The Week in Review

I personally was glad that Desireé Rogers did not give testimony at this week's investigation into Crashergate. Protecting the President is ultimately the responsibility of the Secret Service, not the White House Social Secretary. I suspect the questions would have strayed far off course into matters like magazine articles that have been written on Ms. Rogers and her wardrobe choices. So what if she gets a little publicity? She's in a high-profile, prominent position in an exciting adminstration (which explains why the only other White House Social Secretary I can name is Leticia Baldridge, who served during the JFK years). So what if Ms. Rogers likes to be well dressed...what woman doesn't?

That said, I must say that she didn't come out of this looking all that great (actually, she looked great personally, but I'm talking professionally here). The accepted role of the Social Secretary is to oversee all White House events, the way any event planner would, and this includes screening at exclusive events like this one. There were spelling errors in the menu, and that couple did manage to get in...and there she was, posing like she was on the red carpet at the Oscars. Did any of her predecessors ever attend White House functions they organized as guests?

Her staff, presuming they were entrusted to fill in, might not have been up to the task either, but clearly they'll have to do a better job next time. And if she decides she's really not the person for the position (her background is in business management, not entertaining, having served as president of the utility company in Chicago), I nominate B. Smith to take over.

Gotta mention the Tiger situation. The press conference scheduled by Gloria Allred (who's built a nice career from women involved in sex scandals) was mysteriously canceled with a terse statement that there'd be no further comments on the matter. Smells like a payoff to me. But there really are more important matters for the media to be following...like an investigation into why the man who shot four police officers dead as they sat and had coffee was given early release (by a prominent former governor who's already run for president once and is considering doing it again). Sometimes the love Americans have for scandal makes me want to puke. Remember how more people were interested in the O.J. Simpson case than in the simultaneous trial of the Oklahoma City bombers?

Moving across the Atlantic, the verdict is in on the Amanda Knox trial. Maybe it's wrong for me to say this, but I never got a feeling of innocence from her. I can only pray that she wasn't wrongly convicted. But I am sick, sick, sick of hearing her described as "not looking like a murderer." Every black person in America can hear between those lines. We will ever hear that said about one of our children?

We should live so long.

Do you have any thoughts on either of these situations? What's your opinion? I'd love to know!