Gate-crashers
"Everyone who enters the White House grounds goes through magnetometers and several other levels of screening," noted Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan after Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed the Obamas' first state dinner last Tuesday night. "No one was under any risk or threat."
Right. And no one should "jump to conclusions" about a Muslim soldier who screams "Allah Akbar!" before shooting his fellows at a military base.
Does denying a threat diffuse it? Common sense would say no.
The Salahis, the White House confirms, were not on the official guest list. Still, they managed to enter the grounds, where they had their picture taken with presidential chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and mingle in a crowd which included the president, vice president, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Granted, the couple's motives seemed more flamboyant than dark. Still, if they could do it, why couldn't someone bent on mayhem?
The answer is, someone could. Magnetometers will not stop every threat. The Secret Service owes the American people an investigation into the breach, and accountability for it.
A DIFFERENT VOICE
"It is total hypocrisy for us [Republicans] to rail at the way Bush was treated, and then do the exact same thing. It's disgusting. I care about issues and will fight on those, but just because someone doesn't think like me doesn't mean that he or she hates America."
That would be the Rev. Mike Huckabee, talking about the way some conservatives are demonizing President Barack Obama. The 2012 presidential contender told Newsmax that George Bush haters "found something wrong with everything. If we do that to Barack Obama, then shame on us."
Amen. Preach it, brother.