We happened to arrive at the beginning of the biggest blizzard in Washington in 90 years, but I remember one just about this wild, in 1993. We knew it was coming, so my assistant and I stayed in the office until midnight, cranking out letters to Members of Congress. We had no idea when we’d be able to get back in – and that was days later. The White House is amazing in EVERY kind of weather.

The House looks beautiful, as always. I like the changes Mrs. Bush made, moving the Georgia O’Keefe painting from the Green Room to the Library. It’s so completely 20th century in that 19th century room. I was struck by how extraordinary the flower arrangements are. The new chief florist has a very different, contemporary vision and expresses it in tall glass vases with twigs tied around the outside with twine, and flowering quince branches spreading out. Some vases are covered in wavy Magnolia leaves – like the pleating on a Fortuny dress. Exquisite! The White House has always had gorgeous flowers, but now they reflect the youth and style of the current First Family. I remember once coming back from a trip to London. I rushed to the flower shop to tell the chief florist that the White House has WAY better flowers than the Queen does at Buckingham Palace

I connected with US Secret Service Uniform Division officers who remembered me, and household staff – some of whom have been there 20 years or more. Gave out some books, with a wink, and told them they’d remember a lot of these stories. A Congressman in the room rushed over and said, “Melinda! Oh my gosh! I heard your voice and knew it had to be you! How nice to see you, and what a great time we had in the Clinton years…”

It was a very emotional visit for me. Walking past the East Wing doorway to our office suite, seeing the ramp I had built for mobility-impaired guests, walking through these familiar spaces, remembering events from press conferences to holiday balls, arranging lunch for PM Begin and Arafat in the Library, sweeping up the stairs to the East Room in a ball gown, standing out on the South Lawn in the freezing dawn, waiting for Marine One (the President’s helicopter) to arrive, wilting out there in 100 degree heat and humidity during an Arrival Ceremony … I tell some GREAT stories about all this in my book (click above to buy!)

The Secret Service and Visitors Office very kindly let me contribute to the special tour for the group I brought, so it felt just like old times. How I loved my time there, and how I miss being in the heart of the most important place in America. And here’s a little secret no one else will tell you: It’s a LOT of fun to be important, and a little hard to let that all go when it’s time!

Yes, I’m heading back to Washington on February 5 for a trip to the Oval Office – my first time there since January 19, 2001, when I said my goodbyes to President Clinton.  Can’t wait to see the changes there, and, of course, can’t WAIT to see President Obama!

Why am I going?  Well, since last September I’ve been working with the White House to arrange a visit for the Park View Little League world championship team.  This is a great group of boys from Chula Vista, a suburb of San Diego just north of where I live in Baja.  A friend asked me to get involved after they won, and the Vice President told them the President would enjoy meeting them.  Since I still had a White House phone book, I knew how to reach the right office, and I still speak White House, so that was helpful.

It’s been a very interesting experience, working on this trip from the visitor side, when all my experience was on the inside side, making the arrangements for the celebrity or worthwhile cause du jour.  The White House Office of Public Engagement has been gracious, kind, professional, and fun to work with.  The White House Visitors Office will set up the tour (just as we always did), and then the boys will meet the President and have a picture taken they’ll treasure all their lives.

I’m trying to imagine what it will feel like to be on that tour.  To walk those rooms that were almost like home to me for eight amazing years, now as an outsider come to visit.  It’s creeping into my dreams these days, as I get ready to pack up the winter clothes and head East for the first time in a year.

I’ve been back to the White House several times since all us Clintonites left in 2001, once as the guest of the George Bushes, for the unveiling of the Bill and Hillary Clinton portraits, and once 18 months ago, just to say hello to old friends who still work there.  But going on a tour, instead of GIVING the tour, may feel very strange.  Maybe the Secret Service tour officers will let me tell some of my funny stories that are not part of the “official” history of the White House.  I’m pretty sure they won’t let me wander on back to “my” office in the East Wing, but maybe the current Director will welcome me for a brief visit.

I can’t wait to see how everything looks.  I noticed on my last visit that the House looked exceptionally beautiful.  Laura Bush was a very good steward of America’s House.  I’m sure the Obamas are too.

The answer to that question is the part of the story that’s most shocking, because it’s inconceivable there would be a social event of any kind – much less a State Dinner, the most important event of all – without any staff from the Social Office there to welcome and check in every guest.  And yet, that’s what happened.  No one from the Social Office at the gate, and now the Social Secretary saying that apparently they need to do that.  Gee, you think?

OF COURSE there should be Social Office staff at the gate!  They’re the ones who create the lists, know the names, know who’s important to the President and First Lady – just in case a real guest name has been left off a list.  They manage all the last minute changes from cancellations and additions.  And they’re the ones who should decide if a person should be added to a list at the gate – not the Secret Service!  If they say so, then the guest’s name, date of birth and social security number are put into the clearance system, they wait for approval, and the guest gets to enter.  That’s how it’s supposed to work, anyway.

I am speechless at the idea that the Social Secretary didn’t think this process was necessary.  Actually, I was already shocked to see Desiree Rogers arriving as a GUEST (in a very strange dress) rather than running around behind the scenes to ensure every little detail was perfect.  You can’t delegate these things, at least not at the White House, and you can never assume things will go the way you planned – at least not at the White House!  Your plans may be brilliant – probably were brilliant -  but nothing important goes off without some little problem. Apparently the Omaba team believes all the hype about their exceptionalism.  Big mistake.  They may be different, may actually BE the smartest people in the room, but that doesn’t change the White House, a place that eats smart people for lunch.

I know the Secret Service, by nature, will tell White House staff they can handle anything – are happy to handle anything.  But that doesn’t mean they should.  And White House staff who have been in place almost a year now should know that.

Melinda Bates in the Rose Garden with one of the Thanksgiving turkeys the President pardons every year.

That’s me in the picture there, and you may wonder why I’m petting a turkey.  Good question!  (‘Cause, you know, who does that?  Not to mention, isn’t that the biggest turkey you’ve ever seen?)  Well, that’s not just ANY turkey.  That’s the official, White House turkey!  You’ve probably seen a video clip of a President smiling, laying his hand on a humongous white bird and officially “pardoning” it, as the beginning of Thanksgiving.  This happens every year in the White House Rose Garden, and there I am, just before President Bill Clinton steps out of the Oval Office (far left corner) to honor this tradition.

Why am I there?  That’s another good question.  I’m there because my office, for all eight years of the Clinton administration, was just across the House in the East Wing.  Every morning I’d see the President’s schedule for official events.  So, when the President was doing something fun and interesting, I’d walk on over to watch.  Just one of the incredible perks of being a Special Assistant to the President and Director, White House Visitors Office – and of being a lifelong friend of Bill.

For this particular event, the turkey farmer selected brings a van with not one, but two of these huge birds.  Why two?  Because 1) the birds are so darn top-heavy you never know if or when they might just topple over and lie there with their little feet in the air (NOT a great visual for TV) and 2) you also never know when they might keel over from the sheer excitement and stress of the moment, and then you’d have a DEAD turkey for the shot, and that would be horrible!  So there’s always a back-up turkey.  Just in case.  And POTUS pardons it, and it goes off to live in a petting zoo somewhere.  Probably just as well.  I always thought there could be no natural way to grow a turkey that size.

And that’s it for the official celebration of Thanksgiving at the White House.  The actual day and family feast is private, just the First Family and friends, gathered either at the White House or Camp David – a really nice place for everyone to relax, get together, play games or sports and enjoy some quiet time together.  The Clintons used to celebrate the day before by going, all by themselves, to a Washington soup kitchen to prepare and serve meals to the homeless.  I well remember the first year they did this, 1993, and how hard some Members of Congress pressed to get to go with them, and how hard the press pushed for major coverage.  But for Bill and Hillary this was a private moment of personal charity, something they’d been doing for years, and they didn’t want to turn it into a press, photo-op moment – so they pushed back just as hard!

There was also an earlier (FAR earlier) Thanksgiving I shared with Bill Clinton when we were both freshmen at Georgetown, but you should read about it in my book, White House Story, a Democratic Memoir!

It’s a long way from the White House and Washington DC to Calafia Paradise Resort in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, where I now happily live.  Instead of chilly, overcast weather we enjoy days of brilliant, warm sunshine, cool breezes and crystal blue skies.  We’ll probably have our Thanksgiving feast outside, gathering our friends on the patio, looking past the flowers in my garden to the dolphins fishing just off shore.  Maybe a whale, a forerunner of the pods to come in December, will cruise by, showing us a spout, or slapping a fin on the water.  Maybe we’ll take a dip in one of the pools after dinner to burn off some calories, and for sure we’ll walk the dogs along the cliff edge, or take them for a run on the beach – these are NEW traditions for us, and we love them.

The food will be even better than it was back home, because here we can get fresher produce, at the organic farmers’ market, richer cream, and just about all the traditional ingredients.  And what’s not available here we can easily get right across the border in San Diego – at Costco or Vons.  So, cooks have the best of both worlds!  And that proximity to San Diego means it’s easy for family and friends to fly or drive here for the holidays and share them with us.

So, yes, it’s a long way from “home,” but THIS is now home, and we couldn’t be happier.  We believe we’ve come to the perfect spot in a wonderful, welcoming country, with a much lower cost of living, security and amenities we could only dream of back in the U.S.  We’d be very happy to welcome YOU as new neighbors and friends, so please come take a look at Calafia Paradise Resort!

I was all set to provide the expert commentary on the event on C-SPAN tonight, but the President’s toast was 45 minutes late and it took away  my 10 minutes!  Next time please be more punctual, Mr. President!

The dinner looked beautiful.  apple green table cloths, violet roses and orchids in low, gold bowls, violet stemware and THREE different Presidential chinas: the Eisenhower base plates with the wide gold band on the rim, the Hillary Clinton china with pale yellow and gold rims, and a china I don’t know, from George and Laura Bush.

Three hundred twenty guests dined in a tent set up on the South Lawn, which is something we did a LOT for the Clintons.  I carefully noted they installed a floor.  ONE time we didn’t do that, and it rained, and the guests had to step through mud and soggy grass to get to their tables – a lot of expensive gowns and shoes were ruined, and it was awful.  I guess that lesson is carefully settled with the White House Ushers, and they’ll never do that again!

I am surprised that the President, who I greatly admire, seems not to be well advised on protocol and etiquette.  Last week he bowed to the Emperor of Japan while holding out his hand to shake – a very awkward and silly move.  You may have seen the smile on the Emperor’s face, the polite Japanese equivalent of rolling on the floor laughing.  How did that happen?  The Chief of Protocol, Capricia Marshall, was Social Secretary to the Clintons and is a very smart and capable woman.  Surely she advised the President to simply shake hands?  Americans DO NOT BOW to foreign leaders.  We fought a revolution that pretty much settled that!

And then, at the State Dinner, the Indian PM offered his toast, in honor of the President, Mrs. Obama and the American people, and the President took a glass and drank!  No. No NO!  You never drink to yourself!  Someone toasts in your honor and you smile and nod while everyone else sips!  No.

But that’s a miniscule thing to criticize when the rest of this important and high-profile event went so well.  Congratulations to the White House Visitors Office and Social Office for pulling off their first – and therefore most difficult and stressful – State Visit.

White House Story, a Democratic Memoir

Get your own copy of White House Story, a Democratic Memoir, and read ALL the inside stories of   life and work at the world’s most famous House: back-stage gossip about how it REALLY works – and what happens when it doesn’t, who visits (hint: the Grateful Dead and the Queen of Sweden.  On the same day.)  Breakfast with Tom Hanks, lunch with Michael Douglas, gifts from the King of Morocco and dinner seated next to the President of the United States were all in a day’s work for Melinda Bates, the only person in history to run the White House Visitors Office for all eight years of an administration.

But Melinda wasn’t just a Special Assistant to the President, she’s  also a lifelong friend of Bill’s, and that gave her access to places and events other staff never got to.  She tells her insider stories with a light touch and keen sense of the improbable and amusing.  You can read some of them here on the site, but for the full picture, you really must click on the link in the upper right corner and BUY THE BOOK!  Makes a great holiday gift – if you can bear to part with it!  If you’d like an autographed copy, send me a request in the comments section and I’ll be happy to sign and  send one out.

White House State Dinners are the most exclusive, elegant events in Washington, and the highest-level expression of diplomacy and protocol.  And even with all that, they’re a lot of FUN!

The planning starts with the guest list, and this may be the hardest part – ‘cause EVERYONE wants to come, and there’s just not enough room.  The State Dining Room is the traditional venue, but it only seats 140 at round tables of 10.  That may sound like a lot, but it’s not when you factor in all the politicians who have to be invited, the diplomats from our government and the guest country, the major supporters who naturally expect an invitation, and the celebrities who liven up any dinner party.  Diplomats and politicians by themselves would make a mighty dull party, so let’s hear it for the actors, actresses, musicians, writers, poets, painters and assorted creative people who spark it all up!

To make room for more guests the dinner can be moved to a tent on the South Lawn, and that’s what the Obamas are doing, with 400 guests coming on Tuesday for the PM of India.

The Social Office solicits guest suggestions from major White House departments, and I remember sitting in some of these meetings as names were offered and accepted or cut.  I especially remember the meeting for Hungary, when someone suggested a major film maker of Hungarian descent.  I couldn’t believe my ears – this guy had produced and directed a scummy movie about strippers, and then went on TV to urge young teens to evade the NC17 rating by sneaking in to his movie.  Not a perfect White House guest, and I let them all know it.

Beautiful calligraphed invitations go out about a month before, and there’s still plenty of begging from people who absolutely, positively HAVE to be on that list!  Sometimes that works, but usually not.

Major planning begins months in advance on the menu, décor and entertainment.  The White House chef does research on the taste preferences and dislikes of the visiting Head of State.  State Dept has to ask about allergies, ‘cause God forbid a guest gets sick.  Sample menus are suggested to the First Lady, and the dishes that appeal to her are prepared for a tasting, with the Social Secretary and anyone else they want to include.  The pastry chef does research too, and is expected to come up with something so spectacular the guests will all gasp when it’s brought to the table.

The White House has its own Flower Shop, and there’s a new head florist this year who’s also doing her research about what colors and flowers are appropriate for a specific country.  White, for example, is not a good choice for Japan, because there it’s a color of mourning.  Which china will Mrs. Obama choose – the Reagan red and gold, or the Hillary Clinton pale yellow and gold?  Maybe both, to serve 400 guests!

It’s a great honor for an entertainer to be asked to perform at a State Dinner, even though they only get about 20 minutes (Washington politicians have short attention spans.)  And they don’t get paid; they do it for the prestige.  Sometimes the performance is about purely American styles of music and dance, and sometimes it’s about the traditional forms of the guest country as they’ve been adopted and adapted by American artists.  The King of Morocco loves jazz, so he got the Modern Jazz Quartet.  The President of Argentina got an American ensemble, QuinTango, playing tango, and American actor Robert du Vall dancing tango with his Argentine fiancé, and famous Argentine tango dancers Pablo Veron and his elfin and elegant partner.  Since Hillary knew I loved tango, she asked me to arrange the entertainment, and it was the most exciting night of my life!

More about this in the next blog post!

I dance with tango god Pablo Veron at the Argentine State Dinner

Arrival Ceremony from a bird’s eye view

The Nov. 21 edition of the Washington Post has a photo montage of State Dinners from President Eisenhower to Bush 43 – wow, did these bring back some amazing memories!

Take a look at the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the Clintons’ first State Visit.  Nothing like starting at the top – there aren’t a lot of Emperors left in the world, are there?  Planning for this, and any State Visit, takes many months, and begins when the State Dept. reaches out to the suggested country.  Of course, it would be very strange and rude for a potential guest to decline an invitation to the world’s most famous House.  But then the real work begins – coordinating schedules to find a date that works for both countries.  Once that’s nailed down, planning at the White House begins.

The first part of a State Visit is the Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn – and I organized ALL of these for the Clintons.  Like everything dictated by protocol, it’s a tightly choreographed dance.  First are the invited guests : Members of Congress – who rarely come , personal friends of POTUS and FLOTUS,  who get to stand right in front, random celebrities who are invited to the State Dinner that night and don’t need all day to primp, groups of school children and organizations related to the guest country.

The press are lined up standing on risers facing the low podium.  The President and First Lady stand just outside the Dip Room as the limo with the guests arrives.  The four “principals” walk to the Lawn, with the spouses standing to the side and the Heads of State walking to the podium.  The two anthems are played by the Marine Band.  (Americans need to learn to shut up and stand at attention for these – it’s respectful!)  The President makes welcoming remarks about the long, warm relationship between the two countries, and the Visitor responds with warm remarks about … the long, warm relationship between the two countries.  You could sum it all up as “Yada yada yada Thomas Jefferson yada yada, Abraham Lincoln yada yada yada …

Next the “President’s Own” colonial style marching band … marches and plays colonial era martial music.  They’re very colorful and fun.   The two leaders march off to review the troops standing at crisp attention.  In hot weather it’s always fun to watch for the occasional fainting soldier.  This is actually a good reason to NOT hold these events on Mondays, ‘cause the soldiers are young and tend to spend the weekends partying, and are majorly hung over on Monday mornings.  Anyway, they are specially trained to faint by falling backwards.  If they do that, there are spotters standing behind the formation ready to just haul the unconscious soldier back and away.  Occasionally you can see a pair of empty shoes where the soldier used to be!

After all this the two leaders go off to the Oval Office for a meeting, and the First Lady entertains the spouse with a coffee reception.  In 30 minutes they’re out the door, and the White House swings into REAL preparation for the State Dinner that night.  For this, see my next post!