It's a tough way to get the message across, but maybe more people will begin to gain a greater appreciation for event planners. On November 24, 2009, party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi attended the first state dinner of the Obama administration, and people are demanding an explanation about how this happened (See video, Gibbs Dismissed Press Briefing Questions About Rogers' Role in Crashergate).
Well, it's the one time when White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers has apparently dropped the ball, but as many event managers know - even one time can be too many. Although Rogers holds a Harvard MBA and an impressive resume in business leadership, including board roles for causes, her current post demands a seasoned event manager's touch.
In a city that's already filled with wannabes, it's probably difficult to figure out who belongs and who doesn't. And that's partially why the social secretary's office exists for the White House. However, as reported by Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, earlier this year Rogers dismissed the staffer on her team whose job it was to manage guests at the gate for official White House events.
And rather than accepting or assigning that responsibility within her team for the state dinner (one of the highest profile events), Rogers apparently deferred the function to the Secret Service, and her image has been splashed in the media as she made her own grand entrance to the event (not to mention being known for hosting her own table).
What's even more challenging (but hasn't received as much visibility) is the event's timing: the first state dinner was scheduled to honor the Prime Minister of India on the week anniversary of security breaches that led to the Mumbai attacks (which began November 26, 2008).
Now the situation has faced political and media scrutiny - including a request by the President for a full investigation. The Secret Service has stepped up and blamed itself for the error. The problem is, that's not sufficient and all eyes have legitimate reasons to point the error back in the direction of the White House and Rogers for allowing the Salahis into the event.
For those who have had crashers at their events, it's a bit upsetting at first; it usually becomes a funny story later - no harm done, but not when it's related to the White House.
Read my commentary, Crashergate security officer suspensions, committee hearings and Presidential order to review gate crashers situation should end.
Photo: Desiree Rogers (left) with First Lady Michelle Obama at a preview of the State Dinner, November 24, 2009. Photo Courtesy of Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
I think she should be fired. She obviously is not at the white house for anything more than trying to get magazine covers,and notoriety just like the Salahi’s or whatever their name is. She needs to be a woman and step up and take the blame just like the secret service did, but all she is doing is keeping silent. it doesn’t look good.