I don’t know if this was mentioned in any of the umpteen other Obama threads, but (a) I feel this deserves a thread of its own, and (b) yeah, this is umpteen and one.
As stated in the linked article below, security forces were pulled off screening detail for attendees to one of Obama’s rallys in Dallas…that’s right. Dallas.
How the heck is this even contemplated, much less approved and implemented, especially in Dallas, of all places? The little conspiracist in me is clawing to get out, but I’m hoping someone can talk me off the ledge here
Here, they had everyone going single-file through metal detectors. It was slower than airport security. With 25,000 people lined up, it would have been 11pm before we all got in. So after 3 hours of doing this, they just let everyone in.
Maybe the theory is that you only really need to screen the people that will be close to the stage?
Perhaps you’re right that this was the thought process, but that’s got to be one of the most ridiculous rationales for, in essense, putting someone’s life at increased risk I’ve ever heard. What, bullets won’t kill Obama just as dead if fired from the nosebleeds?
Same thing happened in Hartford, everyone on the ground floor, i.e. able to touch, handshake etc…etc…Obama was searched. Everyone else was let in willy nilly. Plus, there was an enormous amount of security there, he has 3-4 guys in suits following him, and no one knows how many in normal clothes. I’m sure he and hillary are getting threats already…probably lots of them.
I saw Obama at the rally in Wilmington, DE a couple of weeks ago, and the same thing happened. And once the floodgates opened, many of the unscreened folks (including me and my family) were able to get quite close to the podium, say about 20 feet. There were four obvious Secret Service agents deployed around the podium, but whether they could have stopped a determined assassin in time is an open question.
I don’t disagree. Just speculating. I’m not a shooter, but I suspect it would be pretty difficult to quickly draw a hand gun, aim, and fire it accurately at 50 yards in a crowd of people before you get taken down by the crowd or security.
Of course, the secret service also has many other security measures, including electromagnetic scanning equipment that works on entire crowds of people.
In Atlanta this summer, he didn’t even have SS. Some “people”, but they weren’t even serviceable goons. The location chosen was also completely open, by the rooftop of around 4 buildings. As in, I have been on top of 4 buildings, without permission, that loomed directly over where he speechified. Also, he wondered through the crowd, people touched him, whatever. Nothing happened, obviously.
Not that I wish ill on Mr. Obama, but I think two things have to be borne in mind here:
It is flatly nuts to think it at all logistically possible to screen every person who’s going to be within shooting distance of him at a public appearance,
People are probably underestimating how difficult an assassination attempt is – there’ve been more failed attempts than successful ones, and
If you did invest a huge amount of time and effort into this, to the point that you could actually screen everyone, you’d have to severely curtail the number of people who could hear him speak, which no politician wants, and Mr. Obama ESPECIALLY doesn’t want, since public speaking is one of the things he does best.
The other thing is…where is this coming from? Is it Obama who is making this decision or is it his security people? What (if anything) does HE have to say about this situation?
Knowing politicians I’m guessing this is his own requirement and the security types have to grit their teeth and do what they are told. From a politician’s perspective making perspective voters wait in long lines and feel harassed might not be the best course when trying to be elected. From a security persons perspective it would be best if the candidate never did public speaking engagements and if they could keep their charges in a bullet/bomb proof box the entire time.
Put it this way, he’s got more say in it now, than he will when he is in the oval office. He won’t be able to get as close to people when he’s POTUS. I wouldn’t think that is.
According to this, the Dallas police say the decision “apparently” came from the Secret Service (which has refused to comment); of course, Secret Service guards do not report to the person they are protecting, unless it is the POTUS, and even then he has to do what they say.
He won’t. He best enjoy his freedom now because once he wins the SS will hold him to a pretty tight line. They tend to take that kind of things seriously.
Which is a GOOD thing…we want this guy to be around for 8 years, ehe?
Missed the edit window…the ‘He won’t’ comment was meant as a response to Phlosphr saying “He won’t be able to get as close to people when he’s POTUS.”
I think at this stage in the game the SS is going to be a bit more lax and do a bit more of what the candidate wants them to do. My guess is that it is Obama setting the parameters here for how security is being run (at least in general terms) than the SS deciding not to protect him as well as they can.
Yikes. It’s unrelated, but I don’t know where else to put this. A motorcycle officer in Clinton’s motorcade was killed when he hit a curb while escorting her to a rally in Dallas today. She canceled her Fort Worth rally to be with his widow.