Kuddos to the Obamas for Halloween at the White House

I give the Obamas a lot of (well deserved) grief. But I should also make mention of some of the good things that they’ve done.

Like allowing more than 2000 local D.C. children to trick-or-treat at the White House on Halloween night.

After all, the White House is supposed to belong to “we the people;” the Obama’s are just temporary guests in this historic home. So, I think it’s a good thing to open it up as often as possible to our citizens.

Especially for kids like this. These kids don’t care about the politics of the White House — it’s a really special treat for them to be able to trick-or-treat at the White House and to meet the President and First Lady:

“I’m so excited my hands are shaking,” said Jarmell Wilson of Bowie, who came with her husband Damon and masked 8-year-old son Damon Jr., who attends Kenilworth Elementary. She immediately called her mother, then said they were told ” not to expect them, so it was a surprise. This was just a treat.”

About 2,600 trick-or-treaters and guardians swooped, skulked and pitter-pattered their way through the front drive of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. last night, stopping at the north portico to get their treat: a plastic baggy containing White House M&Ms, an orange sugar cookie in the shape of the residence, and clumps of desiccated apricots, apples and papayas. Better than a toothbrush, but . . .

“I’m not a fan of dried fruit,” said a 9-year-old Cleopatra, aka Grace Hammond of Arlington, who nevertheless acknowledged that this was the swankiest address she’d ever trick-or-treated at.

The White House invited children from 11 area schools to file past the front entrance of the house, which was lit orange, wrapped with cobwebs and adorned with a giant black spider with a dozen googly eyes. A brass band dressed as skeletons hopped around, blasting gypsy music and tarantella, as actors and make-up artists from Chicago’s Red Moon Theater painted each other’s faces. Pumpkins littered the marble steps of the north portico. Bubbles floated in the humid air.

I’m appreciative that Barack and Michelle went out of their way to do this. I think it’s a great tradition that should be continued by all future Presidents. In fact, if I had school aged children and I lived in D.C., I would have put my politics aside for the night and taken my kids to the White House to trick-or-treat and to meet the President and First Lady.

Now…as to Barack’s “costume”, I think that it was a political decision to go as “nothing,” knowing that whatever costume he did choose would be over-analyzed to death and have every Obama critic looking for ulterior motives behind it. So he went the safe route and chose instead the criticism of not dressing up at all.

I’ll tell you what, Barack: if you host children again next year for Halloween and decide to wear a costume, I won’t mock or criticize you for it, regardless of what you dress up as. Hell, you could dress up and pretend to be the President of the United States and I’d bite my tongue.