Secret Service "cutting corners," endangering Obama: author

[Louisiana1976]

A socialite couple that gate-crashed a White House state dinner Tuesday night were able to do so because the Secret Service has been "cutting corners," and in the process endagering the life of the president, says an investigative reporter.

Ronald Kessler, author of The President's Secret Service, told CBS News Thursday morning that "the Secret Service has been cutting corners to a shocking degree ever since Homeland Security took it over in 2003."

Kessler said that "there absolutely could have been an assassination" at the state dinner Tuesday evening, when President Barack Obama hosted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The Secret Service really needs a complete management shakeup," Kessler said. "The agents themselves are very brave and dedicated -- they'll take a bullet for the president. But the management has been dangerously cutting corners. They need a new director from the outside."

snip

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/secret-service-cutting-corners/

[MichiganVote]

1. I think this was extremely dangerous and warrants a house cleaning.

[snagglepuss]

8. How can the Secret Service be so lax given the number of death threats against Obama?

Something stinks to high heaven.

[MichiganVote]

14. Sure does. If I were Flotus I'd be on a tear. Her kids were at that address too.

[951-Riverside]

2. "since Homeland Security took it over in 2003."

Theres your problem.

I wouldn't let Homeland Security, FEMA or Sarah Palin run a McDonald's.

[glitch]

12. b i n g o. nt

[Ikonoklast]

17. But you should feel safer knowing Holy Joe Lieberman oversees

the Senate Homeland Security committee as chairman, yes?

I'm sure he'll aggressively pursue a line of inquiry into this matter.

When he gets around to doing it, or, like, whenever...

[Kievan Rus]

3. More funding cuts probably at fault again

[necso]

4. The protection of the president

and the vice-president is paramount, especially going forward (the crazies would do anything to take power).

(Fode, I know.)

[varelse]

5. According to an ex-White House staffer

what they really needed was someone from the White House staff to be at the checkpoint (ok... the door) with the guards.

The incident was frightening, and hopefully better care will be taken from this point forward. However, I would consider the source of this particular criticism:

Kessler is a known investigative reporter, in recent years working for some conservative news sources. During the 2008 campaign, Kessler incorrectly reported that Obama attended a sermon by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright in which "the minister blamed the 'white arrogance' of America’s Caucasian majority for the world’s suffering." It later turned out that Obama was in Miami when Wright gave his sermon.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Talk to Joe Lieberman. He'll fix this problem.

:sarcasm:

[janedum]

7. The 2 Party "crashers" should be IN JAIL! No one's talking about that!

[Missy Vixen]

10. We're going to find out later that Bravo encouraged them to do it

Bravo just got a TON of free publicity for the "Real Housewives of Washington, DC".

:eyes:

[Matador]

9. Secret Service and most law enforcement agencies

Are generally right-wing.IMHO I would not be surprised to hear most of them are racist right-wingers, that's why they are slacking off and not doing their jobs. I remember just 8 years ago they seemed to be a little over zealous at doing their jobs, (even visiting DU! when there was no reason to whatsoever)

[zbdent]

11. more death threats directed towards the President =

cutting Secret Service personnel ...

isn't that usually the mantra? Cut the "waste" and you'd have more efficient "governments" ... I mean, all it takes is one Secret Service agent to stop a bullet, right? More productivity ... :eyes:

[Generic Other]

13. No security is foolproof

Remember the guy who gave both Clinton and Bush notes on Inauguration Day?

Homeland Security is in name only and mostly about restricting ordinary people's freedom of movement. I would bet though that the rich and powerful are not subjected to the daily indignities the rest of us are. Otherwise the guests at a White House soiree would be removing their shoes, being forced to go through x-ray machines, and background checks before being allowed in the front door.

Anyone with a bit of determination can over ride even the most perfect security systems. Who are we kidding. Our president is always going to be one degree of separation from a loony.

[Lagomorph]

15. Didn't find much through google, but...

holy crap, look at the doors on the limo...

[tritsofme]

16. It just doesn't seem like things like this should be able to happen at presidential events like this

I thought the same thing when that reporter was able to throw shoes at Bush last year.

Doesn't seem surprising that this is attributed to DHS incompetence.