Desiree Rogers: On The Hot Seat For Salahis Gaffe, But Won't Testify

Oh, the cats have their claws out for Desirée Rogers! The stylish White House social secretary is on the hot seat for the lapse in security that allowed Michaele and Tareq Salahi to crash last week's White House state dinner for Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

The Secret Service has taken the blame for the lapse (as they should). Still, the fact that no one from Rogers' staff was on hand to check guests against the official list, as had been the custom for previous presidential administrations, has led to speculation that she spent too much time that evening basking in the spotlight rather than taking care of business.

Meanwhile, Rogers has declined to testify today before a House Homeland Security Committee on the incident, reports the Associated Press.

Rogers made her entrance to the dinner in an attention-grabbing Comme des Garcons pale peach gown and did not stay in the background during the elegant event that she had organized, relates Washington Post reporter Robin Givhan. "Just because she has this job, it's not going to make her a worker bee," explained an unidentified friend, according to Givhan. "She's glamorous."

Givhan continued:

Although the state dinner was Rogers's responsibility, with its myriad moving parts, she was on the official guest list, along with other Obama intimates from Chicago, such as her ex-husband John Rogers, Marty Nesbitt and his wife, Anita Blanchard. Instead of remaining behind the scenes, like a discreet stage director, Desirée Rogers had a seat at the most exclusive dinner in town. She was not the first social secretary to be seated at a state dinner, although others typically pulled up a chair only after they'd mastered the role. SOURCE: Washington Post

That description was an echo of yesterday's diva portrayal by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd:

The statuesque social secretary brandishing a Harvard M.B.A. and animal-print designer shoes is not any mere party planner. The old friend of the first couple from Chicago has the exalted and uncommon title of social secretary and special assistant to the president.

Instead of standing outside with a clipboard, eyeballing guests as Anne Hathaway did in "The Devil Wears Prada," Desirée was a guest at the dinner, the center of her own table of guests, just like the president and first lady.

As Michael Isikoff wrote in Newsweek, Rogers sidelined Cathy Hargraves, the East Wing staffer whose job it was to go to the East Gate portico and check off the names of each guest from a printout.

Rogers told Hargraves that the Obama team felt no need for those services because, given the recession, there wouldn't be many lavish dinners. But even if it's just two state dinners a year, as the first lady plans, one big mistake is too many. SOURCE: New York Times

Yes, the Washington wags might swipe at Rogers, but for now, the White House is standing behind her. Today White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs cited separation of powers and a history of White House staff not testifying before Congress as the reasons she will not go before the congressional committee.

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Sheryl Huggins Salomon is contributing editor of Black Voices, where she writes about politics and society. She is co-editor of the 'Nia Guide for Black Women' series of self-improvement books and the former publisher of Shade magazine. Follow her on Twitter or contact her at BVCEditor@aol.com.