The Big Uninvited Guest

Shaq Denied Entrance to White House
Washington Post

Shaq demonstrates The Claw.So last week on The Mike Wise Show, Shaquille O'Neal posed one of the timeless questions of our era: If I show up, unannounced, at the White House, could I get in?

Turns out this was no idle speculation. It was an actual bet, between Shaq and one of his handlers, with the loser owing the winner 1,000 push-ups. Even as bloggers were wondering which celebrities might have the clout to manage that feat, Shaq laid out the guidelines Monday night at Verizon Center, while prepping for his turn as guest host of WWE's RAW.

"The rule was I couldn't use any of my political connections," he explained. "Couldn't show a badge. I couldn't call anybody, because I've got a couple of best friends that work for the Secret Service. So that was the rule. They took my phone away, I jumped in a cab, went up there, and the guy wouldn't let me in."

Just a straight-up no, then?

"I went to the gate," he said. "They were nice. They said, 'Shaq, we can't do it.' I said, 'I understand.' Understood."

And he didn't try to argue his way in?


"Never that," he said. "Never that. No way."

(This was, of course, a slightly different tone than on his Twitter feed, where he responded to rejection with this: "The white house wouldn't let me in, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.")

I'm not too sure I want to live in a world where Shaq Diesel can't go whereever he wants. I understand we have secuirty concerns in this country but if celebrities and athletes don't deserve special treatment then who does? Next you're going to start telling me these people have to pay taxes too.

Also, the Diesel was the guest host of Raw this week. He was witty and a shade homoerotic which I always find to be the key mixture for pure comedy.