Secret Service facing barrage of criticism after president ducked shoes

The Baltimore Sun / The Chicago Tribune ^ | December 16, 2008 | Julian E. Barnes

[Revolting cat!]

Will the shoes be displayed in the Presidential Library?

[New Perspective]

Hmmmmmm. What kind of shoes do you suppose she wears?

I don't know. What would fit these?

[Revolting cat!]

[girlscout]

LOL! Love your piggy picture.

[CzarChasm]

the real question is not "why didn't the secret service jump in front of the first shoe?" but "why was the potential assassin still breathing long enough to throw the second shoe?"

[Cicero]

“They will make some adjustments, so if a shoe is thrown again, they can intercept it or at least give the president cover.”

Well, honestly, that’s about the stupidest response I ever heard. Maybe now they can gear up the security apparatus, throw a few hundred billion more into the budget, and protect America against shoe throwers.

No, the obvious question is, what the hell were the SS guys doing when this reporter bent down to remove his shoe? And why the devil didn’t they tackle him before he reached down for a SECOND shoe? The obvious thing was to jump him as soon as he threw the first one, instead of standing there staring with the jaws dropped while he did it a second time.

It’s the nature of the job that there will sometimes be surprises. But what the hell? He could have been reaching down to his shoe for a knife or a hidden weapon, and they did nothing? Not even the second time?

[null and void]

That’s not a piggy picture.

That’s moo shoe pork...

[70th Division]

Maybe we need a few of the SS from the Clinton Administration. They were used to dodging ash trays.

It all turned out well in the end. The Iraqi secrurity force busted this guy up pretty good. Something we could not have done.

[Ancesthntr]

I agree with your analysis 100%. First time I saw that incident, I couldn’t believe that the guy got the second shoe off and airborne. They really screwed the pooch, and were lucky that it was only a shoe.

And, yes, the Iraqi President did think and act fast - bravo to him.

Bush did miss an opportunity, though. Throwing a shoe is a HUGE insult in the Arab world - and Bush could’ve taken this guy down a notch or two by saying “Not that I have much practice, because my wife is such a fine lady and we get along perfectly, but in my country only women throw shoes...and he also threw them like a girl.”

[Ancesthntr]

Sort of like when a baby bumps his head and then will not cry until he senses the adults running to him. If they don’t react, the baby generally will not start crying.

I have always smiled or laughed a bit when my kids first bump themselves, fall, etc. 95% of the time, they end up laughing, too. When folks react badly, 95% of the time the kids end up balling like babies.

Bush for certain did the right thing that day, and a bunch of things right since then (regarding the WOT, not much else).

[philled]

I haven’t gone back and re-watched the video but a former security contractor commented that President Bush gave a subtle gesture to “wave off” the secret service from him.

[Citizen Blade]

It’s the nature of the job that there will sometimes be surprises. But what the hell? He could have been reaching down to his shoe for a knife or a hidden weapon, and they did nothing? Not even the second time?

Realistically, there was no actual threat to the President here. Everyone in the room had gone through intensive security just to get into the room. Maybe the SS agents were a little too complacent because of that, but no one in the room had access to any real dangerous weapon.

[girlscout]

That’s not a piggy picture.

That’s moo shoe pork...

LOL! Silly me, I should have known that.

[xcullen]

Also - if this was a diversion perhaps for another person to pull a gun, the only way to stop this would be get in front of the President. No one did it. We owe this whack job a hearty thanks because similar incidents will be handled much differently in the future. I hope.

[null and void]

I haven’t gone back and re-watched the video but a former security contractor commented that President Bush gave a subtle gesture to “wave off” the secret service from him.

I have.

He did.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I agree with you.

also, if the iraqis knew about what a loose cannon this guy had been, why did their security not watch him, or even let him in???Or tell our security about it?

[tarheelswamprat]

This peckerhead reporter should be dead. ... And as you said these "agents" should be chasing bad checks in Fargo ND yesterday.

Also, Bush and the media need to be reminded of the events of 9/9/2001, when Bin Laden's assassins posing as "journalists" killed Ahmad Shah Massoud in Afghanistan by hiding a bomb in their camera.

In today's world, complacency can be fatal...

[Carley]

Dana Perino was hurt in the melee that followed.

She was struck in the face by a media microphone.

I can only hope it was accidental but I have my doubts.

[BlazingArizona]

Lets turn into Japan and force all shoes to stay at the door.

Interesting point about footwear: you also have to take your shoes off in a mosque. The President can speak only in mosques on subsequent visits to the Middle East. This is undoubtedly Bush's last trip over there, but Obama will surely be let in without any problems.

[F16Fighter]

"...no one in the room had access to any real dangerous weapon."

I wonder if pens were allowed?