Should President Obama move to Camp David?

[pool]

I don’t think considering the amount of vitriol there has been against this president from certain citizenry that he has ever had anything close to a real attempt to take him out, at least none of which I am aware. So it seems utterly pointless for him to move to Camp David because I don’t think he is any real genuine danger especially when he is at the White House.

If someone is going to attempt to take out the President and they are serious about it they are going to do it when they are out in public back like when Reagan was shot.

[JoseB]

There was the case of Truman, who was attacked in his residence (not the White House at that moment) on November 1st, 1950. A policeman and one of the two attackers were killed. I think that this is the closest a would-be killer ever got to a president in his residence. Nobody appeared to have thought about taking the president away from Washington DC because of that attack.

In any case, it seems to me that a head of state is much more vulnerable when going somewhere or attending some public function than in his or her own residence.

I do not think that moving the US president away from the White House is needed or called for.

[Mr_Quatro]

This is not 1950 … this is the year 2015. The enemy today is not the same either.

Take ISIS for example they use multi-media to recruit people from all over the world to join in their united fight against lukewarm Islam. If they can’t find their way to Syria via Turkey then they are urged to take up arms against anyone that is not on their same wave length.

If just one of the nut cases they reach out to wanted to for example attack the White House for the same dumb reasons nut cases attack movie theaters in Colorado or Congress women in Arizona … who are you going to blame?

Where do you send the cruise missile in that case?

They could do it and get away with it by shrugging we didn’t do anything and blame the wacko they generated.

The enemy is changing it’s tactic’s to look bigger than they really are … I don’t want to see the White House smoking from a terrorist attack.

If you move the President now then they would leave the White House alone.

I think we should build a safer white house away from the mad people of our times.

[running_coach]

@Mr_Quatro

If you move the President now then they would leave the White House alone.

I think we should build a safer white house away from the mad people of our times.

And where would that be?

[Caffeine.addict]

@Mr_Quatro

A school bus full of terrorist disguised as cheerleaders from Ohio could overpower the Secret Service and the DC police.

They probably couldn’t get to the president or the second floor of the White House, but a blemish on our country it would bring.

A busload of anything isn’t going very far or very fast in DC traffic. Traffic in DC this morning was going at less than 6 mph.

There are multiple security agencies in DC. Someone acting suspiciously will be far harder to hide in DC than in the boonies like Camp David.

[Regallag_The_Axe]

@CarnalK

So they wouldn’t come close and you would still deny us this??? Turn in your “Mr” to the closest Man Headquarters.

This. And shear your beard off while you’re at it.

[Shodan]

@Mr_Quatro

If just one of the nut cases they reach out to wanted to for example attack the White House for the same dumb reasons nut cases attack movie theaters in Colorado or Congress women in Arizona … who are you going to blame?

The nutcases first, then the Secret Service.

They could do it and get away with it by shrugging we didn’t do anything and blame the wacko they generated.

I don’t think they can do it, and I don’t think they can get away with it.

If you think they will “get away with it”, allow me to remind you of the history of the Taliban, who gave refuge to bin Laden and refused to hand him over after 9/11. Remembering that the USSR fought them for seven years, and the US military rolled over them in six weeks.

@George W Bush

A few weeks ago, we offered that regime a choice. Hand over the terrorists, or face your ruin.

They chose - unwisely.

The enemy is changing it’s tactic’s to look bigger than they really are … I don’t want to see the White House smoking from a terrorist attack.

Nobody does.

If you move the President now then they would leave the White House alone.

I would rather have the President be safe than the White House.

I think we should build a safer white house away from the mad people of our times.

Let’s make the one we already have safer.

The President needs to be in Washington DC so he can meet with Congressmen and distinguished visitors and so on, and because the Oval Office is set up there. It is also fairly close to the Pentagon and CIA headquarters and so forth, all of which are in the same city.

The White House is a really, really secure building. It has anti-aircraft capability, secure comm links, underground bunkers, and lots of highly motivated and heavily armed people wandering in it who would like nothing better than to shoot someone who threatened the President.

Plus launching a fleet of drones against the White House is not as simple a procedure as you seem to believe. Should someone drive a truck up close to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and start unloading an artillery piece, some of those motivated people I mentioned above is going to take an interest and things are going to start going south for the Bad Guys real quick.

I don’t think Obama is in any more danger than any other President, ISIS notwithstanding. If he wants to go to Camp David for the weekend, more power to him. If he wants to hide out there permanently, no, that would interfere with his duties.

Presidents are at higher risk of being killed than a normal person. That’s just part of the job. That doesn’t mean we can or should neglect security, but the risk cannot be reduced to zero. So Obama, and his successor, and whoever is President after that, is going to have to come to grips with that risk.

Regards,
Shodan

[Inigo_Montoya]

@Mr_Quatro

I’ve often thought if just a hand full of people here on Straight Dope alone could come up with some super duper terrorist attacks then so can the enemy.

You overestimate the drive, knowledge, wisdom, and skills of The Non. The Straight Dope is already a sounding board for the de facto leaders of the world (not everyone gets to be a Charter Member, you know)–not just USA & Yurp, the world. Like, Earth. Probably even space. Just because we have a few members who can suss and overcome the strengths of a particular target, for purely academic reasons of course, don’t be fooled into thinking a handful of bandits can do the same.

Regrettably, lover, this message board IS as good as it gets. My own contributions notwithstanding.

[TruCelt]

Shodan is right, the White House is far more secure than the OP imagines. I was blown away by the security measures that were shared with me, and that was back in the late 80’s. Quite a bit of updating has been done since then, and I only got the “Family and friends” tour, I’m quite sure there was a great deal even then which I was not deemed worthy of knowing.

Camp David, OTOH would be much harder to secure. I always worry when Presidents spend too much time there. Of course, a great deal has been done there as well, but just look at it ferchrissakes. How can you possibly patrol woods that thick? Mosby’s Raiderswould’ve had any President boosted out of bed in his skivvys with a day or two to plan.

[Mr_Quatro]

I see that less than 10% of the votes agree … so be it, but

I still think that it is just a matter of time before a lone wolf or a well planned attack is executed upon the
White House with terrible scenes of destruction unfolding before us.

This scenario would then pan out to be a reason for a new safe home for our nations leader and his family.

I have never been to Camp David only heard about it for years on TV … so if that is not a good option so be it.