Monday, Nov. 30, 2009

The White House Gate Crashers

In an apparent bid to burnish their Q rating and boost their chances of being selected for the cast of a Washington-based reality show, D.C. socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi slipped into a Nov. 24 White House state dinner given in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The couple snapped pictures of themselves posing with the rest of the VIP guests, including Vice President Joe Biden and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and posted them on Michaele's Facebook profile. The Washington Post broke the story the following day. The Secret Service apologized for the glaring security lapse, although a spokesman downplayed the risk the couple posed to President Obama and other event attendees. The gambit did reek of a Balloon Boy–esque grab for fame rather than anything more nefarious. It's as yet unknown what if any charges the Salahis face.