Golden boy lost his luster?

[Shaughnn]

Did anyone read the newspaper story last week about Barbara Bush, the lesser, having her purse and cell phone stolen from under her table at a restaurant in South America,...while the United States Secret Service was watching her?!?!
Here's (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Bush_Motorcade_Accident.html) another story from last week which really caused me to wonder about where the staffing people are placing the "A Team", becuase it's obvious that the "B Team" is on patrol.
I'm not trying to make light of the death of a police officer. In fact I think that it's incredibly tragic that he died in this manner; escorting the President to breakfast across a United States military base here at home. But three officers down the morning after another officer toppled the day before has me wondering if maybe somebody should have looked up in the sky and thought, "Hmm, maybe motocycles at slow speeds isn't going to give the President the security he needs?". Who knows why President Bush didn't stop when the officers tumbled but it can't have been for security reasons (ie. on a U.S. military base in Hawaii). I hope he enjoyed his photo-op breakfast with the troops though. :monster:
The final "WTF" details has to be that one of the White House staffers was mugged off of Waikiki Beach. Even I know not to travel down there alone. Is our President surrounded by knuckleheads??? :WTF:
Between the Bush twins in South America and our President's travels across the Pacific and back again, it's got me wondering if maybe the-powers-that-be have washed their hands of him and have reeled in all of the professional handlers???
Any thoughts?,
Shaughnn

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[Chris the Rep]

I'm not going to offer much in the way of comment regarding the daughters or the mugging victim.

The unfortunate incident in Hawaii came up at a family dinner last night. I do have a close relative who is a police lieutenant, and has worked the Secret Service on more than one occasion for presidential visits.

While discussing this, he stated that they were instructed that once the motorcade starts rolling, it doesn't stop for anything until it reaches its destination. Stopping means a stationary target.

An accident such as what happened (even on a military base...think sniper on the fence line or someone with a shoulder fired missle) is viewed as a possible diversion and therefore a potential threat to the POTUS. The head of the protection detail then makes a decision as to whether to proceed to the original destination or whether to divert to an alternate route or destination, which is usually back to Air Force One. (Which would be notified to have the engines spinning and ready to take off)

Scenarios that we would envision as a one in a million chance are viewed as distinct possibilities to the Secret Service. These people bring new meaning to the word paranoid.

Chris

[Shaughnn]

Thank you Chris,
I understand that the motorcade doesn't stop, especially when something like this occurs. I just noticed an odd trend toward "bizarro" with last week's series of unfortunate events and wanted to put it "out there" for comment.
Thanks for the personal anecdote,
Shaughnn

[jgleason]

A true story...

When I was working in theatre, we had a visit by then President Clinton. This was shortly after a major renovation to the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH November of 1995 if memory serves.

I worked closely with the Secret Service guys and members of the White House Communications office. The morning of the visit (planning took several days of advance work) one of the Secret Service agents came up to me and called me outside. Once we were alone he asked if I had any plywood about 2'x4'. I scrounged up a piece of 1/4" luaun and cut it to his specs. Proceeded to paint it. Seems the agent had forgotten one of the armored panels that goes along either side of the Presidential podium. So, on the right was a very nice armored plate and on the left was a matching, although slightly less effective piece of 1/4" luaun. They looked identical thanks to my wonderful paint job. The President was told if anything happened during the event he should get behind the panel on the right side. :D

[Mountain Tile]

I'll bet he told Hillary " you take the left side, I'll take the right! " :rofl:

[dkpbxman]

A number of years before I retired from the NYPD, I was "borrowed" by the 'Intelligence Division' (an oxymoron) for a few weeks while the United Nations General Assembly was going on. At that time, almost all the countries in the U.N. send a foriegn minister or some other type of representative to NYC to participate in the discussions. They all have to be officially protected while that happens.
Occasionally, I would be assigned to cover, along with the Secret Service, the U.S. President. On those occasions I was told beforehand that should ANYTHING happen along the route, the motorcade would not stop.
I was even instructed, by the Secret Service, that if I was driving and for some reason a crowd of people got in front of the car, and there was no other choice other than stopping, to just run them over.

[Marge]

Joe,

I'm not to interpret anything from your comments right....like I should be worried about my laptop now, after your help? OMG, my firewall is really OSB! :rofl:

[jdm]

But nicely painted OSB. :D

[John K]

Joe,

That agent was a Republican. :D

[jjwq8]

Au contraire. He was a Humanitarian.:nod: