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She replaced Mark Sullivan, a 2006 Bush appointee. Sullivan had managed to survive the Columbia prostitution scandal and the 2011 lone sniper attack on the White House, presumed to be car backfire until 4-5 days later a maid discovered broken glass.
The SS has a long, long history of " Failing to imagine " and CYA.
So true. But I hate it when anyone (even a woman) tries to toot their own horn.
Just answer the questions about why you ****ed up and learn from it.
The argument about working with a "constrained budget" is bull**** too.
This breach of security greatly worries me. Our president and his family should be better protected, I am no fan of Obama but as our president he is the head of state. I certainly don't wish any harm on him or his family. Imagine if this were a group of say 20 or so well trained & well equipped terrorists instead of one mentally ill guy with a knife? ALL Americans should be outraged by this security breach. The fact that this guy was able to run allllll the way across the north lawn (no small front lawn either), get through an unlocked door, and rush further inside is very disturbing.
I have drawn a number of conclusions about this incident:
1) The White House staff has too much input regarding security measures. Apparently the usher's office requested that the alarm monitoring the front door be turned off because "it was too loud". The job of the usher's office is to run the White House operations ... leave the security to the US Secret Service.
2) It seems to me that the US Secret Service has become complacent and overconfident of themselves. Resting on their laurels if you will. It's been over 30 years since the Reagan attempt, over 50 years since JFK was shot, and well over 60 years since the Puerto Rican separatist terrorists tried to assassinate Truman.
I don't think this had anything to do with there being a female officer manning the door or whatever, I think that systematically the Secret Service has become too lax and incompetent. In all fairness the NYT article clearly states that the female officer helped another officer subdue him in the Green Room. They have themselves convinced that there will never be a serious attempt on the White House itself and that all they have to worry about is the occasional loonie who will get caught before he/she even gets over the fence.
1) Where were the snipers on the roof?
2) Where was the supposedly elite Counter-Assault team?
3) Where were the attack dogs?
4) Why dident anyone see him climbing over the fence?
Where was everyone? Out to lunch?
EDIT: I humbly suggest we consider an expanded role for the US Marine Corps Security Forces in securing the building and grounds of the White House complex. They already protect Camp David and help secure our embassies/diplomatic facilities and US Navy bases.
Why is this guy in trouble? Isn't he simply an undocumented White House visitor? Since he made it inside, I think Obama ought to take the same approach he has with the border and let the guy live with them in the White House.
I always say that if fences don't work, why does the White House have one?
I do find it quite troubling that this man was able to get so close to our President.
One simple thing that can be done is to change the fencing around the White House. Even just curving the top of the fence outward would make it difficult to climb over. Has this simple solution not been thought of ? Use the dogs more ? Taser gun people who climb over the fence right away....come on. It's no that difficult to fix this issue.
EDIT: I humbly suggest we consider an expanded role for the US Marine Corps Security Forces in securing the building and grounds of the White House complex. They already protect Camp David and help secure our embassies/diplomatic facilities and US Navy bases.
^^^I agree, this step alone would increase the security of the White House significantly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brave Stranger
One simple thing that can be done is to change the fencing around the White House. Even just curving the top of the fence outward would make it difficult to climb over. Has this simple solution not been thought of ? Use the dogs more ? Taser gun people who climb over the fence right away....come on. It's no that difficult to fix this issue.
^^^Yeah, it seems like they could make the fence a bit harder to climb over for sure. Like you said, maybe add a few other simple additional measures as well.
I'm utterly shocked at how far inside the White House this guy got before he was stopped! To me it sounds like the Secret Service needs a major overhaul from the top down. As already mentioned, if just some random guy could do this I can only imagine what a highly skilled perpetrator could do. This incident should be a major wake-up call for the security protocol at the White House.
Omar Gonzalez, 42, overpowered a female. Secret Service agent to get into the WH. According to one report I heard, he was finally tackled in the East Room, and was near a staircase that leads up to presidential living quarters.
This could have been monumental catastrophe with just a little bad luck added to the scenario. Why aren't all Secret Service agents directly guarding the President at least 6'4" 210 lbs? Do we want to have to put 'died of political correctness' on a president's tombstone?
Makes one wonder why liberals don't want to protect our borders but insist on having a fence around the White House. If an incident like this doesn't teach our government a few lessons on protecting the entire country, then nothing will wake them up.
Just WHAT makes you think Congress, the inept body it's become, is expert at security and must be informed? Issa's holding hearings, WHAT is his background in security?
Were Congressional hearings held when Reagan was shot?
Did you whine about that regime?
There was an Inspector General Investigation AND Congressional Hearings after Reagan was shot.
As for the Congressional Hearing (this will be the first of several) - the Oversight Hearing was already on the schedule. Issa is the Republican Leader, Elijah Cummings is the Democratic Leader - BOTH of them agreed to add this to the hearing, BOTH of them think it's important to get some answers quickly.
The Head of the Secret Service has been less than honest .... and in her brilliance, failed to mention in the Hearing that the SS Agent who took down Gonzales just happened to be walking through the East Room on his way out of the building - he was off duty.
Consider this:
1. There have been 6 people to have successfully jumped the White House Fence this year, so far.
2. The dogs were not deployed
3. None of the outside Guards stopped Gonzales
4. The White House front door was unlocked
5. The Guard at the door was not present
6. The Alarm at the door was turned off (they say muted)
7. One Guard in the Central Hall Foyer was over-powered
8. Gonzales made it past the Staircase and across the East Room before being taken down by an off duty agent (who just happened to be there)
9. Gonzales was interviewed in July and again in August by the Secret Service - he had guns and maps and was carrying a hatchet near the South fence in August.
10. Items 1-9 require some scrutiny, this isn't "partisan politics" - there are just too many "how did this happen" to ignore this OR to even settle for another "we will investigate ourself & let you know".
Gonzalez, 42, was the first person in modern memory to jump over the White House fence and get into the mansion, largely the result of a failure of numerous layers of Secret Service security on the northern fence line.
Pierson also fielded tough questions from lawmakers who suggested there are signs that the Secret Service has sought to hide the seriousness of the breaches.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) accused Pierson of a cover-up.
“You keep minimizing this stuff,” Lynch said. “I wish to God you protected the White House the way you're protecting your reputation.”
Julia Pierson maintained that the Secret Service has " thoroughly investigated all these incidents."
Yeah ...... that's what they always Say and Do. We are doing an investigation of ourselves, or done an investigation - and we found we are OK. Nothing to see here.
Makes one wonder why liberals don't want to protect our borders but insist on having a fence around the White House. If an incident like this doesn't teach our government a few lessons on protecting the entire country, then nothing will wake them up.
While I agree with your sentiments....Bush & the GOP are just as guilty of leaving the borders open. This is a problem with our "political elite" not just one party. That said: there's no excuse for the SS lack of protection of the White House.
In my mind this isn't how 1 female secret service agent was over powered or defeated. This is about complacency from the top down. Arrogance and complacency will get the best, most well trained killed in battle. The moment you underestimate your opponent is the moment you will be defeated. The agent in question was part of a team. Long before the intruder got to her the team was in a state of failure. If this were a game of chess it would be like blaming a pawn for not stopping a bishop from taking the king. No the blame rest with the leadership, beginning to end.
It's no secret that Politics in Washington D.C. are dysfunctional. I've never seen such a divisive Administration. They have even started a "War on Police", the comment about the Ferguson Police in the context of Head Choppers in Syria is just the most recent example. Morale in the Military is down (the Bergdahl episode is just the latest insult in a long list), Careerists in the many Bureaucracies in the Federal Government are corrupt and can't be fired, Park Rangers were forced to shut down parks and monuments all over the USA on the President's whim for the first time in history.
It must be a horrible and stressful work environment across the entire Federal Government. There have been several articles in the last week about the Morale problems at Homeland Security (Secret Service is now under Homeland Security) and how hard it is for them to find .... and keep employees.
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