Party Crashers

The couple that crashed the White House state dinner last week finally spoke in an interview with Matt Lauer on Today, and said it's all one big misunderstanding...

Appearing on a nationally broadcast morning news show with his wife, Tareq Salahi said the furor surrounding his and his wife Michaele's attendance at the dinner a week ago has been a "most devastating" experience. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs described President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as angered by the incident.

Salahi told NBC's "Today" show Tuesday there's more to their side of the story — an explanation that would exonerate them from allegations of misconduct. Gibbs insisted the Salahis had not been invited.

"This wasn't a misunderstanding," the spokesman said. "You don't show up at the White House as a misunderstanding."

Said Salahi: "We're greatly saddened by all the circumstances ... portraying my wife and I as party crashers. I can tell you we did not party-crash the White House."

The White House gate caper captivated a capital frequently as well known for its high-end social life and celebrity eruptions as the occasionally mundane day-to-day business of governance.

Interviewed on MSNBC, Gibbs said "it's safe to say he (Obama) was angry. Michelle was angry."

Gibbs noted that the Secret Service is investigating what went wrong and said the White House was also re-examining its procedures. He told the network, "I think the president really had the same reaction the Secret Service had, and that was great concern for how something like this happened."

A few quick thoughts...

1. Great concern? I'm guessing that's a nice way of saying, "What the f***?"

2. To paraphrase Ned Flanders, a White House state dinner appears to be easier to get into than Arizona State.

3. I think the Secret Service will probably put the kibosh on future gate crashers. However, I'll be really concerned if Kanye West interrupts the President's primetime speech tonight.

4. Does anyone else think that one huge reason this story keeps getting play is because Michaele Salahi is a good-looking blonde?

5. A serious point -- I heard Lauer yesterday discussing this topic with somebody (not sure whom) and saying something about how the Secret Service should be particularly concerned about Presidential security, since this is the first African-American President. Not sure how I feel about that line. Is that true? I don't doubt that there are crackpot racists who would harm Obama, but is he in any greater danger because of said crackpots than any President is in danger from the normal run of crackpots? Maybe that's just reality, but should we be more concerned about threats from non-crackpots? I'm just posing the question here. I hope it isn't true, but I'm probably not right.

6. I'm wondering who films the first beer commercial spoof of this.

7. Yes, we now have the plot to the Wedding Crashers sequel. Hell, they could make it about Chelsea Clinton's upcoming wedding.