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The architect of George W. Bush’s presidency triggered a protest to his visit to a Wisconsin university Thursday, drawing about 40 protesters carrying signs calling him a war criminal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“We believe that before he speaks at this university for thousands of dollars, he should be put on trial for the crimes against humanity that he and the rest of the Bush administration committed,” Natasha Morgan of Students for a Democratic Society told local tv network WISN.

Hecklers interrupted Bush’s former Deputy Chief of Staff several times.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Rove said. “I’ll keep my remarks short and then you can get a microphone and you can ask me any damn question you want. Until then, do something that may come hard to a liberal intellectual, and that is show respect for the rights of others, like everybody else who came here tonight.”

Rove used his speech to slam Obama, saying that he had tripled the deficit. Rove believes that Americans voted for the president because they mistakenly thought he was inspirational.

Reports say that Rove was paid $25,000 for his speech.

WISN has more details here.

This video is from WISN, broadcast Dec. 3, 2009.

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Tareq and Michaele Salahi — the so called “party crashers” who managed to get through Secret Service security measures to attend a state dinner — told NBC’s Matt Lauer Tuesday that they have documentation proving they were invited to the White House state dinner.

Denying all wrongdoing, Mr. Salahi insisted that he and his wife were invited, adding, “This has been the most devastating thing that has ever happened to us.”

The couple maintained that they’ve cooperated with the Secret Service. “The truth will soon come out,” Salahi said.

Additionally, it’s emerged that the Salahis may have crashed another event — a Congressional Black Caucus dinner.

Representatives from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation say the couple also attended their recent awards dinner without an invitation, and multiple sources told MyFoxDC.com they sneaked in to the event through an entrance meant for bus boys and caterers.

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Last Tuesday, the Salahis strolled into President Barack Obama’s first state dinner. They said hello along the official receiving line, but the White House says they weren’t invited. They say security was breached, and an investigation was ordered.

But there are more images posted on Michaele Salahi’s facebook fan page , including photo opportunities at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Awards Dinner four weeks prior to the state dinner. Photos show the couple among the likes of Senator Roland Burris and his wife, Patrick Kennedy, and Star Jones. President and Mrs. Obama were also in attendance.

According to Congressional Black Caucus Foundation representatives, Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed the September 26th dinner, and were caught sitting at someone’s tables.

This video is from NBC’s Today Show, broadcast Dec. 1, 2009.

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President Barack Obama is “probably the most threatened president ever,” says the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Rep. Pete King (R-NY) told NBC’s Matt Lauer that he supported the idea that Tareq and Michaele Salahi — the socialite couple who gate-crashed a White House state dinner last week — should be prosecuted as a “deterrent” to others who might want to try something similar.

“We can’t show this type of weakness to terrorists, or to psychopaths, especially with President Obama, who is probably the most threatened president in our history,” King said.

“That’s why we have to have a full investigation to find out exactly what the Secret Service is doing to prevent this from ever happening again. First of all, how it happened, why it happened and how it will never happen again. And it put’s us on notice. Yes, we do need more protection. We have to have more fall-back. If one Secret Service agent makes a mistake — you have to assume someone’s always going to make a mistake — there has to be the backup. There has to be layers of defense,” said King.

Ronald Kessler, author of In The President’s Secret Service, told NBC’s Today Show that the Secret Service has a recent history of security lapses.

“Bush White House aides would pressure [the Secret Service] to let people in at events and sometimes they would put people through magnetometers [metal detectors] but they would turn them off so that even if there was a weapon no alarm would sound,” Kessler said. “I know that sounds unbelievable but that’s what was going on.”

Kessler told CBS last week that the Secret Service has been “cutting corners” since it was moved into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, and the agency needs a management overhaul.

“The belief [inside the Secret Service] is that it’s just a matter of time before there is an assassination,” Kessler told Lauer. “The Secret Service has been shockingly derelict in its duty.”

This video is from NBC’s Today Show, broadcast Nov. 30, 2009.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hasn’t heard President Barack Obama’s proposal for how to move forward with the war in Afghanistan, but he’s already saying that he will have a “real problem” supporting an increase of 30,000 or more troops.

Sanders told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Sunday, “You have to put Afghanistan into the context of what’s happening in America today. What’s happening now, not only a trillion-dollar national debt, we’re in the mid midst of the worst recession since the great depression.”

Official estimates put the cost of escalation at $1 million per soldier each year.

See more detailed Raw Story coverage of Obama’s plans for Afghanistan here.

This video is from ABC’s This Week, broadcast Nov. 29, 2009.

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A U.S. journalist was grilled by Canadian border officials for 90 minutes Wednesday. Officials demanded to know if Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman was going to speak against hosting the Olympic games in Canada.

CBC has more details here.

Goodman said that she and her crew “were flagged right off the bat,” and that they “demanded her notes.”

She said they sifted through their vehicle and perused one of her colleague’s computer.

Goodman said that it “has a very chilling effect when you’re a journalist and you’re asked about what you’re going to talk about.”

“How many people does this happen to that we don’t know about?” Goodman asked, adding that “dissent is what will save us.”

CanWest News Service adds:

A spokeswoman with the Canada Border Services Agency said anyone entering Canada may be stopped at the border for questioning.

Faith St. John would not comment on Goodman’s case specifically, citing privacy concerns, but said there are many reasons that a person may be detained while coming into Canada.

“It’s not an accusation of a wrongdoing,” she said.

This video is from CBC, broadcast Nov. 27, 2009.

Download video via RawReplay.com