OK, so by now you know the story about the Virginia couple that managed to elude the Secret Service and gain entry into a White House state dinner. They managed to even shake hands with President Obama and take pictures with VP Biden.
Ha Ha. Wait, not so funny.
They're also planning on going on CNN Monday night and tell Larry King about their adventure. If I were their lawyer and they've already hired a big DC guy, I'd respectfully tell them to "quiet it down." Right away.
An investigation into Tareq and Michaele Salahi has found that Secret Service agents did not follow protocol at a security checkpoint, the Secret Service said.
"The Secret Service is deeply concerned and embarrassed by the circumstances surrounding the State Dinner on Tuesday," the agency said in a statement Friday. "The preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list."
Uh, no -hit Sherlock.
The security malfunction has found an enthusiastic audience on the Internet. CNN and Fox News have reported on in, sometimes in an overt amusing manner. MSNBC too. We'd expect that on Comedy Central, but CNN?
There's nothing funny about this episode. Nothing at all. Not in a post 9/11 world. No doubt, some heads will role at the Secret Service and they should. Even the President himself has called for a thorough investigation.
Also Friday, two Secret Service agents visited a Virginia winery to say they wanted to question the couple, according to the winery's manager.
Diane Weiss, manager at the Oasis Winery in Hume, Virginia, said the agents wanted to speak with the Salahis. Weiss said she didn't know their whereabouts.
Which is fine. For the moment.
The couple need to come clean and speak to the Service. Doing Larry King Live will not help matters.
This is serious business. What would have happened had the President been harmed? What if these two clowns were terrorists? Hell, what must the bad guys be thinking? They freakn' made their way into a WH state dinner and shook hands with the POTUS!
Hello, anyone home?
**Mark Curtis, one of the nation's great political reporters, late of KTVU and now Mark Curtis media has an interesting take on this story. Take a look.
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