You can expect to see a much more subdued State Dinner tonight at the White House. In comparison to November's dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Mahoman Singh, the guest list is much smaller--parsed down to 200 instead of the 400 guests in November. The dinner will be in the stately and more formal East Room, rather than on the South Lawn underneath an elaborate tent/gazebo/pavillion-type structure. And security will be extremely tight this time around to ensure no party crashers weasel their way in.Politico notes, "new social secretary Julianna Smoot is helming this event, and she’s as discreet as Desiree Rogers was flamboyant."
As for the guest list, in addition to Eva Longoria and George Lopez, politicos like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the Hispanic Caucus — including Sen. Bob Menendez and Reps. Xavier Becerra and Nydia Velasquez — will be in attendance, too. (Actress Salma Hayek was invited, but can’t make it.)
But one lawmaker who will NOT be receiving an in invitation is Rep. Luis Guiterrez:
Luis Gutierrez wasn't surprised that the Obama administration left him off the guest list for Wednesday's state dinner to honor the Mexican president.
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"I didn't expect an invitation," said Gutierrez, an Illinois congressman and chair of the Democratic Caucus Immigration Task Force.
After all, Gutierrez's last White House visit, on May 3, did not go so well. He showed up wearing a white T-shirt with red letters that read: "ARREST ME NOT MY FRIENDS." The Park Police obliged.
