Many Are Called

On November 24, 2009, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted their first official state dinner at the White House. The guests of honor were Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur. The guest list included diplomats, political leaders, business figures and other invited dignitaries.

Among the people who arrived that evening were Tareq and Michaele Salahi.

They were dressed for the occasion. He wore a tuxedo; she wore an elaborate red-and-gold Indian formal dress. They passed through security and entered the White House, where they mingled with invited guests and were photographed with Vice President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Anyone looking at the photographs afterward would have assumed the obvious: these people belonged there.

They did not. Their names were not on the official guest list. The Secret Service later acknowledged that proper procedures had not been followed at one checkpoint, allowing the couple to enter.

For several hours, the Salahis had accomplished…