Two of Pennsylvania's top political names were among those on a star-studded guest list for President Obama's first State Dinner.
Gov. Rendell and Sen. Bob Casey, along with their wives, the Hon. Marjorie O. Rendell and Terese Casey, joined the President and Mrs. Obama at the White House event tonight, held in honor of India's prime minister Manmohan Singh.
In addition to a bipartisan roster of elected officials, there were Hollywood luminaries on hand, among them, Steven Spielberg and media celebrities like Katie Couric, also in attendance.
Grammy-award winner Jennifer Hudson and jazz vocalist and composer Kurt Elling headlined the evening's entertainment.
The dinner, held under a tent on the South Lawn, featured historic place settings from various presidential administrations, including a 1955 porcelain place setting used during President Eisenhower's adminstration, which was made in New Castle, PA.
The program notes the magnolias - native to both the U.S. and India - which decorated the tent were "locally grown and sustainably harvested," while the menu, save the Green Curry prawns. was entirely vegetarian. Could this be the first true-green State Dinner?
State Dinner factoid: The first State Dinner for a foreign head of state was held by President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant on December 12, 1874 for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii
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The real unemployment rate is 20%, we are in an economic quagmere where millions are being kicked out of their homes, more people than ever can't afford basic healthcare, all while men & women continue to be sent to fight a pointless war. And at the same time the whitehouse parties and spends on excess like all us not happening. How distastefull.— ritaf
