Friends say judge Rogers's total WH work

WASHINGTON, March 12 (UPI) -- People must consider the overall workload of outgoing U.S. presidential social secretary Desiree Rogers before judging her, friends say.

Rogers, who announced in February that she would resign in March, presided over 330 White House events in 14 months. One of them was a November state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that was crashed by a couple angling for a reality television show.

While Rogers -- known for her flashy fashion sense and jet-set lifestyle -- was unwilling to discuss her tenure, several friends and associates said they thought her overall job performance was lost in the uproar that followed the November incident, The New York Times reported Friday.

"As she put it, 'They never lifted a finger to help me set the record straight,'" one person told the Times. "Nobody came to her defense."

White House officials countered that they did rally to her defense, the Times said.

Even as he criticized her decisions on the state-dinner security, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said Rogers was left hanging by the White House.

"She was in a tough spot," he said. "All of us in public life dread the screw-up which is going to come back to haunt you."

"It's been very difficult for her," said Amy Zantzinger, President George W. Bush's last social secretary. "And I think what can't be lost is there are all these unbelievable events they did at the White House when she was there, particularly bringing in all the artists and musicians. I don't think that's ever been done before to this magnitude."

White House Chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Rogers "did a good job of projecting a White House that was open, family friendly and classy."