Did Bush Rescue His Detained Secret Service Detail, or Save His Own Life?
President Bush was in Santiago, Chile over the weekend at the APEC summit, when something odd happened, that may have had far more sinister implications.
The Washington Times describes the scene (the video can be found here):
"Mr. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrived at 8 p.m. local time yesterday at the Estacion Mapocho Cultural Center for the official dinner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. After the first couple posed for photos with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife, the four entered the doorway with a line of Chilean security guards and uniformed police closing quickly behind him.
"The President's lead agent approached the line of men as quickly as it closed and demanded to be allowed through. Within a few seconds, the confrontation began to escalate with voices being raised and shoving in all directions.
"During the fracas, another Secret Service agent was roughly pulled from the tumult and pushed against a concrete wall by Chilean security. A few seconds later, after posing for yet more pictures about 15 feet inside the doorway, Mr. Bush and the rest of the party turned to enter the dining room. But the president quickly turned his head to the growing din just outside. Mr. Bush calmly turned right as the other three continued on and inserted himself into the fight. The president reached over two rows of Chilean security guards, grabbed his lead agent by the shoulder of his suit jacket and began to pull.
"A few Chilean guards turned their heads and noticed that the arm draped over their shoulders was that of the president, and the line softened. Mr. Bush pulled his agent through, who was heard to say, 'Get your hands off me' as he passed roughly through the doorway."
Now that's a great Dubya story, as B4B and Powerline both observed - "In role reversal, Bush rescues Secret Service agent" - but it gets one to thinking. In this day and age, when even members of the domestic political opposition have expressed the desire to see George W. Bush assassinated, isn't it at least somewhat alarming to see foreign security personnel interfere with the President's Secret Service protection?
Dafydd ab Hugh certainly thought so in a rebuke to the Powerline gents:
"Judging from your comments, I don't think you guys realize the seriousness of what happened in Chile. Let me put it into perspective: the president has been marked for death by hundreds of terrorist groups; he is in a foreign country, one where there have been near contintuous riots against America and against him, personally, over the Iraq War; as he's walking into a banquet hall, the local police intentionally cut him off from his security detail.
"If the first thought that popped into your mind when you heard about that was not 'assassination,' then your mind is still laboring in a pre-9/11 world.
"It's entirely possible that rather than 'rescuing' his detained Secret Service detail, Bush in fact saved his own life. If there was a plan, if this wasn't just a random act of rudeness by the Chilean police (why would they do that?), then Bush's quick thinking may have forced the would-be attackers to abort the operation....
"There are a lot of people out there who want to see George W. Bush dead; alas, there are a lot of heads of state who would not shed a tear. In this day and age, when armed local cops intentionally cut the President off from his security detail, that should be taken as no less a violent act that when an anti-aircraft missile battery 'paints' an American plane with fire-control radar."
An American military officer stationed in Santiago pooh-poohed this incident as just a misunderstanding. But even if it was, it still interfered with the President's protection. And given the attention that it's drawn, I doubt the lesson was lost on the many groups, organizations, and crazies who'd like nothing better than sufficient opening to do the "world" the favor it bloodthirstily seeks.
Just as with counter-terrorism, the only "winning" percentage for the Secret Service is perfection. Given how much more difficult protecting the POTUS is post-9/11, it's imperative for them to make sure that no more such "poor coordination" ever happens again.
The Washington Times describes the scene (the video can be found here):
"Mr. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrived at 8 p.m. local time yesterday at the Estacion Mapocho Cultural Center for the official dinner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. After the first couple posed for photos with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife, the four entered the doorway with a line of Chilean security guards and uniformed police closing quickly behind him.
"The President's lead agent approached the line of men as quickly as it closed and demanded to be allowed through. Within a few seconds, the confrontation began to escalate with voices being raised and shoving in all directions.
"During the fracas, another Secret Service agent was roughly pulled from the tumult and pushed against a concrete wall by Chilean security. A few seconds later, after posing for yet more pictures about 15 feet inside the doorway, Mr. Bush and the rest of the party turned to enter the dining room. But the president quickly turned his head to the growing din just outside. Mr. Bush calmly turned right as the other three continued on and inserted himself into the fight. The president reached over two rows of Chilean security guards, grabbed his lead agent by the shoulder of his suit jacket and began to pull.
"A few Chilean guards turned their heads and noticed that the arm draped over their shoulders was that of the president, and the line softened. Mr. Bush pulled his agent through, who was heard to say, 'Get your hands off me' as he passed roughly through the doorway."
Now that's a great Dubya story, as B4B and Powerline both observed - "In role reversal, Bush rescues Secret Service agent" - but it gets one to thinking. In this day and age, when even members of the domestic political opposition have expressed the desire to see George W. Bush assassinated, isn't it at least somewhat alarming to see foreign security personnel interfere with the President's Secret Service protection?
Dafydd ab Hugh certainly thought so in a rebuke to the Powerline gents:
"Judging from your comments, I don't think you guys realize the seriousness of what happened in Chile. Let me put it into perspective: the president has been marked for death by hundreds of terrorist groups; he is in a foreign country, one where there have been near contintuous riots against America and against him, personally, over the Iraq War; as he's walking into a banquet hall, the local police intentionally cut him off from his security detail.
"If the first thought that popped into your mind when you heard about that was not 'assassination,' then your mind is still laboring in a pre-9/11 world.
"It's entirely possible that rather than 'rescuing' his detained Secret Service detail, Bush in fact saved his own life. If there was a plan, if this wasn't just a random act of rudeness by the Chilean police (why would they do that?), then Bush's quick thinking may have forced the would-be attackers to abort the operation....
"There are a lot of people out there who want to see George W. Bush dead; alas, there are a lot of heads of state who would not shed a tear. In this day and age, when armed local cops intentionally cut the President off from his security detail, that should be taken as no less a violent act that when an anti-aircraft missile battery 'paints' an American plane with fire-control radar."
An American military officer stationed in Santiago pooh-poohed this incident as just a misunderstanding. But even if it was, it still interfered with the President's protection. And given the attention that it's drawn, I doubt the lesson was lost on the many groups, organizations, and crazies who'd like nothing better than sufficient opening to do the "world" the favor it bloodthirstily seeks.
Just as with counter-terrorism, the only "winning" percentage for the Secret Service is perfection. Given how much more difficult protecting the POTUS is post-9/11, it's imperative for them to make sure that no more such "poor coordination" ever happens again.
posted by JASmius at 10:07 PM
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