Actually Breaking: Suspicious Toys at White House

I haven't seen this in the media yet, but I'm looking out my window next door to the White House.  The police have shut down several square blocks around the White House from car and pedestrian traffic.  There's a bomb squad parked out front.  The issue appears to be a few suspicious objects that have been thrown over the fence at the Old Executive Office building.

These objects include a grocery bag, a stuffed dog, and what appears to be either Elmo or a red Teletubby.  So I'm not too worried (now, if it was a purple Teletubby, that would be a different story).

I'll update the diary if anything actually happens.

UPDATE:  The cool robot is gone and has left awesome treadmarks all over the Old Executive Office building lawn.  17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue have been reopened to traffic.  Elmo has apparently been determined to be grating and annoying, but not technically a terrorist threat.

Second update below the jump...

UPDATE 2:  Proof that I'm not making this up:

Streets around the White House were closed Tuesday morning after a woman threw a package into the courtyard of the adjacent Old Executive Office Building.

The woman was taken into custody without incident and was being questioned by the Secret Service, said Darrin Blackford, a spokesman for the service. The package was being investigated but no immediate details were available.

•  Isn't it obvious?

  Overcome by love of Dear Leader, the people are spontanteously showering the White House with gifts.

  by melvin on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:07:57 AM PDT

  •  Dumb people

    Don't they know that they are supposed to throw flowers and candy?

    by Sharon Jumper on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:14:45 AM PDT

    •  Rajneesh Used To Get Rose Petals In The US

      And wasn't he a Republican?

      by NewDirection on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:36:21 AM PDT

  •  Excellent point

    I'd just like to mention that I was a little concerned that the bomb squad robot appeared to be connected to a really long orange extention cord.

    by MasonLee on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:15:42 AM PDT

    •  Yeah, the blue ones are much better.

      I actually brought a blue one when I moved from Alaska. Flexible to 100 below zero!

      by SensibleShoes on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:39:47 AM PDT

    •  The Extension Cord of DOOM! (n/t)

      by skwimmer on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:19:37 AM PDT

  •  That's absolutely hliaroius

    I wish I could pat you on the back for that one.

    by The Wife of Bath on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:34:47 AM PDT

  •  The toys are the right emotional

    and behavioral age group for Georgie.

    by ThatSinkingFeeling on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:47:57 AM PDT

  •  this diary is worth it

    for this comment alone!!!

    anybody out there reading I nominate this comment for top comments!!

    sheehs still giggling. I honestly don't know who that is more insulting to W or lil kim

    by jezlin on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:30:17 AM PDT

•  No Spongebob?

  That would certainly be cause for alarm. :-D

  by pattyp on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:08:23 AM PDT

  •  Spongebob Explodingpants?

    Everything's funnier with either the word "chicken", "cheese", "weasel", or "pants".

    by nightsweat on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:43:56 AM PDT

    •  Of couse!

      That's why "underpants" is a way funnier word than "underwear."

      by peterj911 on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:24:54 AM PDT

•  Probably the new exploding Elmo.

  Those things are really hot this season.

  hink

  by MrHinkyDink on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:11:28 AM PDT

  •  Heh

    They're a bitch to get through customs from Iraq, though.

    by Sharon Jumper on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:15:19 AM PDT

  •  He explodes when you tickle him?

    No wonder it's the hottest toy this season.

    by litigatormom on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:24:27 AM PDT

•  It's that sort of thing...

  that led me to get out of Washington (at least on a daily basis).

  Not that I'm afraid, it's just that the city is in the grips of a (somewhat justified) paranoia that has sucked the life out of it.

  So very sad.

  by The Eyewitness Muse on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:12:42 AM PDT

  •  Not my experience. The real DC, beyond

    K street and the Mall, is more vibrant than it's ever been in the 11 years I've lived here.

    by Joelarama on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:19:57 AM PDT

    •  Point taken...

      I was in fact talking about the K Street/Mall area.

      It is still possible, in fact encouraged, to go have fun in the Circle, Cleveland Park, Georgetown, etc.

      by The Eyewitness Muse on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:23:44 AM PDT

      •  Try Columbia Heights, U Street, Logan Circle

        (I assume you mean Dupont Circle), and Shaw.  Lots happening.

        by Joelarama on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:26:10 AM PDT

        •  Have friends in Columbia Heights...

          know it well, U Street and Logan, not so much--I'll try and visit. And yeah, I did mean Dupont.

          by The Eyewitness Muse on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:36:32 AM PDT

  •  I left because

    I couldn't afford not to live downstairs from a crack dealer.

    by SensibleShoes on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:41:00 AM PDT

    •  Recently, I was helping newlywed...

      friends move into an apartment on Capitol Hill. We rotated leaving one person at the U-Haul so as to minimize the opportunity for someone to grab something and run. Within an hour, I was offered crack and a "date" by a couple of local entrepreneurs. I didn’t mention this to my friends, maybe I should have.

      by The Eyewitness Muse on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:42:35 AM PDT

    •  heh...

      that's why my husband and i live in the virginia 'burbs with a roommate.  i never thought in my wildest freaking dreams i'd be a married woman living like a college student again.  sigh...  

      by liberalsouth on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:54:58 AM PDT

•  An what it probably was

  A grocery sack of misc stuff, a kids favorite toy (Elmo) and another toy for another kid, all left on the roof of a car whilst mother/father straps them in, probably fighting screaming kids, hungry like or the like.

  And he/she just drove off and the stuff finally flew off the roof when she turned a corner.

  And now he/she has two broken-hearted kids, and he/she has a headache.

  by kfred on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:19:15 AM PDT

•  torture me elmo

  just hasn't caught on apparently.

  by its simple IF you ignore the complexity on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:20:56 AM PDT

  •  Are you kidding?

    Anyone who has had to live in a house with a small child and an Elmo can tell you that 'Torture Me Elmo' is alive and doing very well.

    My personal version would be 'Open the Front Door and Hurl Into the Street Elmo'.  And if you think I'm kidding, just ask my grown sons what happened to their remote control cars after they ran them into my ankles a couple of times.....

    by Got a Grip on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 11:02:51 AM PDT

•  Well, ya know the difference between men & boys

  is the price of their toys. Too bad Georgie's graduated to such expensive toys.

  Maybe if Jeb hadn't snatched Georgie's G.I. Joe and broken it . . .

  by murasaki on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:22:12 AM PDT

•  Oh my, someone's discovered Condi's

  electric ...

  by Lepanto on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:28:56 AM PDT

  •  bomb squad

    robot?

    by wader on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:55:08 AM PDT

    •  Hey, whatever does it for her. (n/t)

      by Moody Loner on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:04:49 AM PDT

      •  Kind of like the Hitachi "Magic Wand"

        with arms?

        by wader on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:31:45 AM PDT

  •  womba?

    by parryander on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:23:08 AM PDT

•  Good thing they stopped Elmo before

  he got inside.  If there had been a battle of wits, we might be looking at Vice President Cookie Monster tomarrow.

  by Friend of the court on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:30:52 AM PDT

  •  stop pulling that string!! n/t

    by ThatSinkingFeeling on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:52:16 AM PDT

•  asdf

  The man who nearly choked to death on a pretzel might be taken out by a red Tellitubby. What a world.

  by droogie6655321 on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:31:16 AM PDT

•  Clearly...

  Little Bush just left his toys out again. And Barbara keeps telling her little boy to put his toys away.

  by mole333 on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:31:19 AM PDT

•  buttplug, dildo reclaimed by occupants n/t

  by seesdifferent on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:31:54 AM PDT

  •  I thought those *were*

    the occupants.

    by wader on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:55:55 AM PDT

  •  yikes!

    kind of rather specifically anatomical, sees!

    by tom 47 on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:11:55 AM PDT

•  It was probably a Transfomer

  More than meets the eye.  Robots in disguise.

  by clonecone on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:32:04 AM PDT

•  Elmo Is Pretty Radical

  He is actually a rather tall, gay black man in person.

  by NewDirection on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:35:21 AM PDT

•  A talking Elmo is no different ...

  ... than the current Chief Executive, is it? Programmed by Cheney, of course.

  by highfive on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:41:45 AM PDT

  •  Please don't insult Elmo...

    He actuallt talks without telling lies.

    by jeffinalabama on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:59:20 AM PDT

•  oooh

  You work way closer to Breadline than I do.

  Lucky.

  by Politburo on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:44:11 AM PDT

  •  Cuban Pork Sandwich on Thursdays

    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

    by MasonLee on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:45:51 AM PDT

•  ?

  "I haven't seen this in the media yet, but I'm looking out my window next door to the White House"

  You live next door to the White House?  Cool.

  by PoliticalWebSolutions on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 07:45:26 AM PDT

•  I told you..

  if we don't fight Elmo over there on Sesame Street..
  we'll have to fight him here.

  by Zwoof on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:17:37 AM PDT

•  It was a box of pretzels

  But don't worry, Chief of Staff Smithers Josh Bolten threw his body upon the dangerous weapons of mass salvation.

  by daulton on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:19:50 AM PDT

  •  Actually

    Maybe Bush would get the point if everyone in the county sent him a box of pretzels.

    by Demena on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 08:24:39 AM PDT

•  Toys-R-Gone?

  Now Georgie will have no presents under his Holiday tree.

  by Overseas on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:08:03 AM PDT

•  It's the Bert Connection!

  They got to Elmo through Bert...

  by mole333 on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:16:00 AM PDT

•  Seriously, this was a good use of "BREAKING".

  I seems to me that this was an entirely appropriate use of "BREAKING" in the title.

  Unlike most diaries that are merely second-hand reports of MSM reports, this was a first-hand, eye-witness account of a genuine news event.

  The sad part is that with all the flaming of such diaries lately, this diarist was apparently made to feel so afraid that they had to resort to writing "Actually Breaking".

  Have the "dKos BREAKING Police" gone too far?

  by Jimdotz on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:31:47 AM PDT

  •  Not afraid

    I just think the "Breaking" tag is overused.  

    by MasonLee on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 09:42:33 AM PDT