So, a guy so paranoid that he travels with an ambulance,

[rzemanfl]

Poll question: So, a guy so paranoid that he travels with an ambulance,

medical personnel and a full chemical warfare suit has his closest advisers and their paperwork in offices without a sprinkler system. What do you think?

[MADem]

1. Well, his predecessor had all those things, as will his successor. They're just advertised more

because the baaaastid has a bum ticker.

That said, it's funny how that office had no sprinklers....

And why did he need it? I thought he took back Hillary's old office?

That boy is some PIG for office space!! He stole the Ways and Means suite over at the House side of the Hill, too--and he had an office on the Senate side. Charlie Rangel took no small delight in tossing his flaccid ass out and doing some fumigating...!

[rzemanfl]

2. Gore traveled with a chemical warfare suit? Really? n/t

[TomInTib]

4. Naw, man. Asbestos.

Global Warming and all that.

[MADem]

7. I'm sure he did. The entire military's CBR training program was

revamped in a major way during the early Clinton years.

During the GHWB era, and Gulf War One, there was a real concern about the safety of forces in the theater, and as a consequence, the many weaknesses and outright failures in terms of personal protection cabilitiy against chem-bio-nuke warfare were revealed in rather unflattering light. Norman Schwartzkopf had to come home and lie explain himself about the shortcomings. Since then, they've done a full redesign on the suits, masks and accessories, they've revamped the training, and they've made progress on availablity of assets (which was a major problem) too.

The military personnel on AF ONE and TWO went through mandated training, and had a full kit of gear for the aircraft, to include guests, I'm quite sure.

The anthrax vaccination was mandated back then, too. Chemical, biological and radiological warfare WAS on everyone's mind back then, even well before Nahn Wun Wun changed ever-thang.

Gulf War One brought that shit to the fore, not Osama.

[Throckmorton]

13. Its Bill Clinton's Fault

Or maybe its Hillary's

[MADem]

15. Naah, it's Cheney's fault! He was SECDEF during Gulf War One, after all! nt

[Occam Bandage]

3. He has the same accompaniment as any VP does. His successor will have the same.

Those offices haven't had sprinklers ever. And nobody has yet made any claim of destroyed documents.

[rzemanfl]

12. Yet. I have the feeling some important stuff "was consumed in

the blaze." I don't trust these bastards at all.

[Occam Bandage]

14. If they wanted to destroy something, they'd shred it.

[Captain Angry]

5. How old is the building that didn't have a sprinkler system?

Exactly. It's a tradeoff. A classic building gives up some of the safety precautions new buildings have.

That said, how is it that they didn't have fireproof safes for everything?

[MADem]

8. The White House has sprinklers, and it's older than the EOB.

It's not that hard to put those systems in and hide them--you just follow the plumbing. A lot of THAT is "after market" as well.

In this case, there WAS a sprinkler system--they just hadn't turned it on quite yet.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51124

Workers said the fire began in an electrical closet adjacent to the Vice President Dick Cheney’s second-floor ceremonial office, as electricians worked to get the room ready for a mid-morning event.

....Workers said the building has been undergoing renovations in recent years, but the area affected by the fire did not yet have a working sprinkler system.

[Virginia Dare]

10. There are some priceless national treasures in that office..

that is really inexcusable, I'd like to hear an explanation for that.

[Lisa]

16. yes -- even if safeguarding valuable national property means looking after the current admin too

... that's an expense I'd be willing to foot!

[Captain Hilts]

6. None of the above are up to him to decide. nt

[BuyingThyme]

9. Where's the latest thread on this?

I'm just getting......up.

[Initech]

11. Cheney is so full of hot air that his body heat probably set off the fire.