Uninvited to the Obamas’ first State Dinner, crafty couple Tareq and Michaele Salahis squeezed past security in hopes of achieving quick reality-star fame. After lucking their way through Secret Service security measures, the “Real Housewives” hopefuls hilariously rubbed elbows with most prominent political figures in the country — including Barack and Michelle themselves. But can we just dismiss this trespass as a harmless publicity stunt?

Time to Move the Spotlight Off Two Attention-Starved Pranksters

The Salahis’ tacky breach of White House security is certainly cause for alarm. But in this particular case, we can only roll our eyes at the amount of media attention being projected onto another fame-starved housewife, and move on.

Consider who is truly culpable in the situation — one single, blundering, missing security guard holding the event’s official guest list. He wasn’t there to differentiate between the chest-hugging cocktail dress of the particular cougar who was actually welcome at the event and Michaele Salahi’s slinky red sari. So why not just fire the lackey and get on with our lives?

Whether or not the media continues to squeeze the life out of Security-Breach Barbie, it’s guaranteed the Secret Service won’t be letting any more trespassers breeze past the White House gates. So, let’s forget the security goof and get back to the world of real problems being relegated to page two.

— Kelsey Marrujo

Senior Staff Writer

It’s Not a Crime to Party With the President. Wouldn’t You?

Last Tuesday’s average-Joe White House intrusion may have pointed out potential for disaster, but it boils down to little more than a harmless and lighthearted publicity stunt.

By muscling their way into a state dinner, Michaele and Tareq Salahi were only taking desperate measures to earn their 15 minutes of fame — and to shop their story out to the highest bidder (to the ludicrous tune of $500,000).

In the words of the couple’s own attorney, Paul Morrison: “They just went to a party. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

Though Morrison’s judgment is questionable (the U.S. Constitution may not explicitly forbid party-crashing, but in this case, it’s kind of a no-brainer), the Salahi couple had no extremist political agenda to fulfill — only a prized spot on the Bravo network’s “Real Housewives of DC.”That just makes them cooler than you.

— Cheryl Hori

Associate Opinion Editor

Secret-Service Failure Must Be Taken As Serious Threat

It’s tempting to dismiss the Salahi case as two forgettable limelight-seekers striving to fit the deranged reality-star mold — but if a pair of airheads could pull it off, imagine what someone could do with a real plan of attack.

Even though the couple’s sneaky entry into the White House could be blamed on simple human error (even with stealthy headsets, Secret Service agents are, after all, still just people), when it comes the safety of the rulers of the free world, there’s no room for mistakes.

As the first African American president in U.S. history, President Barack Obama faces massive danger — in fact, according to CNN, since he took office, presidential death threats have risen 400 percent. It may not have been a crime for the Salahis to strut their way into the Oval Office, but it’s inexcusable that anyone fortunate enough not to be halted by a guest-listing doorman could get through the rest of security without so much as a “Have a nice evening.”

— Trevor Cox

Opinion Editor