White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Archives for May 2009

Inside the ABC News Booth at the White House

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Inside the ABC News Booth at the White House from whcinsider on Vimeo.

The glamour that is associated with being a White House correspondent, and the glitz of the premiere political beat, wears off pretty quickly once you’re actually inside the cramped and sometimes clammy work spaces where the press corps spends its days and often its evenings and nights.

ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jake Tapper gave WHCInsider a tour of the press set up and operations inside the West Wing.

Check out our earlier story on the renovation of the White House Briefing Room.

Proper Invitations: A Washington Primer

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The information contained herein is quoted from Social Usage and Protocol Handbook: A Guide for Personnel of the U.S. Navy (OPNAVINST 1710.7 dated 17 JUL 1979)   

Invitations vary in style and format depending upon the type of occasion for which they are issued. The broad categories of formal and informal occasions will be used in this discussion.

Formal: A formal occasion might include an official ceremony, any type of reception, official luncheons or dinners, dances or weddings. In these situations, a tbrmal invitation is most appropriate.

Formal invitations are generally in one of the following forms:

  1. Fully engraved 1
  2. Semi-engraved
  3. Handwritten
  4. A phone call followed by a “To Remind” card

In any of these four types of invitations, use the following standard format as a guide:

Vice Admiral and Mrs. Paul Anthony Connelly 2
request the pleasure of the company of
Rear Admiral and Mrs. Cerny 3
at a reception 4
in honor of the Chief of Naval Operations and Mrs. Smith 5
at seven o’clock 6
Saturday, the first of May
Bethesda Naval Medical Center Officers’ Club 7
R. S.V.P 8
695-5333

Military: Service Dress White 9
Civilian: Informal

1 The expression “engraved” is used herein for simplicity. It is intended to be synonymous with other modes of printing such as thermography, or raised print, which is a very acceptable substitute.
2 Use complete name of hosts: or if for very senior officials, the position, title, and spouse’s name; e.g., The Secretary of the Navy and Mrs. Claytor.
3 Lines 2 and 3 may be combined to read simply, request the pleasure of your company.
4 Indicate the type of function as: at dinner, at cocktails, at a buffet-dinner, etc.
5 The “in honor of” phrase may also properly be the first line of an engraved invitation, or the last.
6 Figures are never used in a formal invitation; the day and month are capitalized. The following examples of time indications are also correct:

  1. “from six to eight o’clock”
  2. “at half past six o’clock”
  3. “at half after six o’clock”
  4. “from six-thirty to eight-thirty o’clock” (used only when two half hour periods must be shown and space is limited)

7 Specify the location of the function. If a residence is involved, the address may be reflected instead in the lower right comer.
8 If it is desired that a written response be made, to a place other than the site of the function, indicate the mailing address here.
9 Specify an attire which is appropriate to the type of function and the hour. [Read more…]

WHCD Private Obama Meeting with Governor Huntsman

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Who is happier: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich or former Governor Mitt Romney?

John McCain And Mitt Romney Meet In Salt Lake City

The White House Correspondents Dinner has dominated the headlines over the years with celebrity sightings, presidential roasts, and comedy routines.

This year President Obama used the cover of the dinner to have a private meeting with one of the top GOP contenders for the 2012 nomination, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. Obama asked Huntsman to be Ambassador to China and Huntsman said yes. That is another blow to the GOP and another notch on the President’s 2012 belt.

Click here for Marc Ambinder’s analysis.

Daily Mail Reports on Trudie and Sting's Eco-Extravagances

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 Sting’s eco-wacko wife charters private jet for flight to Obama dinner (The DM Headline)

Celebrities Arrive At The White House Correspondents Association Dinner In Washington DC. 4 of 6

Trudie flew her personal hairstylist from New York to Washington, DC for this? She could have gotten the same effect by sticking her head out the window of the cab on the way to the White House.
Our Green Hypocrite of the Week award goes to Trudie Styler, wife of rocker Sting.
Instead of flying commercial or taking the Amtrak Shuttle, she chartered a private jet to take her eight person entourage from New York to the White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, DC. Included in the entourage was Antonio Prieto, her personal hairstylist.

‘Yes, I do take planes,” Styler said haughtily. “My life is to travel and my life is also to speak out about the horrors of an environment that is being abused at the hands of oil companies.”

Sting and Trudie claim to be big proponents of saving the rainforests. She’s a co-founder of the Rainforest Foundation. In 2006, he organized a charity concert for the Foundation, but caught flak after donating a paltry 41% of the proceeds to rainforest programs.

But it’s tough to reconcile that concept with the fact that it’s been discovered that Mr & Mrs Sting “have a carbon footprint estimated at 30 times that of the average UK resident.”

Maybe this guy should change his name from Sting to Scam. Mr & Mrs Scam just seems so much more appropriate.

Source: DailyMail UK via Deceiver.com

The Pecking Order: Where Do You Stand (or Sit)?

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From the President to the GS-16 The Order of Precedence for Ceremonial and Social Occasions According to Naval Guidelines

The Standard for Protocol in Washington is The Social Usage and Protocol Handbook: A Guide for Personnel of the U.S. Navy. Here are relevant excerpts to help reports and “Official Washington” navigate the social waters of the Capital city.

The information contained herein is quoted from Social Usage and Protocol Handbook: A Guide for Personnel of the U.S. Navy (OPNAVINST 1710.7 dated 17 JUL 1979)

Obama sworn in as 44th President in Washington

Members of the Naval Service will find that at all points in their careers they can expect to be involved to some extent in the planning and execution of official ceremonies and social events. Protocol is a code of established guidelines on proper etiquette and precedence which, when followed, lays the foundation for a successful event.

From this foundation, the host should consider the facets which make a particular situation unique, and from there, use imagination to design a memorable occasion.

The most important consideration in planning should always be the comfort of one’s guests. A clever host/hostess is able to reach a proper mixture of protocol and common sense which will enable guests to enjoy themselves completely. If this is accomplished, an event is truly successful.

PRECEDENCE

Precedence is defined as priority in place, time, or rank. In the Government, the Military and Diplomatic Corps, precedence among individuals’ positions plays a substantial role. That is, in day to day business, ceremonial occasions, and social functions, we respect the office which the individual represents, by ranking that individual according to our perception of the importance of his/her position.

Official position in the United States Government is determined by election or appointment to office, or by promotion within the military structure. The relative importance of different positions is weighed, and even the date of the position’s establishment is frequently considered. [Read more…]

So, You're Invited to a State Dinner…

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The Art of Formal Toasts According to Naval Protocol

Just One More Thing To Make You Insecure About  Official Washington

Pouring Champagne

For  almost 14 years, I published a society magazine for Washington D.C. called Washington Dossier.  I was in Black-Tie so many evenings that the doorman at my apartment thought I worked in a restaurant.  I attended every conceivable type of event  from  formal dinner parties, arrival ceremonies,  National Day Celebrations, State Department functions, Inaugurals, Charity Balls and galas.  Except for the fried food and single gatherings on Capitol Hill and an occasional “Playboy’s Girls of Capital Hill” Party,  they all involved a degree of understanding of “Official Protocol.”  After all, you never wanted to drink the finger bowl.

My secret source was called the Green Book. It was the listing of who’s in, and it included all the “cave dwellers, cliff dwellers and official Washington.”  The reference section in the back had the real information —  such as how to address a Senator and spouse, an Ambassador (male or female); where to seat people; how to host a proper reception and master the art of writing thank you notes. And much more.

I found that the back of the Green Book was taken directly  from the  Social Usage and Protocol Handbook: A Guide for Personnel of the U.S. Navy. Since the handbook is a public document, we at WHCInsider.com have taken the liberty of adding the appropriate chapters to our site. Now everyone in Washington will have access to the information they need if they find themselves in an unfamiliar high-profile situation. It is not just manners, it is a protocol and what I call the “programming of human behavior.”

Handbook of Social Usage and Protocol

Needless to say, most reporters are not given this kind of training in journalism school, and being part of Washington means decoding elements of the proper social behavior.

Here is our first excerpt on ceremonial toasts, including some history and cultural differences.

Enjoy,

David Adler, Co-Founder, WHCInsider.com

Formal Toasts as Recommended By Naval Protocol

The first formal State Dinner toast by President Obama.

The first formal State Dinner toast by President Obama.

Toasting is a means of expressing good will toward others on a social occasion. It may take place at receptions, dinners, dining-ins or wetting down parties. Toasting originated with the English custom of flavoring wine with a piece of browned and spiced toast. In 1709 Sir Richard Steels wrote of a lady whose name was supposed to flavor a wine like spiced toast. Thus evolved the notion that the individual or institution honored with a toast would add flavor to the wine.

Today we honor individuals and/or institutions by raising our glasses in a salute while expressing good wishes and drinking to that salute. Etiquette calls for all to participate in a toast. Even nondrinkers should at at least raise the glass to their lips.

Those offering a toast, men or women, should stand, raise the glass in a salute while uttering the expression of good will. Meanwhile, the individual(s) being toasted should remain seated, nod in acknowledgment, and refrain from drinking to one’s own toast. After, they may stand, thank the others, and offer a toast in return.The one who initiates the toasting is the host at a very formal occasion, Mr. Vice/Madame Vice at a Dining-in, or any guest when the occasion is very informal. The subject of the toast is always based upon the type of occasion. General toasts would be “To your health,” or to “Success and happiness,” while special occasions such as weddings or birthdays would require toasts more specific in nature, such as “To Mary and John for a lifetime of happiness and love,” in the case of a wedding, or on a birthday, “May your next 25 years be as happy and as successful as your first 25 years.” [Read more…]