Posted on 10/04/2006 8:59:53 AM PDT by dvan
We had a neighbor, when I lived in DC, who was part of the secret service presidential detail for many years. His stories of Kennedy and Johnson were the same as those I heard from the guys who flew the presidents' plane.
Yes, Kennedy did have Marilyn Monroe flown in for secret "dates," and LBJ was a typical Texas "good ole boy" womanizer.
Nixon, Bush 41, and Carter never cheated on their wives. Clinton cheated, but couldn't match Kennedy or LBJ in style or variety.
The information below is accurate: The elder Bush and current President Bush make it a point to thank and take care of the air crews who fly them around. When the president flies, there are several planes that also go. One carries the armored limo, another the security detail, plus usually a press aircraft.
Both Bush's made it a point to stay home on holidays, so the Air Force and security people could have a day with their families.
WHAT WAS: Hillary Clinton was arrogant and orally abusive to her security detail. She forbade her daughter, Chelsea, from exchanging pleasantries with them. Sometimes, Chelsea, miffed at her mother's obvious conceit and mean spiritedness, ignored her demands and exchanged pleasantries regardless, but never in her mother's presence.
Chelsea really was a nice, kindhearted, and lovely young lady.The consensus opinion was that Chelsea loved her Mom but did not like her.
Hillary Clinton was continuously rude and abrasive to those who were charged to protect her life.Her security detail dutifully did their job, as professionals should, but they all loathed her, and wanted to be on a different detail. Hillary Clinton was despised by the Secret Service as a whole.
Former President Bill Clinton was much more amiable than his wife. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attacks Hillary would use against her husband.They were embarrassed for his sake, by the manner and frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, and sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors, Hillary Clinton would scream and holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.Many felt sorry for President Clinton and most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his "attack dog" wife.
It was crystal clear that the Clinton's neither liked nor respected each other, and this was true long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Theirs was genuinely a "marriage of convenience."
Chelsea was much closer to her father than her mother, even after the Lewinsky scandal, which hurt her gravely.
Bill Clinton did in fact have charisma, and ccasionally would smile at, or shake hands with his security detail. Still, he always displayed an obvious air of superiority towards them.
His security detail uniformly believed him to be disingenuous, false, and that he did nothing without a motive that in some way would enhance his image and political career. He was polite, but not kind. They did not particularly like him and nobody trusted him.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Al Gore was the male version of Hillary Clinton.They were more friendly toward each other than either of them were towards former President Clinton. They were not intimate, so please don't read that in. They were very close in a political way.
Tipper Gore was generally nice and pleasant. She initially liked Hillary, but soon after the election she had her "pegged", and no longer liked her, or associated with her, except for events that were politically obligatory
Al Gore was far more left wing than Bill Clinton. Al Gore resented Bill Clinton and thought he was too "centrist." He despised all Republicans. His hatred was bitter, and this was long before he announced for the Presidency. This hatred was something that he and Hillary had in common. They often said as much, even in the presence of their security detail. Neither of them trusted Bill Clinton and, the Secret Service opined, neither of them even liked Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton did have some good qualities, whereas Al Gore and Hillary had none, in the view of their security details. Al Gore, like Hillary, was very rude and arrogant toward his security detail.
He was extremely unappreciative and would not hesitate to scold them in the presence of their peers for minor details over which they had no control. Al Gore also looked down on them, as they finally observed and learned with certainty on one occasion. Al got angry at his offspring and pointed at his security detail and said, "Do you want to grow up and be like them?"
Word of this insult by the former Vice-president quickly spread, and he became as disliked by the Secret Service as Hillary. Most of them prayed Al Gore would not be elected President,and they really did have private celebrations in a few of their homes after President Bush won.
This was not necessarily to celebrate President Bush's election, but to celebrate Al Gore's defeat.
WHAT IS: Everyone in the Secret Service wants to be on First Lady Laura Bush's detail. Without exception, they concede that she is perhaps the nicest, and most kind person they have ever had the privilege of serving. Where Hillary patently refused to allow her picture to be taken with her security detail, Laura Bush doesn't even have to be asked, she offers.
She doesn't just shake their hand and say, "Thank you." Very often, she will give members of her detail a kindhearted hug to express her appreciation.There is nothing false about her.
This is her genuine nature. Her security detail considers her to be a "breath of fresh air." They joke that comparing Laura Bush with Hillary Clinton is like comparing "Mother Teresa" with the "Wicked Witch of the North."
Likewise, the Secret Service considers President Bush to be a gem of a man to work for. He always treats them with genuine respect, and he always trusts and listens to their expert advice. They really like the Crawford, Texas detail.
Every time the president goes to Crawford he has a Bar-B-Q for his security detail, and he helps serve their meals. He sits with them, eats with them, and talks with them. He knows each of them by their first name, and calls them by their first name as a show of affection.
He always asks about their family, the names of which he always remembers. They believe that he is deeply and genuinely appreciative of their service. They could not like, love, or respect anyone more than President Bush. Most of them did not know they would feel this way, until they had an opportunity to work for him and learn that his manner was genuine and consistent.
It has never changed since he began his Presidency. He always treats them with the utmost respect, kindness, and compassion.
That was in Chile, right, when he had to rescue Nick Trotta? I didn't know there was a video avaiable!
South America - Ecador? Peru?
That's a pretty damn funny story about Nancy. I sort of admire her for it....Can't say I would like to be around her, but it's a funny story that shows some pretty strategic thinking.
Nice post!
Or can our enemies exploit their human decency?
That's the difference between old money, and jumped-up white trash. Filth like the Clintons and Leona Helmsley don't know anything about being rich and powerful except what they've seen in movies. They think rich people always abuse their underlings like that, and to fit in with high society they should do likewise. You'd half expect them to parade around in spats and ascots and top hats.
I wasn't filthy rich growing up, but by the standards of our little town we were doing pretty well. My folks employed several dozen people. Mom and Dad always taught me that our people were to be treated with respect and human kindness, and that it was seriously gauche to shout at them or show contempt to them. Too bad the Clintons didn't get that instruction as children.
-ccm
As for the people who simply hate Clinton, here is a preview of what the headline would be:
If Bush Can't Even Protect a Few Former Presidents and First Ladies, Why Should We Trust Him to Protect the Rest of Us?
Tough sh!t. If a "protectee" makes himself vulnerable because he feels a need to hide criminal conduct and/or plain old low-class behavior, then that's their problem.
Link to video: http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/11/taking-charge.html
See #87.
Former President Bill Clinton was much more amiable than his wife. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attacks Hillary would use against her husband.They were embarrassed for his sake, by the manner and frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, and sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors, Hillary Clinton would scream and holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.Many felt sorry for President Clinton and most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his "attack dog" wife.
So, both Hillary and AlGore cut from the same cloth? Well, I can't help but think of why that might be. And the only thing I can come up with is, ambition and greed. They are both of these things, in spades.
We can't underestimate the pernicious and corrosive effects on the soul that rapacious greed and ambition can have. It has been said that there are two kinds of people who seek the power to be found in the halls of DC: a person who want to be somebody, and person who wants to do something. A good example is Ronald Reagan. When Reagan went to Washington, he already was somebody. He wanted to do things. The Clintons are the opposite. They don't want to do things so much as to be someone. In their case, and Hillary especially, the twin vices of greed (for money, for power) and ambition (to look and be important, especially to her own perception) hold sway.
I have a friend that is still flying on active duty. The stories he has shared about Bubba and her majesty are just awful.
Is the Presidency one man or is it an institution?
Thanks for posting this.
Football? I've wondered if that was not a trap and what would have happened if he had went forward instead of back. We'll never know.
If the threat of kidnapping is such a concern for former presidents and first ladies, then why don't most of them get Secret Service protection anymore?
However, I have no doubt it is completely true.
Over time, though, a person's character inevitably manifests itself. This is perhaps the core meaning of Lincoln's famous quote: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, you can some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time".
We have seen enough of the principals in this story to recognize that these observations by their security detail are consistent with everything we have seen ourselves. Thereby, almost certainly true.
The only way that could have been sweeter is if she was standing nearby to see your frosty refusal.
I LOVE that picture of the horrid Hillary beast shaking hands with a soldier in Iraq, who was making the "coercion" sign with his crossed fingers.
-ccm
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