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Ever since the idiocy of “Balloon Boy,” I have been pining for the moment where fame-whores finally cross a line, and face serious repercussions for their stupidity.
Maybe here. Maybe this.
AP - Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the couple who crashed the White House state dinner, may face criminal charges, the Secret Service announced today.
Jim Mackin, the agency's spokesman, said this is one reason the Secret Service has kept mum about what happened when the couple, who are auditioning for the Bravo reality show "The Real Housewives of DC", arrived at the security checkpoint Tuesday. They were not on the guest list for the dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but managing to get into the party, where they posed for photos with Vice President Joe Biden and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
"As this moves closer to a criminal investigation there's less that we can say," Mackin said. "I don't want to jeopardize what could be a criminal investigation. We're not leaving any option off the table at this point."
By now, you know the story. A couple of empty-souled "socialites" desperately trying to get onto “The Real Housewives of DC” somehow managed to crash a state dinner.
You also know by now, they managed to come in contact with the President of the United States.
So – there’s fraud in this. There’s a breakdown of security in this. But for this couple - there’s the hope of fame in this. Their lawyer (Surprise! An entertainment lawyer!) says this of anyone who might have disparaging comments about these bobbleheads:
“"We will begin doing press and media next week providing exclusive interviews and press junkets. If you would like to be considered in our media circuit we request that you hold your proposed published profile until then."
Pass.
Even if they WERE invited to this state dinner, something I highly doubt considering their car was turned away at the first checkpoint… who the hell uses it as a chance to dive into a reality TV dumpster?
A-holes, that’s who.
Luckily, next Monday's visit to Larry King and his hour of suspendered softball questions will not be the last stop on the Salahi tour. And thankfully, there’s more than just “The Insider’s” Lara Spencer letting us know how to wear Michaele’s look for twenty bucks.
The Secret Service is involved and you can bet, they’re pissed. It’s the President of the freakin’ United States, and a couple of grifters got close enough to him to shake his hand.
However, they also could have gone at him with a butter knife, tossed a shoe at him, or opened up an envelope of anthrax.
These are worst-case scenarios, but that’s what the Secret Service should be watching out for. What could happen. What could go wrong. And examples need to be set.
Not just of whoever dropped the ball here - although some agent will more than likely be guarding a Nordstroms over this.
No... the more important example should be made of the Salahis. They are the high-profile face of this debacle, the smiling, vapid dolts who should be punished accordingly.
Treat them as the threat they COULD have been, and make an example of them to anybody else who’d like to make a run at the President for any reason - be it personal gain, or baser motives.
Let their misery be the cautionary tale for anyone who thinks the real world has endless patience for behavior unbecoming of a toothless carny.
That’s the dose of reality I’d like to see come out of this.
Follow Steve Marmel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Marmel
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These two remind me of that poor Brooklyn NY housewives couple, you know the creepy social climbers with the Hamptons "rental"? But with more unbridled arrogance and none of the hilarity. Blech. Why do they handle everything and everyone with kid gloves? Throw their honkie asses in prison. Great piece, Steve,
This is like someone complaining about stains on the sidewalk and neglecting to discuss the battered, dead body whose flowing blood left to the offending marks.
There are issues here that are so much bigger than these two clowns and their 15 minutes of fame. For one, what do the few, actual, real terrorists (not just the scary, turban-wearing ones - the extremist militia and supremacists) think about this? Does it make them think it's worth taking a shot at the President if these jokers could get that close?
Also, what do world leaders think about coming over here? They think they'll be safe? OK, maybe no one cares about that, so let's extend it one step. Given our awesome (and predicted) military results in Iraq and elsewhere (that is, we recklessly put our forces into unwinnable conflicts), doesn't this also tell the world that we're a mess in our own country, too? We can't keep uninvited guests from our own President's banquet. How lame is that?
Last, it also says something about security that I've been saying to folks for a long time: there is no such thing as perfect security. Of course, you should be able to get darn close to perfect when running a Presidential banquet, but for philosophies like "getting the terrorists over there before they get us here," it's a fo0l's errand.
She bleached her hair, wore RED....yea
It's that culture of political correctness that the GOP blames for everything from Columbine to Ft Hood that will let these people ultimately cash in on this stunt.
Remember, she tall, thin, blonde and hot.
I wonder if some left over republican had a hand in this?
It was Karl Rove in the Lincoln bedroom with a copy of the Koran.
And here is Allison Kilkenny's far more sensible take on the matter, posted here on HP:
http://www
It's a good piece. More contemplative, less reactive.
That being said, I'm reactive.
Good link. Thanks.
I'm reactive. I'm real reactive.
And you should see how I react every time I scroll and pass that photo of the blonde bubblehead touching my President with that big grin on her face.
I want them arrested. I want them standing before a judge and I want their story and how it ended in disgrace and jail time to put almighty fear into anyone else who thinks of trying a stunt like this and into the people whose job it is to protect my President. That's their dadbun job. They don't get to goof.
This is one of the sorriest events I've ever seen. I'm reacting alright. I'm mad as h*ll.
I don't necessarily think these people should be penalized. If the Secret Service was more diligent, this shouldn't have happened. It's a shame and pretty pathetic. The only ones that should be penalized is the Secret Service who dropped the ball. They need to fire everyone who was at the door that night.
I once stood at the fence at the White House and watched the person next to me arrested for placing their hands on the fence.
That is a fact.
"Book 'em, Danno"
Really? Did they break any laws or threaten anyone? The Secret Service has egg on their face and someone should get fired for this. They may be thrill seekers or whatever, but I think they did the President a favor.
Trespassing, maybe?
United States Code, Section 18 (criminal statutes) has a provision that makes it a felony to lie to federal law enforcement in the course of an investigation.
I think it is more likely than not they already met the elements of that crime.
"Treat them as the threat they COULD have been, and make an example of them to anybody else who’d like to make a run at the President for any reason - be it personal gain, or baser motives. "
D.C. Socialite Perp Walk to the Federal Lock-Up . . . .
Now -- that's the only kind of reality TV I'm interested in!
Boy, am I WITH you! This angers me, their arrogance is astounding. There must be consequences. WHO do they think they are?
When I read this news story a few days ago, I got instantly furious on two levels. First, all it takes these days to completely breach White House security is to be a blond who's "well known in the Virginia horsey set"? And second, why the hell aren't these self-absorved overly entitled thrill seekers in jail instead touting their successful adventure on Facebook and every other media source who'll hear their story? THROW THE BOOK AT THEM!
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