The White House Kitchen Garden, Ready For Winter--And Just In Time For Snow -- UPDATED

Hooping it up at the White House, so the Kitchen Garden continues to grow...about 1,000 pounds of crops to date *Dec. 16: UPDATE at bottom of post
First Lady Michelle Obama made international headlines when she hula hooped on the South Lawn of the White House in October, but now there's a different kind of South Lawn hooping going on. White House gardeners, led by chief horticulturalist Jim Adams, installed what are known as "hoop houses" in Mrs. Obama's White House Kitchen Garden last week, in order to ensure that crops can be grown through the winter. Fabric-covered aluminum hoops have been placed over the crop rows and these capture passive solar energy and boost the interior temperature dramatically, so the garden soil and air is warmed, and crops can flourish--even in winter. Hoop Houses are often tall enough to walk through, but the White House is using mini versions, about two feet tall, which some farmers and gardeners refer to as "low tunnels" or just simply "row covers." (Photo at top: The Kitchen Garden with the hoop houses, right before a weekend snowfall. Small photo is the First Lady, doing her own hooping)

White House Holiday Party For Congress -- With The Menu

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are hosting a holiday party on the State Floor at the White House this evening for members of Congress. It's the fifth of 17 holiday parties that'll be held at the White House in the next few weeks. The State Floor is looking pretty traditionally Christmas-y (this is the "Cross Hall"), with two huge Christmas trees front and center, and garlands of greens and red bows laced around light fixtures. The event is closed press, since the Egg Nog will be flowin' and lawd forbid anyone gets caught chatting off the record...but perhaps someone will pop a Santa hat on Abe Lincoln.

On the menu: Prime Rib, Turkey with stuffing, Crab Legs, fresh vegetables, baby potatoes.

On the desert buffet menu: Lemon Layer Cake, Brownies, assorted Cookies, Pecan Pralines, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Truffles.

*Related: The White House holiday party for television and radio journalists is here. The holiday party for television and radio journalists is here. The White house Hanukkah party is here. The White House holiday party for Congress also featured a GOP lawmaker phone camming his Acorn-shaped cookies and sending the photos to Fox News.

*Photo by Obama Foodorama

Copenhagen Begins.

Greenpeace is running the ad, above, all around Copenhagen, as the UN Climate Change Conference begins. The White House announced last week that President Obama will arrive at the Copenhagen summit for the final day, on Dec. 18, considered a crucial period when more international leaders will be in attendance, as opposed to his previously scheduled stop in Denmark this Wednesday on his way to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Climate protesters have been outside the White House for the last week, urging the President to take action.

In DC, climate change and agriculture is a much-discussed topic, when health care reform isn't taking up all the air on The Hill. A good recap of the issues is here.

President Obama Hosts White House Reception For Kennedy Center Honorees

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a reception this evening in the East Room for the 2009 recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. The five honorees in the photo, above, are (from left) comedian/film director Mel Brooks, pianist/composer Dave Brubeck, opera pathbreaker Grace Bumbry, actor/director/restaurateur Robert DeNiro, and singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The group was gathered for the taping of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors tribute program, which took place at the Kennedy Center, and which will air on December 29th.

"On a day like this I remember, I'm the president, but he's the Boss," President Obama told the audience of 300 guests, as he paid tribute to Bruce Springsteen.

StateGate Update: Lynn Sweet, In Defense of Desiree Rogers

The resident Obama expert at the White House weighs in on "the sport of ruining people"
Flotus Daily writer and Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet has been following President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama exclusively for almost three years, since Mr. Obama was Candidate Obama. Sweet doesn't hesitate to send criticism Obamaward when she believes it's due, but Sweet has just posted one of the few in-defense-of-Desiree Rogers columns to appear in mainstream media. (Photo: Rogers at the State Dinner)

Sweet maintains that Rogers does not deserve to have her entire professional reputation on the line because of the security breach at the State Dinner, and notes that Rogers has managed about 170 events at the White House since Jan. 21, without a single problem: Bill signings, the 2009 Easter Egg Roll, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween parties, a breast cancer awareness event, the White House music series, and a high-profile dinner for the nation's governors. Rogers has also been crucial to including students from area schools in most of these events, something that has transformed the White House. (Rogers, above)

On the ongoing character attacks on Rogers, Sweet notes:

The events that have unfolded in the past few days, and the attacks on Rogers, reminded me of a line in the 1993 suicide note left by Vincent Foster, the deputy counsel in the Clinton White House, who observed that in Washington, "ruining people is considered sport."

The Saturday Night Live State Dinner Crash Spoof

More Unbearable Lightness of TV-ing, courtesy of the gang at SNL...
In the skit, the "President" speaks at The White House to Main Street event in Allentown, and gets "crashed" once again by Tareq and Michaele Salahi...and the Secret Service gets skewered...

StateGate Update: Rogers's Privileged Lunch, A BizBash Story That's Causing Problems; Maureen Dowd Weighs In Again

An old Rogers interview about White House crashers causes new trouble...and Maureen Dowd calls Rogers "an entitled and insulated swan"...
It's unlikely that any of the telephoto lens gang who regularly hang around the White House would've bothered to snap this photo of Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, before the State Dinner Crash became a national obsession. Rogers was shot Friday by a Reuters pool photographer, while she was carrying a tray of lunch across White House grounds.

State Dinner Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson, On & Off The Record

The White House got an "official" photo of the State Dinner Crashers, but not one of the esteemed guest chef who created the menu. Are TV stars--and wannabe TV stars--the only ones who rate official photos?
During the State Dinner for India, no media was allowed in the White House kitchen for a peek at the historic goings on, even though it was the very first State Dinner of the Obama presidency, and the very first time in White House history that a guest chef--the wonderful Marcus Samuelsson--had been invited to create a menu for a State Dinner. Your intrepid blogger was on the White House campus the entire day, but didn't lay eyes on Samuelsson even for a second. Nor did any other journalists.* (Above: Samuelsson in the White House kitchen cooking the State Dinner)

President Obama Goes From The White House To Main Street To Hamilton Family Restaurant...For A Cheeseburger

Saving and creating cheeseburgers...
President Obama visited the Hamilton Family ("Ham Fam") Restaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania, today, after giving a speech at Lehigh Carbon Community College. It was the first stop on his White House to Main Street Tour, in which the President will bring his thoughts on the economy and jobs directly to The People. New unemployment stats came out this morning, and these were better than expected, so POTUS celebrated with a cheeseburger at Ham Fam (lettuce, pickle, mustard, hot sauce, cheddar cheese). He was joined by Allentown Mayor Ed Pawloswki and other local notables. AP got the shot above, while the President's own photograher, Pete Souza, posted an "official" photo on the White House website of other restaurant goers watching the President dine (above). It has to be noted, again, that taking official photos of the President that don't actually have the President in them is a bit like taking a photo of the cast of Twilight without the vampires present...

The State Dinner Crash & The Birthers...Of Course

It's unclear who made this bit of State Dinner satire...but it was bound to happen.The comic was sent in by the charming Saul M. of Milwaukee, a devoted Ob Fo reader (thanks Saul!). Saul found it at the website I Hate The Media...and they're looking for the creator, too. The photo is the official White House photo of the State Dinner crash in action, snapped by WH photog Samantha Appleton, and then posted--in a weird stab at transparency--on the official White House Flickr. Oddly, yesterday Sarah Palin raised the spectre of Birtherism again, and told radio show host Rusty Humphries that everything having to do with President Obama's birth certificate is "a fair question to ask."

First Lady Reads Foodie Christmas Book At National Christmas Tree Lighting

It's been two weeks of holiday firsts for the Obamas, and tonight the entire First Family was on the National Mall to light their very first National Christmas Tree. Of course they put the Obama stamp on the proceedings, and threw in a pitch for literacy. Natch, First Lady Michelle Obama chose the foodiest Christmas book possible to read at the fun little ceremony. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore is loaded with food imagery: "Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..." "..his nose like a cherry..." "...his cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry...."a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly..."

The kids loved it. The First Family jointly pushed the button to light the tree, and voila! It was officially Christmas in America. 'Twas the Night before Christmas can now be added to the list of Obama Foodie Kids Books.

Related: Mrs. Obama debuts the White House holiday decorations here. Mrs. Obama receives the White House Christmas tree here.

House Holds Hearing On State Dinner Crash; Gibbs Invokes Executive Privilege; White House Changes Visitor Policy

White House invokes Executive Privilege to keep Social Secretary Rogers from testifying; Secret Service puts agents on leave; White House announces policy changes for all social events... VIDEO below
White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers was not present at today's House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the State Dinner Crash, nor were crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The lone witness to receive the excoriating questions from the shocked Members of the House about the stunning security breach last Tuesday was Mark Sullivan, director of the Secret Service.

At the dinner in honor of the Prime Minister of India, the Salahis managed to go through three different Secret Service check points and gain entrance to the White House despite not having an invitation. Once inside, the couple were photographed with the President--as well as Vice President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and other guests. They roamed the White House grounds, and actually made it inside the dinner tent. It's still unclear if they actually sat and ate dinner, or left before guests were seated. (Above, Sullivan, at the hearing today)

At the hearing, the exchanges with Sullivan were heated. Committee members tried every angle of questioning to try to get Sullivan to admit fault, as well as to indict Rogers and White House Social Office staff (Rogers, in photo). Sullivan did admit fault; he maintained that the security breach was a breakdown in Secret Service protocol.

In a hearing filled with weird moments--including House Members holding up poster-size photos of the Salahis at the State Dinner--Sullivan admitted that he'd found out about the Dinner Crash via Facebook--and the media.

After long questioning, Sullivan finally admitted that a member of the Social Office helping to verify IDs and check invitations at security stops on the night of the State Dinner would have helped prevent any uninvited guests from entering the dinner. But this was not enough for some House Members.

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) was among those who thought that Rogers should be thrown under the bus, and take blame for the security breach.

"We expect Secret Service to take a bullet for the President," Rep. Dent said. "We don't expect them to take a bullet for the president's staff."

White House Birthday Party: Larry Summers

President Obama celebrated Larry Summer's 55th birthday with a cake in the Oval Office on November 30. Summers is the Director of the National Economic council...and the cake, carried by a White House valet, looks appropriately...small. Maybe next year it'll be...bigger. The photo was taken by President Obama's official photog, Pete Souza, who's getting better and better at snapping presidential foodie shots. However, it was Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's fiftieth birthday on Sunday, and Souza hasn't posted any photos from the White House celebration. The cake for Summers is a fun departure from the White House cupcake habit.

The 2009 White House Gingerbread House

The traditional holiday White House Gingerbread House has some very Obama elements: First Dog Bo, the Kitchen Garden...

First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils The 2009 White House Holiday Decorations...

No fake snow, no Santa: White House Christmas focuses on "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew"...an anti hunger initiative announced, a toy drive launched, and the elegant, understated decorations revealed...

Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass: A Trend For 2010, a Trending Topic on Google

Whether he's perceived as serious or sexy, Kass is swaying policy....

First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils White House Holiday Decorations; 28 Events Scheduled, Thousands of Guests Expected

The top-secret decorating scheme with a Souza sneak peek below; A whirlwind season with heightened security...
Today, Michelle Obama will hold the First Lady’s Holiday Decorations Preview, in which she'll reveal the much-anticipated decorating scheme and theme for the first Obama holidays at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House has been filled with busy elves--er, volunteers--this week, preparing for the holiday season: Christmas trees, lights, and long garlands of evergreens have been appearing in and around the White House since last Friday. At today's event, Mrs. Obama will explain all the top-secret decorations, which are certain to have historic and contemporary referents--and which will likely include everything from Kwanzaa to Hanukkah. The White House has made it a point to honor all holiday celebrations that Americans participate in, from Passover to Diwali. This holiday season will continue that tradition. (Above: Last week, when previewing the State Dinner menu, Mrs. Obama seemed to be gearing up for the holidays: Her sweater was covered in sparkles)

StateGate Update #3,331: The Salahis Appear On Today Show, Claim "Misunderstanding"

The unbearable lightness of TV-ing.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As More Troops Head to Afghanistan, The Next Generation Is Too Overweight To Serve

School nutrition programs are a critical part of national security...
As President Obama heads to West Point this evening to announce a boost of 30,000 troops for Afghanistan, it's worth looking at a new report from Mission: Readiness, a non-profit, bipartisan coalition of nearly 90 retired military leaders, including two former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and six other four-star generals and admirals. The group's report, Ready, Willing, and Unable to Serve, finds that 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military for a variety of reasons. Of these, about 27 percent can't enlist because they're overweight. And in some states, the rate is far higher. It's a huge series of numbers, but it's also reflective of our national obesity epidemic, especially among children.  The report from Mission: Readiness proposes aggressive early childhood interventions, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan is on board with the advisory.

The State Dinner Tent: Deconstruction

The massive "tent" used for the first Obama State Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 24, is almost gone from the South Lawn of the White House. Yesterday, workers were still deconstructing what turned out to be ground zero for the most high-profile party crash in US history. (Above: At left in photo, the remains of the raised flooring for the bottom of the tent)

The glass-ceilinged pavilion, which had a view of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, featured carpet, drapery, a food service staging area, heating, a performance stage, theatrical lighting, flower-covered chandeliers, a professional sound system, and a long, covered walkway. Thirty-one round dining tables for ten accommodated guests. There were also two satellite tents attached to the structure.

The "tent" took five days to build. The Thanksgiving holiday interrupted the demolition on the South Lawn...but perhaps it was also being combed for evidence for the Secret Service investigation into the Dinner Crash. (Above: A worker walks through what was formerly the floor area of the tent. Below: The exterior of the tent, in all its glowing glory....)

*Top 2 photos by Obama Foodorama; bottom photo by Pete Souza/White House

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, Know When To Thank The USDA

Roots of Change launches campaign to encourage USDA...
As we come to the end of a year that's seen big changes in food initiatives emerging from both the White House and USDA, it's not quite time for an annual review, but it is time to say thanks. Roots of Change, a coalition of sustainable food groups based in California, is running a Thank You Campaign directed at Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. It's pretty simple, but very important: ROC is asking folks to sign the thank you note on their website, to encourage Vilsack and Merrigan to continue USDA's focus on local food systems, which began with the creation of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative.