McCain rejecting Secret Service protection shows irratic, reckless judgement

[npincus]

with a confusion, or perhaps detachment from realty that doesn't bode well for his performance as Comander-in-Chief, does it?

Could he possibly think he's invincible- that bullets will bounce off him like Superman? Or does the fact that the entire Republican party is counting on him now not matter two shits to him, like tempting fate shows that his cajones are the BIGGEST?

You pick the adjective: insane, irresponsible, careless, cavalier, confused, idiotic... but this has GOT to reflect on his judgement as president. Well...

We report, YOU decide.



http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/no-secret-service-for-mccain-2008-04-03.html

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) may be the presumptive GOP nominee for president, but, by his own wishes, he is not being protected by the Secret Service.

“He has not requested protection,” Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a congressional subcommittee this morning. “We have no involvement at this point.”


In opting not to take the protection, McCain is following through on plans he outlined to reporters late last year on his Straight Talk Express campaign bus.

Members of the House Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee were surprised by Sullivan’s revelation. Sullivan said his agency had been in contact with McCain’s staff. But a candidate has no legal requirement to take protection.

By contrast, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on May 3, 2007, became the earliest presidential candidate to receive protection outside of his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), who already received protection by virtue of being a former first lady.

[MnFats]

1. that's crazy. I wonder how his staff feels about their boss putting them...

in harm's way.....they're as much at risk as he is with this policy....think Reagan...think George Wallace....lot of people hurt in addition to the candidate....they should supply secret service protection whether he likes it or not...

[Submariner]

2. delete

[uponit7771]

3. SEE!! McSame is a certifiable...I don't blame Hillary for running till the end but would like her to

...change the tone of her campaign.

[ginnyinWI]

4. I don't think he really wants to be president.

I think he ran because people expected him to, and he never thought he'd be the last man standing out of the ten.

I don't see any vision, any real drive. He'd come into office and just go through the motions, let other people get the ideas.

He is not presidential material, not at all. Not any more than, say, Sen. Herb Kohl.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I agree...

I think when he was out of $$ and about to drop out, he had pretty much mentally wrapped up the idea of further campaigning and had come to some sort of acceptance of going back to his Senate role... particularly since others like Thompson, Ghoulianai, and Romney were considered the annointed ones and shoe-ins. So at this point, it's as if he is reluctantly running on behalf of the party rather than for any serious desire to have the position and thus his demeanor is as if he were running for his Senate seat rather than a national office. And considering that so many factions within his party were (and still are) against him, I can see why. He even knows he is being used by elements within the GOP.

[mckeown1128]

6. When your that close to natural death...

you obviously aren't very afraid of it anymore.

[npincus]

10. you cracked me up with that one!

:rofl:

[GodlessBiker]

17. I think you're right. What's a few more years if you can be seen as tough?

[npincus]

18. "President McCain, will we be privatizing Social Security?"

"Is that a "yes", Mr. President?"

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

7. "You kids get outta my yard!"

[Ian David]

8. Meanwhile, Obama's Secret Service "protection" seems intent on helping to get him killed.

For example, by telling local law enforcement not to put people through x-ray machines at his rallies.


Sorry, Agent Mike. But some of your co-workers don't measure-up to your own, high standards.

[mckeown1128]

9. Did you see how close they let the irate photographer...

get all up onto Obama... and how long they let him do that? I am worried that they aren't doing a good job at all. They really need to step it up.

[Ian David]

11. Aside from the agent who accidentally shot his car, and the one who shot another agent...

The Secret Service seems at least to be competent.

In fact, they seem to be the ONLY competent branch of the government at the moment.

I'm thinking it's safe to assume that if Secret Service is doing a poor job protecting Obama, it is not due to incompetence, but rather by design.

[EffieBlack]

15. It's interesting that some people here are actually accusing the Secret Service-a government agency

of purposely pulling back its protection of him - yet when Rev. Wright accused the government of doing bad things, he was attacked as a hater.

Hmmm. I guess it all depends on who's doing the accusing . . .

[Ian David]

16. I think Rev. Wright is about 40% likely to be correct about the government and crack...

... but only about 0.001% likely to be correct about the government creating the AIDS virus.

[backscatter712]

22. Rev. Wright's accusations are, for the most part, true.

Granted, I really wish he found a different way to express his anger than "God damn America." But he mentioned quite a few things - CIA drug smuggling and drug dealing in LA, the Tuskegee experiments (he was only inaccurate in that the .gov didn't give the subjects syphilis, but they were almost as bad in that they did not treat the cases of syphilis so they could watch the disease's progression,) Jim Crow, judicial sentencing discrepancies, etc.

[EffieBlack]

14. It's not the Secret Service's job to protect anyone from annoying people

The man posed no threat to Obama - otherwise, Secret Service WOULD have kept him away.

My question is - where was Obama's staff? THEY were the ones who should have kept this guy away from him.

[backscatter712]

23. I dare you to pull that same stunt with Bush.

See how long the Secret Service lets you act all pissy in Bush's face.

Hell, I dare you to try going to one of his rallies while wearing an CHIMPEACH shirt. See how long it takes before the guys with the earpieces are showing you the door.

[EffieBlack]

12. Obama has outstanding Secret Service protection

Thank God.

[Ian David]

21. No, I don't think he does. I think Obama's SS protection is operating on a LIHOP strategy. n/t

[Sadie4629]

13. I wonder if he has private security

His wife has mega $$$, so paying for it wouldn't be a problem. In addition, I would think that with that kind of $$ and a high profile position (even as Senator) that he would have had private security all along, just to avoid kidnap/ransom situations.

[AlinPA]

19. I think he really feels safe; Obama and Clinton have to be concerned because of

the hatred by right wingers. I'm actually concerned that Bush**-Rove-Cheney control the SS.

[applegrove]

20. I agree. Especially if America is in so much danger they "need to be

in Iraq for 100 years". Hypocritical.