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Posted on 11/21/2004 12:27:46 PM PST by hamboy
Bush Pulls Top Bodyguard From Scuffle
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SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - President Bush stepped into the middle of a confrontation and pulled his lead Secret Service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering an elegant dinner for 21 world leaders Saturday night.
Several Chilean and American agents got into a pushing and shoving match outside the cultural center where the dinner was held. The incident happened after Bush and his wife, Laura, had just posed for pictures on a red carpet with the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife, Luisa Duran.
As Bush stepped inside, Chilean agents closed ranks at the door, blocking the president's agents from following. Stopping for more pictures, Bush noticed the fracas and turned back. He reached through the dispute and pulled his agent from the scrum and into the building.
The president, looking irritated, straightened his shirt cuffs as he went into the dinner. The incident was shown on APEC television.
"Chilean security tried to stop the president's Secret Service from accompanying him," said White House deputy press secretary Claire Buchan. "He told them they were with him and the issue was resolved."
Because Chile was trying to pull rank because they wanted to be solely in charge of security.
I suspect they won't be getting a presidential visit again for many administrations to come.
I heard it was due to the President's Security people insisting that THEY HAD to get through the crowd which had swarmed a bit after the Dignitaries passed by. U.S. security was cut off and couldn't stay with their target. The Chilean Security people started scuffling and the noise was heard by Bush. He went back to take his bodyguard's arm and say, "He's with me." For Bush it was no big deal;
for both security factions, it was an embarrassment.
We may never learn if a language barrier had anything to do
with the incident. And who is to know if both sets of security people were armed. Suffice it to say, the guard can clearly whisper to Bush, "I owe you one!"
They tried something again last night to get his guards away. I don't like the idea of folks trying to set up my President. Too many insane liberals now.
There's more to this story than what's been reported here. I'll leave it at that, but this was apparently the latest incident in a "p!ssing match" that has gone on between Chile and the U.S. over the last few months.
Sounds like some Chileans were trying to keep the crowd at bay, and assumed that Bush's bodyguards were just more of the crowd.
Frustrating I'm sure, but Bush's response was both impressive and a good call. Chile's guards had no proper control or discipline, but I'm going to assume they were doing what they thought was right too.
Either way, I'm sure the parts of the world that saw OUR PRESIDENT yanking security guards through other security agents would be impressed.
Im getting more impressed everyday with Chile, Venezuela, Brazil....all future members of the FTAA.
The Washington Times story looks pretty accurate as far as this specific incident is concerned, but there has been an ongoing dispute between the two countries over security issues like this that dates back at least 2-3 months.
Having read the story in more detail, I retract my previous assumption.
They knew the SS agents from meetings with them to hash out security issues. The two agencies had been arguing if the SS would be let into the event, way before the incident. No mistaking them for part of the crowd.
Yeah, please read 13.
I read further, and decided my hopeful view was incorrect.
Anybody could have grabbed the cop's revolver in #7 and popped off some shots at Bush, just yards away.
Indira Ghandi and Sadat come to mind.
Didn't the problems with Chile start when they refused to support us in the security council when the votes were taken for going to war with IRAQ?
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