[Sabertooth]

I fear we're still talking past one another - that's precisely my complaint, and precisely why this problem is systemic, and not specific to Norquist. You can hang Grover Norquist from the nearest tree, and there's still no mechanism in place for insuring that the same exact thing doesn't happen again next week, or next month, or next year.

The nearest tree would help.

Have you ever had much interaction with the Secret Service?

Their job is the personaly safety of the President, and they are very good at it. They are thorough, discreet, loyal, and hardworking people, but they are not semi-omniscient cybernauts. Nor is it reasonable to expect them to be so.

What we have in Norquist is a political problem, requiring political solutions.

[general_re]

They are thorough, discreet, loyal, and hardworking people, but they are not semi-omniscient cybernauts. Nor is it reasonable to expect them to be so.

And that's fine, but we also have several thousand other people who are supposed to be concerned with other things beyond the pure physical safety of the President. Where was the FBI? Where was the CIA? Where were any of these folks? It doesn't have to be anything big and splashy - just a simple phone call. "Mr. President, there's something you should know before your meeting this afternoon." But I get the impression that there was no such thing done, and I want to know why.