Secret Service faces questions after Bush shoe incident

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-secretservice16-2008dec16,0,7896712.story

Secret Service faces questions after Bush shoe incident
Agency officials say they are reviewing the Iraq assault but believe agents responded appropriately. Others say minor changes in procedure are likely.

By Julian E. Barnes
December 16, 2008

Reporting from Washington -- A day after President Bush was nearly struck in the head by flying footwear at a Baghdad news conference, U.S. Secret Service officials faced questions Monday about how an Iraqi television reporter was able to hurl not one but two shoes at the president without the agents responsible for protecting him being able to move into the line of fire.

Secret Service officials said they were reviewing the episode, including the procedures used by agents guarding Bush during his unannounced visit to Baghdad. But officials said they believed the agents reacted appropriately in a situation where all those present in the room had already undergone intensive security screening.

[onehandle]

1. Just get your act together for the next guy. That's all I ask. nt

[rurallib]

7. 34 days to shape up.

Edit to change "gays" to "days" in the subject line. Freudian slip.

[Juneboarder]

2. Ha! He should feel so lucky...

that the reporter only had his shoes as weapons! I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often considering how high his approval ratings are!!

:sarcasm:

[slackmaster]

3. If they had really been on the ball they would have destroyed the shoe with automatic gunfire

While it was still in the air.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. It's an interesting conundrum for the SS. Do they keep their distance lest they ruin a photo op?

...or do they stand within arms-length (and within frame of any photo-op) so they can "take a shoe" for the POTUS?

President Lincoln (or Kennedy - I can't remember which) once said anyone could kill a President if they were willing to die in the attempt. I guess the same could be said for pelting with a shoe...

[gratuitous]

5. Everyone just let the second shoe hit Old Glory

What kind of unpatriotic traitors do we have in the Oval Office and the Secret Service that they would just stand around while some wacky furriner threw shoes at the American flag? Where's Bill O'Reilly to denounce these idlers who allow anyone to just throw a shoe at the American flag?

[gorfle]

6. Lucky it was just a shoe.

If the guy had ceramic throwing knives in his shoes it could have been all over.

I'm surprised someone hasn't embedded a firearm in a camera or video camera.

Next time there's a press conference everyone will have to remove their shoes.