Question...

I just recently had the opportunity to watch the video of an angry Iraqi throwing TWO...not one...but TWO shoes at the President. My question is, how is it that the individual was able to hurl two shoes at the President before the President's detail even got to his side ?

I just recently had the opportunity to watch the video of an angry Iraqi throwing TWO...not one...but TWO shoes at the President. My question is, how is it that the individual was able to hurl two shoes at the President before the President's detail even got to his side ?

That's a fair question and it is not unreasonable to ask it. But before I respond I'd like to hear your thoughts. How do YOU think it was possible? What kind of screening do you think the Iraqi Journalist (the shoe thrower) went through to be in a press conference? Why do you think that the only thing he had to throw was a shoe, rather than a real weapon? Given how quickly the non-life-threatening attempted assault occurred just how close to the President(s) do you think their bodyguards would have had to be standing in order to respond more quickly? What would you have done to prevent the attack entirely? What would you have done to make the response more timely? What you have had the response be?

Give it some thought and let me know.

I just recently had the opportunity to watch the video of an angry Iraqi throwing TWO...not one...but TWO shoes at the President. My question is, how is it that the individual was able to hurl two shoes at the President before the President's detail even got to his side ?

News reports should give an indication.

Note: "It is common these days for Secret Service agents to hang back, out of camera view, when the president is in a confined room with people, like the journalists, who were allowed to bring with them pads and pens, small audio recorders, and of course their shoes." They were screened for weapons.

Note: "The head of the presidential protective detail was seen reaching the President's side within six seconds ..."The President and the staff don't want the agents to be hovering too closely (into the camera shot) in a controlled environment, for appearances sake and political reasons.

Read the full report at http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar ... rvice.html (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/12/secret-service.html)

Let's try again on the news link. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/12/secret-service.html

Blunder #2...California teen gets on presidential press bus with his high school press pass. Can someone please tell us how this happened. If a high school kid can get that close without authorization...imagine the possibilities. This is bothersome.

Blunder #2...California teen gets on presidential press bus with his high school press pass. Can someone please tell us how this happened. If a high school kid can get that close without authorization...imagine the possibilities. This is bothersome.

Easy to understand.

1. The screener that let him on the bus was not Secret Service.
2. He looks so goofy that it was easy to believe he was a media worker.

:devil:

Remember one thing - the President is NOT on the press bus. There is no doubt in my mind that when the press bus arrived at its' destination that the person in question would NOT be allowed into the confined press bullpen without the proper credentials.

The kid was in fact press was he not? Yes he was. Was he sent through the same physical security that everyone else went through, yup he was. How was this a threat to anyone? The president wasn't even on or near the press bus.

Wow...yet ANOTHER security blunder !! I can't wait to hear the excuses for this one.

No matter what anyone says, in every one of these instances the person in question went through the same security screening for weapons that everyone else went through, period. Never any danger.

No matter what anyone says, in every one of these instances the person in question went through the same security screening for weapons that everyone else went through, period. Never any danger.

We could only wish that were true. There are a variety of weapons (which I will not list here) that easily pass through magnetometers.

The reason for identity checking and credentialing is to lessen the likelihood of granting access to someone with a known potential for being a danger. (Again, I won't list the profile factors used in the evaluation.)

Surely you understand that we don't want a person who is regarded as dangerous to someone we protect to be inside the secure area, even if he has passed through a magnetometer, don't you?

:?: