. Gibbs ... said the flap over the unauthorized intruders has prompted the White House to change its procedures; from now on, a representative of the social secretary’s office will be stationed at Secret Service checkpoints for major social events in case questions arise. ...NYT
Which has, in truth, been the norm at the White House in previous years. Social Secretary Rogers is being compared in the media to Karl Rove as part of an ongoing press effort to seek equivalency. It's as well to note that Inquiries About Ms. Rogers Have Arisen In the Past.
During the White House briefing, Mr. Gibbs answered a series of questions about Rogers’ role as the social secretary:
Q. Has there been any concern about Desiree Rogers’ performance prior to this instance?
Mr. Gibbs: No.
Q. No one has questioned the president or told the president that she is a very last-minute person, poor planner?
Mr. Gibbs: No, I think you — you all have been to and seen, either whether you’re part of a pool, whether some of you’ve been to receptions, the remarkable work that they have done in pulling off a lot of events here. The first family is quite pleased with her performance, and I’ve heard nothing uttered of what you talked about.
Q. Well, what about the issues of her being in fashion spreads early on in the administration? Did you put the brakes on that? I mean, that is — it’s been raised. It’s now public. It’s — you know, you saw it in the magazines, her pictorials. You saw her on the cover of –
Mr. Gibbs: There’s a — I get Sports Illustrated in my house.
Who can doubt now -- after all this! -- that Obama will be a one-term president?
