Secret Service Not So Protective

Everyone is familiar with this sight. Men and women in professional looking suits, dark sunglasses, and a cord coming out of their suit jacket to a communication device in their ear. And if you look closely, you may see a suspicious looking bulge on their hip or under their arm. That would be the weapons they are carrying to make sure the people they are protecting are safe and sound. We’ve all seen the sight on the news and on movies. These are the people of the Secret Service and they are charged with protecting the President of the United States and his family, as well as the Vice President and family and other high-ranking officials in the United States Government.

If there is one thing the Secret Service has always been serious about, it is the safety of those they are charged with protecting. That is as it should be. No matter if we agree with President Obama’s policies or not, one of America’s strongest foundations is our ability to transition from one administration to the next in a peaceful manner. No assassinations or coups are needed. That’s how our system of government works. Until now, it has been a serious thing, but it appears that the security of the Secret Service is not so serious in this day and age.

Oh, I am sure the Secret Service still cares very much about keeping the President and his family safe, as well as they care about the rest of the people they are charged with protecting. That’s as it should be, but it surely does look like they are getting lax in their attention to detail.

I am sure all of us have heard about the intruder that made it over the White House fence and into the East Room of the White House, before he was apprehended. That’s a serious thing to see that happen and it raises questions about how and why it happened. What many of you may not know about is an incident that happened three days before Omar Gonzales made it over the fence. President Obama was visiting the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and in the course of that visit, he was on an elevator. Secret Service agents were accompanying him, I am sure. On the same elevator was a man who was working as a security officer at the CDC and he refused to stop taking video footage of the President when he was asked to do so. The agents with the President pulled him aside for questioning, during which time his boss fired him on the spot. That’s when he turned over his gun. Yes, you read that correctly. He was carrying a gun and the Secret Service agents had no clue. When they ran a background check on him, they discovered he had three felony convictions for assault and battery.

I’m no security expert, but it seems to me that basic security protocols were not followed. If you want to keep someone like the President safe, you would think the first rule of thumb would be to do checks on anyone and everyone who would possibly be coming into personal contact with him during any trips he might take. No, you can’t do background checks on every bystander along the way, but the man in the elevator was working as a security officer at the CDC. Hint, that might be something to look at, don’t you think?

George Will had this to say on Fox News.

George Will said Tuesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that recent security breaches show there is clearly something wrong with the culture at the Secret Service, calling the agency “the most uncontrolled bureaucracy in this town.”

Will, a syndicated columnist and a Fox News contributor, spoke out as lawmakers from both parties slammed the Secret Service after an intruder was able to get deep into the White House on Sept. 19.

Will said that this and other incidents, such as a 2012 prostitution scandal that erupted during a presidential visit to Colombia, show there is a serious problem at the agency.

“Look, there’s obviously something wrong with the culture of the Secret Service agency,” he said. “We’ve seen it in Colombia, the misbehavior of agents overseas, and all the rest.”

Will said he believes part of the issue is the agency has little oversight because of the nature of its task.

“I have a theory, and it is because this results in part because the Secret Service is the most uncontrolled bureaucracy in this town,” he said, “because no one wants to say ‘enough security’ because the axiom by which the Secret Service operates is ‘you can’t have too much safety’ which is of course is preposterous.”

Will added he believes the Secret Service will blame its problems on the culture in Washington, rather than its own failures.

“The Secret Service will say they don’t have A, enough money and B, enough power to restrict movement around Washington so they will sort of grandize themselves in this regard,” he said.

Ah, maybe that’s part of the problem. Government bureaucracy is not a good thing, most of the time. It tends to lend itself to coverups and false explanations, instead of allowing problems to be assessed and solutions that work implemented. In other words, the bureaucracy of the Secret Service is doing its best to protect itself, instead of the people it is supposed to be protecting.

One last thing about the President. I disagree vehemently with his policies throughout his entire administration, but he is still the President of the United States. We have no need to see him assassinated. His time will be through shortly and we can get back to allowing the adults to be in charge. Consider this from Erick Erickson.

This is wholly unacceptable. Heads should roll and Congress should investigate. For anyone who still bristles at the thought of President Obama, just mutter the words “President Biden” and come to your senses. The behavior of the Secret Service is unacceptable.

We should all keep that in mind.