Missing History & Opportunity in the Obama East Wing

What a heady and tumultuous eight months that whirled by with the first biracial president and African American first lady. My focus is the East Wing of the equation. For the Obamas, two cute and curious kids, an internationally famous puppy and so many inspirational firsts or twists on the past such as the incredible Michelle Obama Kitchen Garden that are now part of the American presidential fabric. But not the electronic strand that marks a spot for the current generation or future ones. It also takes time to coalesce all the moving parts of a White House experience in the first year especially with appointed staff learning the history of the People's House, its contents and all who lived there since the muddy time of John & Abigail Adams. The White House is an eighteen acre bubble shared by an energetic family, military trained attack dogs, eagle eyed snipers, priceless antiques, a rambunctious puppy, incredible works of arts, thousands of daily visitors, vintage trees, a one hundred member staff dedicated to the Residence and now, the newest first lady's bees. That's just the stuff you see if on the premises. It is for those who are not on the premises that my post encompasses.

After leaving the Vatican, the First Family heads to Air Force One to go to Ghana.

The only way to understand the White House is to read voraciously or look at the pictures or if one must, suffer through the soundbites the traditional media thinks are important. What endures is the White House legacy. To that end if one is reading this post online, one should also be able to go to the White House website and find the riches and beauty of the house. It takes a while before new first ladies find their sea legs. Only two first ladies had a relative to call upon to get a multitude of details on the operations of a White House, Louisa Adams had her mother-in-law Abigail Adams as Laura Bush had Barbara Bush.

The West Wing side of the Obama Administration shows savvy at the White House website with a blog, policy briefs, and a YouTube channel. Nothing like it exists readily for the Obama East Wing. Yes, there are a couple of photo albums for the first lady, Michelle Obama, but no blog, no fulsome history of each of the State Rooms, the extensive White House American Art collections, no White House Residence senior staff profiles, no details of events hosted by the first lady that resonate - the music series, the output of the $200 investment of the Kitchen Garden or the choices of China, silverware or floral arrangements used at events. Those things must wait for chronicling by a haphazard news media that misses points for posterity. These details are important and will be part of the record of Michelle Obama's tenure as first lady, especially as the first African American. (Photo courtesy the White House of Michelle Obama meeting the retired Chief Florist Nancy Clarke's new granddaughter at a staff party in the mansion.)

Content on the White House website is important and even the West Wing is struggling to capture everything and get pieces filled in. The East Wing should join alongside the West in providing rich, detailed content about state or official events at the People's House. A great piece has been the live streaming of events on the White House website by both the president and the first lady. Time marches rapidly and before we know it, a year will float by before attention turns to making information available on the website.

The Lincoln Sitting Room off the Lincoln Bedroom on the second floor of the Residence. Cataloging once again the art works for the public is critical.

Certainly Laura Bush had some gaps, but one thing about her being n ex-librarian is that it was extremely thorough on her side of the White House web ledger. It was beyond outstanding and a model that future first ladies should follow with attention to detail to pieces of furniture, pre-scheduled Ask the Staff live chats, individual first ladies portraits and biographies, 3 D tours of renovated spaces - including the Cabinet Room and the Situation Room. Interesting and shocking that President Obama can be comfortably ensconced in the Oval Office decor of President Bush but not the technology savvy displayed on his website. A news sighting of the changing of the White House fountains to Celtic Green for Saint Patrick's Day was duly noted by the press, but its not captured as part of the new thinking the first lady is bringing to White House traditions. I'm waiting, but patiently not so much, as too much history is going by too fast.

Michelle Obama oft repeats that she wants to bring the White House to people who have never seen it and offering up a robust web presence would do that for millions in this nation and millions if not billions more outside of it. Nothing has captured the imagination of global interest like her garden and the implications for nutritional value of home grown local food. Prince Charles waxed ecstatic about the Kitchen Garden and members of Congress along with other guests plus the family eat the fruits of the labor of the kids at Bancroft Elementary, Mrs. Obama, the White House chefs and the landscape crew. It would be great to talk about the garden in terms of healthy eating right at the site - rather than through the occasional news article prompted by a photo op.

Every White House Pet is special. There was a Barney Cam - yeah, he bit a reporter for which first lady Laura Bush wrote a handwritten apology, Socks was a superstar cat and Bo is threatening to need his own reporter assigned to him because he garners so much attention. It was a wonderfully weird presidential picture as the Obamas went on vacation to see a baby car seat (for Maya's infant daughter) and Bo leave a helicopter in the same image. The East Wing smartly came up with a Bo piece that went into bags for the troops. It was pretty cute to watch Malia intently read the doggy bio information before she placed it in the backpack she was supposed to be filling at a service event.

Malia is reading every detail.

All great things in good time, I suppose. Please, Obama East Wing staff - please pay attention to the mound of details about the White House, its environs and the furniture of history that many in the public are acutely interested in for the first time. It is an opportunity so many want and few have have to make such a lasting impact on learning about the White House and its internationally famous first family. The archives of what Laura Bush did is an excellent example from where to start and innovate. We need more information, history lessons and access on the White House website - Please, Please, PLEASE with a vermeil candelabra on top. (Michelle Obama in her East Wing office with her new Chief of Staff, Susan Sher.)

Social Secretary: The Iron Butterfly

Weddings between centuries old protocol and the technicolor of modern life can embrace or clash in the White House. Work of or through the Office of the Social Secretary keeps evolving as presidential terms today require public and private events coordination with efficiency and effectiveness on everything from a private coffee clutch for the first lady to events with tens of thousands of excited citizens or the president meeting a head of state or his cabinet. Its a tough job and no two people bring the same skills or approach. In the future, certain White House gender roles have yet to reach cosmopolitan cross-pollination, but the future holds promise for the first female Chief Usher, male Social Secretary (A Deputy is male) or a couple with the first female President and First Gentleman. Sterling events shape the tenor of White House. (Floating toy sharks going into the South Lawn Fountain for the June 2009 Congressional picnic that was an Obama Ohana Luau. Photo courtesy AP)

Desiree Rogers day of the Congressional picnic as she checks last minute details on her blackberry.

Amiability and ability to get along and communicate with multiple departments and constituencies for each and every White House moment with scheduling changes at the last moment make it seem like juggling revving chainsaws, grisly if you miss, and any near misses or straight out flops are seen by everyone. Who can forget Queen Elizabeth being greeted at the White House for a state visit in the early 1990's with her voice heard from the podium, but only her magnificent hat could be seen as there were no steps for the rather tiny Queen of the British Empire to stand upon. The Social Secretary is responsible for ensuring that those sorts of details are clear. Gerald & Betty Ford had their own fun social gaffe when the president asked the Queen to dance and the Marine Corps band went straight into their repertoire of music from Rodgers & Hart, The Lady is a Tramp. Catchy.

White House Social Secretary is a central component of a fully pledged East Wing Operation. Most of the Social Secretary's of the past came with experience at cotillions, collegiate network and a Rolodex in Washington that made things sparkle behind the scenes. Some were absolute nightmares because of their ties to the first lady while others could soothe troubled waters with smooth as silk words. No Social Secretary will be successful in a modern White House without paying homage to the person who is responsible for every direct White House hire, event and procurement, the Chief Usher. During the Camelot era, Letitia Baldridge brought a state department background a social pedigree to the Kennedys as she served both as Social Secretary & the first lady's chief of staff. Ann Stock was the Clinton social secretary from 1994 until 1997. The position also opens doors to other opportunities as Capricia Marshall was the Clinton Administration's Social Secretary with a current nomination to be President Obama's Chief of Protocol that the White House Social Secretary office must work and with daily.(Letitia Baldrige 1961 - 1963 upper left, Capricia Marshall 1997-2001 courtesy of The Washington Post)

Laura Bush's Social Secretary, Lea Berman, ran a tight shop that sat few state dinners but smaller versions of them, but she did one large mega event for the Queen of England in 2007. Lea succeeded Cathy Fenton after the 2004 election, hired straight from being Lynne Cheney's Chief of staff. She cleaned house, exiting the Executive Chef like it was a TV reality series and with the urgent need to find a pastry chef that could live up to Roland Mesnier one of a kind pastry & gingerbread house standards. At that time, the East Wing had everyone in an intense state of roiling stomach acid there was so much turbulence and turf protection. (Lea Berman, Social Secretary for Laura Bush 2005 - 2007 walks along the East Colonnade towards the residence Photo courtesy the Washington Post)

The blowback in the current administrations Social Office has been minimal so far. Desirée Rogers has handled many thing really well by virtue of her executive experience, education and foremost her relationship with the first lady. Innovation in White House entertainment is part of the Obama Charm with the Easter Egg Roll, picnic and the Governor's Ball. Desirée has had a jaw-dropping gaping hole in her judgment by even considering having herself photographed in Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden wearing an Oscar de la Renta ball gown and needed a veto from the West Wing before the idea was fully dropped. As previously fretted about, Desirée Rogers penchant for publicity is a two-edged sword as the role is not at all about her - yet her self-stylized branding is about her being a cultural liaison (do the Obamas need a translator) before she has even put on a full state visit. The ramifications of even thinking of a state dinner in this economic climate would be as loopy as even dreaming of having your picture taken wearing a high-end designer trench coat by Viktor & Rolf and Cartier earrings in the East Room and your not even the first lady.

The recent contretemps in the East Wing With the 4 month on the Job Chief of Staff, Jackie Norris, leaving for a lower profile job with a volunteer organization has some genesis in the friction between her & Rogers. Susan Sher, Norris's replacement, is a great friend of Rogers and senior West Wing official Valerie Jarrett and a former boss of the first lady. A noticeable detail is how much the Social Secretary is photographed with the first lady or the family at events. The Secret Service are probably the best at being omnipresent and positioning themselves out of the frame of certain shots.(Photos courtesy Wall Street Journal)

One of the toughest jobs for a Social Secretary had to be during the Carter presidency. Gretchen Householder Poston was the WH Social Secretary at an an intense time that saw a reduction in lavish entertainment by Mrs. Carter during a recession and a scaling back due to the Iran Hostage crisis. There was also an intense negotiation to get the Camp David Accords and the resulting event at the White House is now world history.

Each one has had challenges, intrigues and time will tell how this works out for the Obama presidency. Most do not stay the full tenure of a president & first lady as the job is a tough, time consuming one that encompasses the needs of the West Wing with the changing demands of the East Wing. Hats off to all who have had the opportunity to serve in this capacity!

Happy Birthday Mom! From both of us, NanaRh.

Kremlin, Vatican & Ants Ahead for Obamas

The Kremlin from the air that the First Family will see when arriving in Moscow and if, the Obama family stays at the Ritz a great view of Moscow's Red Square.

Like their personal shadows, the White House and all its security gear, protocol and communication equipment travels with the first family wherever they go. Onsite secret service along with the one chosen as food taster and an advance team travel with the president and family members. Hotels are secured from above and below and embassies in the destination nations go on high alert. Historically, the president is most often alone on these missions. On momentous occasions and commemorative events, the First Lady and the First Family travels along. Former First Daughters Barbara & Jenna Bush expressed deep regret that they did not travel with the president often until his last year in office.

Arriving in Korea with former first lady Laura Bush, is president Bush and Jenna Bush on one of her rare official international trips.

Malia & Sasha Obama are not of an age where they are free to chart their own course or itinerary and the East Wing is putting final prep on their schedules. The littlest Obamas, minus puppy Bo, will be on for another international frenzy as they touchdown with their parents on Air Force One and alight first in the Russian capital of Moscow, on to Italy and the ravages of the earthquake zone in L'Aquila and to Africa for a final stop in Ghana. A week that will be historic for the adults as well as the children, for the next week, as youngsters have not traveled with a president on official business in the 21st century for an extended period. It will be viscerally different after viewing their first fireworks display at the White House on Malia's and the nation's birthday. Even the First Grandma is along for the ride on this official trip.

On September 5, 1995, Hillary Clinton traveled alone to China to deliver a speech at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing on women's rights and abuses that thrilled the world and the and horrified the Chinese communist hosts. Chelsea Clinton did not attend this event but did travel with her parents. Laura Bush went to Afghanistan alone to promote projects about and for women right against the crushing force of Taliban misogynistic fundamentalism.

In her first six months as first lady, Michelle Obama has not traveled alone of official business internationally. Her private trip with her daughters took her to the Élysée Palace to lunch with the famed fashionably French Sarkozy First Family to the English gardens of Number 10 Downing Street with Sarah Brown and to meet the head of state in England, her new British buddy, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The only place Mrs. Obama had been prior as first lady was her stay at ambassadorial residence of Winfield House where she stayed for the Obamas official visit to England. I am all for a side trip for the kids to go to one of, if not the most beautiful museum in the world, the State Hermitage built by Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg. (Hillary Clinton speaking in Beijing, China where there state run media had orders to not cover her speech, lest it give people ideas.)

First family on the Fourth on the South Portico welcoming military families as their last function before leaving for a week of travel. Sasha has a lot on her mind.

Friday, the Sistine Chapel and a papal visit await President Obama and the first lady at the Vatican. The first lady will be as selective for her attire with the Holy See, Pope Benedict as she was with the Queen for her first meeting with her majesty. Rome is hot this time of year and has so many things for the First Daughters to see, the catacombs, the Coliseum, and the Spanish Steps with scrumptious gelato everywhere, which may be difficult for them to eat without security permission. Rome presents many choices for the Obama girls and its not too far for a day trip to Pompeii. It is a time of maximum exposure to the continent and this will be their second trip to Europe in less than a month.

Ghana is a thriving nation in Africa. Three years ago, while their father was a newly minted senator, the girls and their mother went to Kenya. It had none of the additional staff and level of security now present. Any activities the girls now partake of ill be worldwide news monitored by the East Wing and the communication shop. The final stop on this official odyssey will be to the west coast of Africa to Accra, the capital of Ghana. On Saturday, Malia & Sasha should get a good giggle from the fact the name mean ants, but watch the industrious women in awe who can carry a variety of goods balanced on their heads for great distances. (The posters already line the streets of the Capital of Ghana in advance of his address to the Ghanaian parliament on Saturday Photo courtesy VOA)

Interesting just the president is mentioned on the US Embassy in Ghana purple poster though the First lady, Michelle Obama will have an impact on Ghana as well. It will be interesting to hear the East Wing describe Mrs. O's official activities on these state visits. These visits are for the history books and we shall have a first draft of history.

First Ladies In Paris

Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, at Versailles with Charles de Gaulle

No first lady will be the recipient of the wild adoration that enveloped Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy when she landed in France in 1961 as the spouse of a head of state. For her in a sense, it was going home, back to a beloved city where she received her junior year of education on the Left Bank at the prestigious La Sorbonne. The 31 year-old was there for a European state visit with all the pomp trimmings and managed to charm the irascible President Charles de Gaulle with her Française, élan and savoir faire. She ably served as the interpreter between the French and American presidents. The French state dinner was a feast in the Hall of Mirrors at the palace of Versailles followed by a Jackie Kennedy favorite performance art, the ballet, as Rendezvous pirouetted in the Louis XV Theater.

A video in the black and white cinematic features of the 1960's showing highlights of the three day state visit against the backdrop of President Kennedy's speech. Mrs. Kennedy's ensemble was Oleg Cassini in a pale yellow with a triple strand of pearl.
On June 8, 1994 another First Lady stood in Paris in the shadow of Jackie and embraced her. Mrs. Onassis had recently passed away and it was a sad opportunity for Hillary Rodham Clinton to pay tribute to her. Five years later, Hillary was in Paris again to present an award at the Sorbonne. By that time Parisians embraced her and what she represented as a woman with grace weathering through triumph and tragedy in the White House. It is remarkable how many modern First Ladies travel to Paris in June. First lady Laura Bush in Paris, France June 11, 2008, for a cultural evening with the American Ambassador to France, Charles Stapleton on the evening before the International Support Conference for Afghanistan. Mrs. Bush Photo courtsey Sheelah Craighead, White House.

A noble 65th D-Day anniversary is the cause for Michelle Obama to join the president in Colleville-sur-mer, France. As it was collective visits for heads of state and the crown prince of England, a state dinner is not possible on this trip as it was not a state visit. Hence, very little official pomp and circumstance for this particular trip though the French line the streets to the Notre Dame cathedral. Minus one daughter who had other plans, the adult Obamas dined at a hundred year old restaurant in the 7th arrondissement, La Fontaine de Mars on Rue St. Domonique after visiting the cathedral. The girls will have to wait (who knows, maybe they will get this treat) for the evening bateau moche ride where Paris is beautifully lit and travel the River Seine to the Île de la Cité, the island that hosts Notre Dame de Paris in all its 12th century French Gothic glory.

In their apartments, delighted Parisians take digital images as the Obamas exit their motorcade for the restaurant.

Awaiting the Obamas motorcade, Parisiens line the streets to get a glimpse as they tour Notre Dame. Sasha & Malia obliged by waving from the highest parapets. 2009

The Obamas got up early to see some world class modern art at the Pompidou Center or Site du Centre Pompidou completed in 1977. There is an exhibition in the Children's Gallery as well as Alexander Calder's, Les Années Parisiennes 1926-1933. There are over 60,000 works, including Vassili Kandinsky, in that museum alone. The building is quite colorful amidst all the steel and glassand here are the Obamas at one of the highest points with a heart stopping view of Paris. Personally, I like the view from Sacre Couer and the Petit Palace. No mention of the Obamas getting a private tour at the Louvre, with President François Mitterand and I.M. Pei no less, as the Clintons did on their state visit.

Obamas at Pompidou Center

Photo, exterior · Centre Pompidou · Paris, France

This was a second trip to France by the Obamas. Neither occasion was a full state visit. The French government needs to issue an invitation to France, as China has for September, and the full diplomatic response would kick into high gear and a response to hold a state dinner in return at the White House. Even in England the Obama trip was not a state visit, but it was a highly formal visit with introductions to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The Browns had a formal dinner for everyone. Only if the Queen issues the invite and held a state function with a full white tie dinner, would it be a full state visit. The Obamas have to be exceedingly careful about state dinners as America is in financial dire straits and the dinners would be seen as extravagant. The French wanted so badly to see the full Obama glamor against the backdrop that is the timeless elegance of Paris.

Muppets Meet Michelle, Hillary, Barbara, Laura

First ladies find individual pursuits while paying homage to past tradition. Sesame Street is a modern must do for the spouse of a president. The music and the rhymes just comes back to me from childhood. Now my earworm is permanent with grandkids who like the characters just as much. Everybody's A-Okay when you get to...

During the 1993 Clinton Inaugural festivities, Kermit plopped and perched comfortably on Hillary Clinton's shoulder during a concert Disney-thon. Yep, think about that, not Minnie or Mickey, the apple of Miss Piggy's eye, the froggy wonder got the prime shoulder for the finale of the show. As first lady, Hillary also went to the 25th season for Sesame Street and appeared with muppets throughout her tenure. It was episode 3136. The first lady came on to give health tips. As a senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton did a PSA for Healthy Habits for Life (photos courtesy muppet wiki)

The inaugural appearance from a first lady and president came from George Herbert Walker Bush and his wife, Barbara, on video tape to warn children away from drugs. Later she came by herself to read a book since literacy was her major raison d'etre in her official capacity as first lady. It is ironic that its the numbers cruncher Count in the skit with her though.

Hillary Rodham Clinton with Big Bird - Barbara Bush with The Count

Laura Bush added an international flavor to her appearance on Sesame Street. First she mimicked her mother-in-law by reading a book in 2003 with Big Bird and Elmo in episode 4032. Boombah, a royal sociable purple fuchsia lion, is the mainstay of New Delhi's version, Galli Galli Sim Sim greeting Laura Bush with a great roar of approval in 2006 in its first year of production. In 2007, Laura Bush whooped it up with the green version of the US's Big Bird, Nimnim, who sports a rocking Egyptian patterned vest and skull cap and speaks Arabic. Looks like she wore the same color attire in two different years.

Laura and Boombah (2006) - Nimnim & Mrs. Laura Bush (2007)

Diplomacy in an internationally shared Sesame Street environment would not be possible without direct assistance for USAID in conjunction with the host nations. The need to reach children through their mediums becomes important to first ladies trying to impart life lessons and instill good habits. So it is with First Lady Michelle Obama who was over the moon ecstatic at her chance to appear at the New York City Children's Television network Studios. Mrs. Obama considers it the best thing she has done in her 110 days on the job. Taking a page out of Hillary's book, Michelle spoke on healthy foods. The reason that might cause a few chuckles - is she attended a Cinco de Mayo celebration at LAMB Elementary School, and well, the first lady let the kids ask a few questions. One small tyke asked Mrs. Obama if she liked Mexican food and she preceded to wax poetic on a list of her favorites quesadillas, carnitas, moles - any color, tamales. She said it was on the record as it being her favorite type of food. Michelle Obama is also on record that the siren song of the French Fry is irresistible to her.

Just For Solomon! Michelle's PSA with fave Elmo

Kids & White House Press Operations

No Drama Obama is a message that goes to the heart of Michelle Obama's East Wing, even more so than the West. Worldwide attention focuses each time Malia & Sasha make a sanctioned or official appearance. Imagine being a child star without all the Secret Service protection with a humongous house you need an invitation and background check to enter plus having parents that are two of the most famous people on the planet alongside a public desperate to learn more about your every ordinary second of doing homework or being yelled at for forgetting to make your bed. Imagine the hyperventilating as the Obama girls made not one, but three appearances in the same week; Easter Sunday at church, Easter Monday particiapting in the Egg Roll and Story Time, then walking their long-awaited puppy, Bo, for the press with Mom & Dad. the attention is not just from adults but a real fascination from kids of all ages across the globe.

The only thing between paparazzi frenzy and media meltdowns on presidential kids is the press operation run out of the East Wing. Jackie Kennedy was a tigress about ensuring she knew which photographs of her children would be used and when - if ever. So much so, that the president had to wait until she was off on a trip, brought the kids into the Oval Office to play and quickly summoned a White House photographer, then released the now iconic pictures. The images of Amy Carter being flashbulbed into blindness before another subsequent traumatic moment of then walking into a room full of classmates where she had not one friend is something every new first lady now remembers. Good thing she had almost forty teddy bears in her room to help comfort her. First Lady Hillary Clinton made it clear her daughter was off limits and publicly ripped SNL for their Chelsea portrayal as an awkward tween against the charms of the Gore girls.

Presidential children often have their place of refuge being inside the White House residence. Those 18 acres can feel kind of cut off from reality but swimming in History. The Kennedy children, the Bush twins - Jenna & Barbara, Amy Carter, now Malia and Sasha go to sleep in the same East & West Bedrooms with the famed hallway or Closet Hall window that overlooks the North lawn from where President Lincoln gave his final speech, separating their bedrooms. The Bush twins endured through their grandfather's and their dad's presidencies. Nancy Reagan kept her office and closet in those rooms during her reign. That area is sacrosanct from the press unless invited. But it doesn't stop a press corps from asking questions on what designer the Obama girls are wearing doing which activities and what Mom chose to do and wear. Even the introduction of the dog was a production that got upended by last minute changes to the Bo rollout. Inside the East Wing are political combat professionals holding the line on invasions of the family's privacy under the command of the First Lady. But what do you do when the kids insist on being part of it all?

Michelle Obama's star turn in Europe's rarefied stratosphere is going to make it even harder as the presidential summer travel schedule is custom made for a real family educational opportunity. That's the tough thing, the opporunity is now and not when they are older. That first magical state dinner when a King or Queen or president visits will entice the girls to watch either from the residence or sneak a spot at the top of the stairs as the Marine Band strikes up Ruffles and Flourishes. Amy Carter attended a state dinner or two with a book to keep her company. In this day and age, the attraction of watching this First Family's every move is now big business.

The East Wing is setting the rules though, same as always.

(Hopscotch outside Oval Office)

White House Egg Rolls (Obamas Release Photo)

 

Updated April 10 (Official Eggs of 2009 White House Egg Roll)

There is no doubt Executive Chef of the White House, Cristeta Comerford, could whip up lip-smacking egg rolls. Plenty of ingredients will be organically grown right on the South Lawn. But this pertains to the tradition of the annual White House Egg Roll with the meticulous planning the entire event entails. This is Mrs. Obama's first time at the helm of such a high powered East Wing choreographed event. First, she sends a sizzling shock to the DC area's local citizenry jolting their plans to sleep out at the Ellipse to corner an early place in line to guarantee admittance. Instead, the electrifying new first lady decided everybody would procure egg roll event tickets online from the comforts of their local coffeehouse or wifi in the laundry room at staggered times. Military families and some overlooked DC residents would have tickets set aside for them. It cracked open the entire process to garner participation from over 40 states and Canada.

Note to those still DC denizens still crackin on the infringement of their egg roll entitlements by outsiders - These tourists are bringing American dollars while staying overnight, inducing a wee boomlet in some nest eggs. Also, the White House is hosting a 2009 Spring Garden Tour encompassing the Rose garden, Jaqueline Kennedy Garden and the Children's Garden on April 18 & 19th. So for those who missed the line tango over eggs, have an opportunity to get in line at the Ellipse Visitor Pavillion as it is on a first come first served pending weather.

The colorful Dolley Payne Todd Madison kicked the concept off in 1814 with invites for children to bring their art covered eggs to the United States Capitol. Gardeners protested that their brand new grass would be trampled persuading the US Congressto pass a childish law, The Turf Protection Act, that kids could no longer use the US Capitol as a play station. Among others, the children of Rutherford B. and Lucy Hayes petitioned Mom and Dad (otherwise known as the President and First Lady) that this shall not stand and they hosted the event to the White House. In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt welcomed all in person and within the sound of her voice via the radio. Harry Truman lived at Blair House for much of his presidency while the White House underwent exhaustive renovations. First Lady of the USA and all things pink, Mamie Eisenhower, revived the egg roll with a twist, she integrated the community activity. (Photo Dolley Madison painting White House Art Collection)

One of the most interesting innovations came during the last year of Pat Nixon's tenure. Spoons straight from the White House kitchen were used for egg races. Mrs. Nixon also picked the lucky staffer to play the starring roll as the Easter Bunny. Which White house staffer gets that duty this year? Not quite sure who will be the biggest draw, the president, Michelle Obama or the 7 foot tall bunny. Intricacies of planning these events are as fragile as some of the beautiful artwork the White house hand paints onto display eggs or other fine eggshell work from artisans. We will have to watch to see what new innovations Mrs. Obama will spring upon the guests. The advent of the petting zoo, the souvenir egg and exhibits with the White House providing a few treats is just the base line. (photo by shows green fencing for White House egg roll already in place)

New this year, a number of gay parents and their children are welcomed with open arms at the Easter Monday egg roll. Cool beans.

1898 Easter Egg Roll

1929 Easter Egg Roll


2007 Easter Egg Roll

(A huge Thank You to Nana R for the invite to participate!)

Should A Social Secretary do PR Early?

Letitia Baldridge, the grand dame behind Camelot's social scene, is no stranger to publicity or managing crises that arise out of social disasters. She has some 25 books dedicated to helping us do something about manners and bon mots plus other publishing efforts to her credit. Mrs. Baldridge sailed straight into the Social Secretary role in the East Wing to burnish The Kennedy mystique with a chic entertainment style setting the bar rather high in the White House. She became famous later.

Fast forward forty five years. The first African American Social Secretary, Obama insider, Desirée Rogers, was appoin ted by the first bi-racial president to support him and his soignée spouse with planning the events of state. Huge job and Mrs. Rogers will be in demand all over the nation. But for the first time, this Social Secretary is starring in her own Vogue PR campaign before the Obama Administration has held its first majestic state dinner or flawless arrival ceremony. Crash cart before horse buggy. Do something first, then do the richly deserved press.

But again, she has the confidence of the Obamas after a great friendship in Chicago. Now their fierce friend is meeting the public first and we will willingly give her a break if she does interesting events at the People's House ensuring the president has awesome ceremonies of state. Social Secretary to a rock star presidential family as a role is very different than hands on in the day-to-day life of the Executive Office of the President as a career transition for one who was always the glamorous chief executive in charge back in Illinois.

Hearken back to the time when children were seen and not heard in public - seems First Lady Obama definitely believes in that one (good for her!) and so should the Social secretary learn the intricacies and some of the mores of DC before doing a PR touchdown twirl in the February edition of Vogue. Lucky lady. Ms. Rogers was in Vogue once before in 2004. (Desiree Rogers in middle, Valerie Jarret on right)