Posted on 12/16/2008 7:18:07 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
In movies, Secret Service agents leap in front of bullets aimed at the commander in chief. But in Baghdad, agents failed to block not one, but two shoes hurled at President George W. Bush during a weekend news conference.
So yesterday, a day after Bush dodged the flying footwear, Secret Service officials faced the inevitable questions about how an angry television reporter was able to throw two shoes before agents moved into the line of fire.
Secret Service officials said they are reviewing the incident and the procedures used by agents guarding the president during his surprise visit to Baghdad. But officials defended the agents' actions, saying that they reacted appropriately in a situation in which all of those present had undergone intensive security screenings.
They will probably make a decision to have more close-in agents, right around the president," said Ronald T. Williams, a former Secret Service agent. "They will make some adjustments, so if a shoe is thrown again, they can intercept it or at least give the president cover."
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
That’s it...NO SHOES ALLOWED!
I doubt he walked in barefooted. It takes at least a couple of seconds to bend down and pick up your shoes. I think the Presidents response was funny but what if he had been a shoe bomber?
Lets turn into Japan and force all shoes to stay at the door.
Besides, he looked like he can duck quite well. Practice makes perfect & all that.
Exactly.
You are 100% correct.
He would have to be light on his feet?
Actually, I think that it was Pres. Clinton who had the practice of ducking. Lamps.
“like they did after the 9/11 attack and the ‘My Pet Goat’ brouhaha.”
I’ve always thought a person’s reaction to Bush’s storytelling in the face of disaster was a good judge of their mental acuity, or maybe merely their honesty. We all know that it’s not as if Bush’s leadership was necessary within minutes of the attack. There’s this whole infrastructure of federal and state civilian and military personnel to deal with crises as they happen. It’s not as if he had to make the decision to bomb Afghanistan within the half hour.
Pundits like Michael Moore and Bill Maher are either entirely too zealous or just plain liars for their criticism. I mean, come on. Real life is not like the movies. Presidents do not have an hour and a half to clean things up. Here we are, seven years later, and Bush is STILL dealing with that one event. Did a couple of minutes matter?
Can you imagine if B. Hussein was in that position? The MSM would HOWL!!
It’s
“who throws a shoe... honestly... you fight like a woman!”
The fact that he successfully pulled off both shoes, one after the other, while throwing them directly at the President of the United States, is inexcusable.
The agent in the back did not reach the man until he had finished, the one in the front did not get between the man and the President until after the second shoe was already thrown and dodged by the President himself.
The only one who came close to actually protecting the President in this was the Iraqi President who reached over to try and deflect the second shoe.
Those shoes could have been weapons...and had one landed on the President's forehead, would certainly have been.
Despite the President's dodging abilities, this was a sad, sad day for the Secret Service and, IMHO, will go down in their history as such.
One thing you can be sure of...enemies were watching and taking note.
It’s obvious... the Secret Service thought Obama was already president, since he acts like it everything
:’) Seriously though..a lot of people could have been hurt. I’m not beating up on the SS. Who would have thought about a reporter throwing shoes? I doubt if the opportunity will be available again but what’s next?
And as you said these "agents" should be chasing bad checks in Fargo ND yesterday.
L
Basically agree with your criticism. However, if they’re taking note today, I think that note would be: “Well, that’s it. We’ll never get close to him now. Wish we’d known.”
Ridiculed is worse than dead for the agents of Satan. This goes for Islamists and Liberals too.
The shoe could have been a shoe bomb, could have had edges to it...all sorts of things, besides its own weight.
Seeing those two agents run out of the back room after everything had happened, and seeing the one in the room upfront get there between BUsh and this idiot only after the crisis had past, was a sad thing, one, as I say, our enemies will note.
The guy in the back actually took the perp down an instant after the second toss...but that was clearly too late.
I wish Bush had come across the podium and beat the living snot out of the perp himself.
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