Secret Service, this is your wake up call

[Onkel Neal]

This is seriously bad. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/27/state.dinner.couple/index.html)

A couple who allegedly crashed this week's state dinner at the White House met President Obama in a reception line at the event, a White House official told CNN on Friday.
A White House photograph taken Tuesday evening shows Michaele Salahi, wearing a gold-accented red sari, clasping her hands around Obama's right hand as her smiling husband, Tareq, looks on. The dinner was held for visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is smiling next to the president in the photo.
An investigation into Tareq and Michaele Salahi has found that Secret Service agents did not follow protocol at a security checkpoint, the Secret Service said.
"The Secret Service is deeply concerned and embarrassed by the circumstances surrounding the State Dinner on Tuesday," the agency said in a statement Friday. "The preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list."

[GoldenRivet]

Que the reverend - his little group should start up with "the secret service is providing sub-par protection for the president because of his race" any moment now.

:doh:

[Sea Demon]

Talk about lax security at the White House.......Meanwhile I'm taking off my shoes and getting my a$@ scanned just to get on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego? :doh:

[AVGWarhawk]

Yes, a few people need to answer some questions and then start packing for ice station Zebra. Bad situation and never should have happened.

[Platapus]

At least the USSS is manning up and taking responsibility. :yeah:

I am thinking that a few Special Agents are looking for another position if not another career. The USSS can't afford to make mistakes. They have to be right (and lucky) every single time. The bad guys only have to get lucky once.

[Aramike]

Que the reverend - his little group should start up with "the secret service is providing sub-par protection for the president because of his race" any moment now.

:doh:PERFECT POST! :salute:

[OneToughHerring]

Que the reverend - his little group should start up with "the secret service is providing sub-par protection for the president because of his race" any moment now.

:doh:

Either that or they're sub-par for everyone. Which is worse?

[Skybird]

New heads just in! Stock is limited, if you want one, be quick! :D

[Jimbuna]

At least the USSS is manning up and taking responsibility. :yeah:

I am thinking that a few Special Agents are looking for another position if not another career. The USSS can't afford to make mistakes. They have to be right (and lucky) every single time. The bad guys only have to get lucky once.

Rgr that :yep:

[mookiemookie]

While some people should absolutely lose their jobs over this, I'm not seeing what all the "oh my god they TOOK A PICTURE WITH HIM" hand wringing is about. They weren't on the guest list, but they still did go through a security check, metal detectors, etc etc. Unless they were deadly black belt assassins, no one was in any real danger.

[onelifecrisis]

Given that nothing bad happened this whole event can surely only be seen as a good thing. She gets to be the talk of the town (or even the talk of the world) and the USSS get slapped into line. Everyone wins. If it hadn't happened they'd presumably still be too relaxed, and people wouldn't know it.

[JU_88]

Well. on the bright side, it is better/ lucky that the lax security was flagged by the presents of some pranksers -than an actual assasin. :dead:

[Bubblehead Nuke]

While some people should absolutely lose their jobs over this, I'm not seeing what all the "oh my god they TOOK A PICTURE WITH HIM" hand wringing is about. They weren't on the guest list, but they still did go through a security check, metal detectors, etc etc. Unless they were deadly black belt assassins, no one was in any real danger.

Imagine:

--------------------------------
Each carried one part of a binary nerve agent.

A feather (they are hollow) with a nerve toxin in it. One jab on the back of the hand (which he gave you) and you have a incapacitated/dead President.

They ARE trained in hand to hand combat. They have the Presidents HAND, they can move to control the body and then the situation.

---------------------------------
I can think of DOZENS of scenarios where this could have turned into a bad thing.

What if they did not want to target Obama, but the visiting dignitary and create one HELL of an international incident?

This is a FAR FAR bigger issue than you make light of.

I will bet money that heads rolled and ARE rolling still over this issue.

[Torplexed]

Apparently this couple want a lot of money for the exclusive rights to their story. Big surprise. :-?

This must be the year of the obnoxious wanna-be reality show star. I think they and the balloon boy dad should be sharing the same cell.

[mookiemookie]

Imagine:

--------------------------------
Each carried one part of a binary nerve agent.

A feather (they are hollow) with a nerve toxin in it. One jab on the back of the hand (which he gave you) and you have a incapacitated/dead President.

They ARE trained in hand to hand combat. They have the Presidents HAND, they can move to control the body and then the situation.

---------------------------------
I can think of DOZENS of scenarios where this could have turned into a bad thing.

What if they did not want to target Obama, but the visiting dignitary and create one HELL of an international incident?

This is a FAR FAR bigger issue than you make light of.

I will bet money that heads rolled and ARE rolling still over this issue.

Okay, and if they were on the guest list, this would have been no different. They went through the same security checks everyone else did.

[OneToughHerring]

Apparently this couple want a lot of money for the exclusive rights to their story. Big surprise. :-?

This must be the year of the obnoxious wanna-be reality show star. I think they and the balloon boy dad should be sharing the same cell.

Actually I thought about the balloon boy as well when I heard about this. This thing has the new brand of looney teabaggery written all over it. :)

[Jimbuna]

It's beginning to look like the lunatics have taken over the asylum :hmmm:

[JU_88]

This must be the year of the obnoxious wanna-be reality show star

make that the Decade :down:

[Platapus]

Well, when our society rewards people and makes them famous for being famous, you can't blame people trying to cash in on the scam.

I think that in addition to criminal charges, the only way we can deter these people is to publicly humiliate them in the press. :D

[TDK1044]

I thought Skybird's disguise was brilliant, and he looked really good in that red dress. And you have to give him credit for finally getting to debate US foreign policy with people who were interested in listening. :DL

[mookiemookie]

Well, when our society rewards people and makes them famous for being famous, you can't blame people trying to cash in on the scam.

I think that in addition to criminal charges, the only way we can deter these people is to publicly humiliate them in the press. :D

That's the thing. You have to disincentive-ize this sort of thing. Until that's done, expect more and more elaborate publicity scams.

[Bubblehead Nuke]

Okay, and if they were on the guest list, this would have been no different. They went through the same security checks everyone else did.

Diffrerence being, the Secret Service has had time to research, ask questions, voice concerns. These guys are GOOD at what they do.

Someone gets in totally unannounced and not on a guest list means that none of the pre event briefing and background work get accomplished. You have a TOTAL unknown in the equation.

You think they just let ANYBODY meet with the President?