John Wilkes Booth & John Hinkley are the only ones, I think, and even there, the victims were Republican.
Posted on 04/04/2008 9:26:46 AM PDT by K-oneTexas
McCain rejects Secret Service protection By Mike Soraghan
Posted: 04/03/08 11:08 AM [ET]
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) may be the presumptive GOP nominee for president, but, by his own wishes, he is not being protected by the Secret Service.
“He has not requested protection,” Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a congressional subcommittee this morning. “We have no involvement at this point.”
In opting not to take the protection, McCain is following through on plans he outlined to reporters late last year on his Straight Talk Express campaign bus.
Members of the House Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee were surprised by Sullivan’s revelation. Sullivan said his agency had been in contact with McCain’s staff. But a candidate has no legal requirement to take protection.
By contrast, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on May 3, 2007, became the earliest presidential candidate to receive protection outside of his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), who already received protection by virtue of being a former first lady.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) began receiving protection in February 2004 during his bid for the presidency.
McCain also rejected Secret Service protection in 2000, after winning the New Hampshire primary. But, according to last year’s comments, the senator said he wants to go further, rejecting the massive security apparatus should he become president.
McCain has acknowledged that a modern American president must have some sort of protection, but he said he would like to pare down the size of motorcades that he has noted can tie up traffic in a large American city.
A hearing Thursday before the Homeland Security panel gave some of the numbers involved in that security apparatus.
Even without protecting McCain, the 2008 campaign is shaping up as the costliest in Secret Service history. The agency has screened 550,000 people through metal detectors, and Sullivan said agents are seeing the size crowds now they would expect to see in October.
As of Feb. 29, 2008, the Secret Service had provided security at 900 presidential campaign events. For Obama, the agency provided coverage for 303 protection days and 444 protective visits.
For Clinton, the agency provided coverage for 267 protections days and 418 protective visits. The current cost per day of protecting a candidate is about $38,000 for the agency. Sullivan expects that to rise to the agency’s estimate of $44,000 per day by the end of the campaign.
Don’t go anywhere near Ft Marcy Park
No fears, I’m sure he has hired his own personal protection.
Nice to let every crack pot out there know
When I was 25 (if I were running for pres.) I would have done this and thought I was so cool and I would expect to be admired for it. I find it a tad disturbing in a man his age.
Obama needed the protection as soon as he appeared to be any threat to Hillary. However getting protection all the way back in May of 2007 was just an ego trip.
Only one reason to not allow the Secret Service around. He is hiding somthing.
Not a wise move
At what point does security become mandatory for him? Once he is sworn in or sometime earlier?
If we are going to talk about the judgement of Obama and Hillary, then we should also be talking abou the judgement of McCain is this is his thinking.
Don’t let the people on DU know this!
It is his a—. Since he has faced death in a lot of ways before..he must feel comfortable and not like a lot of people in his way. I agree with him on the issue with the President. I think they way over do it in most places.
Just as long as he has a good conservative as VP..let him have his way.
I think both Obama and Clinton like it, because it makes them appear more Presidential to have guys with earplugs and talking to their sleeves nearby. Plus their own constituents are mostly moonbats..crazy and unpredictable.
Perhaps he is inviting an assassination attempt in hopes showing strength and gaining sympathy.
But by refusing SS protection his is virtually guaranteeing and attempt by a liberal whacko or maybe even an unbalanced conservative who hates him for being a moderate.
When McCain visited our small Nevada town late last fall, it was remarkable how small an "entourage" he had. He strolled around and spoke to people like a city council candidate at a pancake breakfast.
I think there’s very little doubt he pays for private security. Something the straight talk express didn’t bother to mention.
I am sure in a hour or so, it will be all over the ME!
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1148336328
(eye roll)
“It is even dumber for the media to ANNOUNCE that he is unprotected.”
Not dumb. For the media, it’s the best of both worlds if some nut takes him out. They get rid of the political competition, and they get a blockbuster story to talk about.
If Hillary succeeds in hijacking the nomination, he should reconsider.
Oh yeah, he's going to be a national asset...
You bet, he’ll make a fine Prime Minister.
McCain doesn’t use protection?
McCain’s first Presidential act should be the firing of this DA Sullivan. What a Goober.
You know, if we ship him to England, he couldn't possibly do any more damage there than they are doing to themselves.
I think you're onto something there P.
“McCain doesn’t use protection?”
UGH! Now you are causing us to think up mental images that are just plain disturbing....shame on you..lol
Not the least of which is the crackpot who claimed it.
And my phone number is 909-555-6677 and my SSN is 123-45-6789, my name is John Q. Public, born on 7-4-1970, and I do not accept identity protection.
And this is the dumb sh*t in charge of the secret service!
So I was watching TMZ last night (a hideous vice, I know ...). They were bugging McCain. Jerks ... but it showed how low-key his security detail is. I respect that.
At this point in his life he doesn’t need protection...
Spitzer had to pay extra to avoid using protection.
osamaobama is going to provide protection for his daughters.
NBC’s Nightly News provided further details about McCain’s one-hour guided tour of Baghdad. He was accompanied by "100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead." Still photographs provided by the military to NBC News seemed to show McCain wearing a bulletproof vest during his visit.
According to WaPo:
McCain intends to meet with Secret Service officials in the next several days in preparation for accepting security protection for the final several months of his White House bid, campaign officials said Friday.
Yeah...he's hiding the fact that he's a man with cajones, and not a pussy like Obama.
Maybe he doesn't want the USSS blabbing his business to the Toons.
This troubles me greatly. I hope that over the course of this day, this mistake has been corrected.
On a news interview he said he will have Secret Service protection within the next two weeks.
"My loving people, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear."
Queen Elizabeth I, 19 August 1588
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