Posted on 05/05/2007 4:19:13 AM PDT by greedo
Concerns about Sen. Barack Obama's safety that led to him getting a Secret Service detail "had a lot to do with race," Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday.
"I wished we lived in a country where that is not a problem, but it still is," Durbin said. "The fact that Barack Obama is such a highly visible African-American candidate, I think increases his vulnerability."
Obama, vying to become America's first black president, received his Secret Service protection Thursday. It was earlier than any other presidential candidate, excluding Hillary Clinton, who is protected as a former first lady.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Chicago for Rep. Jan Schakowsky's Ultimate Women's Power Lunch at the Chicago Hilton, was on the panel that recommended Obama be guarded by federal agents.
"I would just say this -- the bipartisan leadership committee that makes this decision, it didn't take long to decide that it would be important for Sen. Obama to have this security," Pelosi said.
The country's first female House speaker, flanked by Secret Service agents, said she couldn't share details, but added: "Suffice to say that it was self-evident that Sen. Obama attracts a great deal of attention wherever he goes, so it was thought, under those circumstances, that he should have" it.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Wouldn’t put it past those hate filled self delusioners.
Those are some seriosly in need of distemper shots
Black Kluxers.
I have, Senator Bob Kerrey received SS protection. I don't recall how long he had the protection. But as evidence that he did have it, I present this article from the New York Times From the Secret Service Website
Today, the Secret Service is authorized by law to protect:
* The president, the vice president, (or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President), the president-elect and vice president-elect
* The immediate families of the above individuals
* Former presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes, except when the spouse remarries. In 1997, Congressional legislation became effective limiting Secret Service protection to former presidents for a period of not more than 10 years from the date the former president leaves office
* Children of former presidents until age 16
* Visiting heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses traveling with them, other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States, and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad
* Major presidential and vice presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election
* Other individuals as designated per Executive Order of the President
* National Special Security Events, when designated as such by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Two things, which I wasn't aware of before looking it up, make this situation different.
1) It's way more than 120 days until the election. (Perhaps the period was longer in '92? or Kerry got the protection for a very short period)
2) Who the heck is this "bipartisan committee" that gets to decide who gets SS protection and who does not. From the above it appears that some are mandated by law (not Obama, at least not yet) and the rest are determined by "executive order", meaning the President, not some Congressional committee....Ah but I see that this is just Turbin Durbin and Stretch Pelosi taking credit for the "work product" of others.
This WABC story indicates that Obama is being protected under the orders of the Secretary of Homeland Security, supposedly based on some actual threat against Obama: From the article:
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff authorized Obama's protection after consultations with the bipartisan congressional advisory committee, according to Chertoff spokesman Russ Knocke and the Secret Service.
Interesting. Thanks.
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