Heroic Secret Service Agent Takes Question Intended For Bush

[meegbear]

White House Secret Service Agent Anthony Panucci is being called a hero after intercepting what could have been a critically damaging question aimed directly at President Bush during a press conference in the Rose Garden Tuesday.

According to eyewitnesses, the press conference began with Bush fielding routine questions about March Madness and the dedication of a World War II memorial near his home in Crawford, TX. However, approximately seven minutes into the event, a lone reporter somehow managed to maneuver to the front of the press corps group and fire off a loaded, highly charged question concerning Bush's role in the controversial dismissal of eight federal attorneys last year.

"I just followed my training and did what I was supposed to do—put myself between the president and irreparable harm," said Panucci, who is credited with safely deflecting the attack away from Bush, as well as acting before the reporter had a chance to get off a follow-up question at close range. "And let's not forget my colleagues who rushed the president from the scene."

Although Panucci is not allowed to discuss the specifics of his White House anti-interrogative work, Secret Service director Mark Sullivan said Wednesday that in recent weeks agents had picked up "a lot of chatter" targeting Bush.
<snip>

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/heroic_secret_service_agent_takes

[Breeze54]

1. He,he,he!

Thanks for that laugh! I love The Onion!

[hippiechick]

2. LOL!

... that's about it, too ...

[MetaTrope]

11. Ditto!

:rofl:

[donco6]

3. Did you see the "special issue" on Iraq recently?

They just get funnier every day.

[Make7]

4. I knew that thread title was going to turn out to be an Onion headline.

Good stuff. :rofl:

[The Magistrate]

5. That Is Simply Beautiful, Sir

The Onion is veering into straight journalism more and more often these days....

[Rob H.]

6. Ha! The infographic with the article is hilarious, too

I especially like #3. :rofl:

[SteppingRazor]

7. Bwahahaha! I wonder what the WaPo's Walter Pincus thinks of the story's final graph:

"The reporter who aimed the pointed question has been positively identified as Walter Pincus of The Washington Post. He was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot more than 140 times by Secret Service agents, FBI sharpshooters, and D.C. police."

[pepperbear]

8. get your red hot 5th vote right here! n/t

[quiet.american]

9. LOL! Beautiful. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

10. Pincus was a patsy

Everyone knows he was the distraction. Helen Thomas was the one who phrased the question.

[chaplainM]

12. This actually happened during Mr. Reagan's reign

I remember Sam Donaldson having a Secret Service agent doing a "speak to the hand" manuever to protect Mr. Reagan from hearing a question.

[ms liberty]

13. OMG!

LOL - I am crying here. Gawd that is tooo funny! K&R