Michaele and Tareq Salahi shocked the nation last week, when they illustrated how alarmingly easy it may be to gate-crash the President's home, but as small business owners they also accomplished something else few have been able to do: get attention from the White House.

Government aid to small businesses has lagged badly since the financial crisis began in earnest 20 months ago. In the 10 months since President Obama took office, his administration has worked hard through bailouts and incentives to preserve the advantage...