Desiree Rogers, Social Secretary of the White House, needs to resign (Video)

We know the Secret Service is being called on the carpet now, as it should be, but Desiree Rogers the Social Secretary of the White House needs to be called on the carpet, too.

During the 2008 Democratic Primaries, we watched how the Hillary Clinton Campaign (inevitable) perform a complete meltdown. Why? One primary reason was because she had friends in positions of her campaign who were NOT qualified for their job, thus we saw the unraveling of an inevitable campaign struggle with money, message to the end.

Thus, Desiree Rogers a friend of the Obamas is totally not qualified for this job. Watch these videos from Hardball and ask yourself, why did the First Lady's Social Secretary NOT have anyone to verify these names of the party crashers at the door of the White House. In the past, the Social Secretary's office ALWAYS had someone from her office to verify the names on the LIST. Why was Rogers or anyone from her office not doing this? And Rogers, who attempted to throw this all in the Secret Service's lap stated, "We had no one at the door." Ms. Rogers, bad mistake.

I don't want to see the Obamas go down the drain with more major security issues by having people in positions who are not qualified. Rogers showed that from the State Dinner. President Barack Obama has gotten the most death threats for any sitting president. Just for knowing this security and scrutiny to anyone who walks through the White House doors should be the most IMPORTANT job there is. The Secret Security failed and Ms. Rogers failed. Neither performed their jobs accurately, thus we saw President Obama get punked by uninvited guests who are taping for the reality show, The Real Housewives of D.C.

Do you think the White House is laughing now? Ms. Rogers you need to resign, end of story. And the Obamas? It is about competence, remember that.

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Secret Service needs to get it right

Well, everyone is a buzz about the D.C. area couple who busted into the State Dinner on Tuesday. This would be funny if it was a "punked joke", but for the leader of the free world, this is hardly funny. It is very dangerous and no one is laughing about this.


This photo released by the White House Nov. 27, 2009, shows President Barack Obama greeting Michaele and Tareq Salahi, right, at a State Dinner hosted by Obama for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House in Washington Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. The Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after determining that the uninvited Virginia couple managed to slip into the dinner.

The Northern Virginia socialite was being taped by a production crew for Bravo cable channel's forthcoming "The Real Housewives of Washington."

"It was a lot of schmoozing with the staff," James Packard-Gomez, CEO of Erwin Gomez Salon, said Thursday, explaining why the hair and makeup session lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The salon was abuzz because Michaele and her husband, Tareq, were among the 320 VIPs invited to join the president and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "They were asking, 'So, what do you think of them getting invited to this?' "

The stylist doing Michaele's hair asked to see the White House invitation, Packard-Gomez said. "She starts rummaging through her purse, and then said, 'It must be out in the car.' "

Would the film crews get into the White House, too? " 'We tried,' " he says she told them, " 'but they wouldn't let them in.' "

This couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi are part of the new Bravo series, "Real Housewives of D.C. or Washington". Again, this would be all fine and dandy for SOMEONE ELSE, but not the President of the United States. The Secret Service is not a secret by letting this couple, who was not on the list of attendees, to actually bypass their procedures and security to actually meet and greet the President of the United States and the Vice President of the United States. This takes me back to the President Bush "shoe incident" in Iraq. Though this was funny, for me the first thought was, "Where is the Secret Service?"

This coming from an agency that has stated it is overwhelmed at the increase of death threats against President Obama and his family, an increase of 400%. The highest for any sitting U.S. President. And now this? If this agency needs increase of funds, give to them. If this agency needs to hire new personnel, allow them to do so. An incident like this should never happen again, a total embarrassment.

Yes, the Secret Service is embarrassed.

Sullivan said that “the preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list.

“Although these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours,” he said.

Sullivan said it wasn’t good enough that his agency screened more than 1.2 million visitors last year to the White House complex and protected more than 10,000 sites for the president, vice president and others.

“Even with these successes, we need to be right 100 percent of the time,” he said. “While we have protocols in place to address these situations, we must ensure that they are followed each and every time.”

It is unclear what the couple told officers at the checkpoint that allowed them to go through the security screening. Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly and willfully falsify statements on matters within the federal government’s jurisdiction.

Lastly, the White House released a statement that the Obama Family will not spend the Christmas Holiday in Chicago. After this, I am not surprised, as the Obamas live in the heart of the City of Chicago, under urban dwelling and for the Secret Service it just may be too much of a stretch to protect the family when homes are so close to one another.

Washington Post

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Obama death threats puts strain on Secret Service (Video)

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Secret Service is under strain

This is serious....bat shit crazies out there...

The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions about the 144-year-old agency’s overall mission.

The Secret Service is tracking a far broader range of possible threats to the nation’s leaders, the officials said, even as it also investigates financial crimes such as counterfeiting as part of its original mandate.

The new demands are leading some officials, both inside and outside the agency, to raise the possibility of the service curtailing or dropping its role in fighting financial crime to focus more on protecting leaders and their families from assassination attempts and thwarting terrorist plots aimed at high-profile events.

“If there were an evaluation of the service’s two missions, it might be determined that it is ineffective . . . to conduct its protection mission and investigate financial crimes,’’ according to a inter nal report issued in August by the Congressional Research Service.

The report, which was provided to the Globe, said such a review should look at how money and staff are allocated, and whether some of the agency’s functions and workers should be transferred to the Treasury Department.

“This is a discussion going on not only in some quarters in Congress, but inside the Secret Service. Should there be a re-look at the mission?’’ said a government official, who like others was not authorized to speak publicly about security matters or reveal details about the number or nature of the threats. read more here....

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Secret Service investigating the "Kill Obama Poll" on Facebook

Yeah, if you did not know about it, this is what happened:

A poll was posted on Facebook asking users to vote "should Obama be killed?"

The responses include: "yes," "maybe," "if he cuts my health care," and "no."

I did not participate in the poll, as it was just shocking to be honest, but the responsibility of Facebook needs to be put on blast. I don't know how they monitor their site, but this never should have gotten posted and it seemed like it took FOREVER before Facebook removed the link.

Now the Secret Service:

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating an online survey that asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be assassinated, officials said Monday. The choices were: No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.

The poll, posted Saturday on Facebook, was taken off the popular social networking site quickly after company officials were alerted to its existence.

A Facebook official said the question was created not by the company but by an independent person using an add-on application that has been suspended from the site.

"The third-party application that enabled an individual user to create the offensive poll was brought to our attention this morning," said Barry Schnitt, Facebook's spokesman for policy.

Because the application was disabled, the responses to the nonscientific polls are not available.

"We're working with the U.S. Secret Service, but they'll need to provide any details of their investigation," Schnitt said.

"We are aware of [the poll], and we will take the appropriate investigative steps," said Darrin Blackford, a Secret Service spokesman. "We take these things seriously."

Some people out here are just dumb. Making any threat, let me repeat, any threat against the President of the United States is taken serious by the Secret Service and immediately investigated. Don't believe me, just read through this. Even if you are joking and many don't find killing someone a joke, your ass will be hauled in for questioning.

The hate for President Obama is real and on 24/7, that is why the Secret Service don't take any threat lightly.

Assassination threats up 400% per Secret Service against President Obama (Video)

This is real. These nuts are that, RACISTS NUTS.



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This is why the Secret Service SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN thrown into the Department of Homeland Security

When the Department of Homeland Security was created the Secret Service along with FEMA was thrown into this new department. Along with this came SLASH in budgets. We saw this with the chaos of Hurricane Katrina and FEMA. Now we are hearing and reading this about the Secret Service.

Why is this important? President Bush got about 3000+ threats a year, magnify that by 400% for President Obama. We know much is race related, let's be honest, all this crap going on right now by teabaggers, birthers is a cover for many being racist. The number amount is small, but small can be dangerous.

From morning joe:

And Obama Gets 30 Death Threats/Day Needs 2x More Agents

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Steps Taken to Protect Barack Obama (Video)

We don't like to read stuff or hear stuff like this, but we live in real time.

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Obama got a new ride, new presidential car, for real

This is the new ride for Obama when he ascends to office.

Both GM and the Secret Service are keeping the specs of the car under tight wraps, but according to a spokesman for the car company, the limo is a new and "unique" design that was not simply built atop an existing GM chassis.

"It's designed and developed in a unique and specific way," said Cadillac spokesman Dave Caldwell. "I can't tell you what's underneath the hood in terms of technology, but it's similar to the way presidential limousines have been constructed in the past."

Gauging from what is known of earlier models, the car will reportedly have armor plating at least 5 inches thick, bulletproof windows, run-flat tires and a sealed interior to protect the president in case of chemical attack.

New car, new first family, new hope, new president. That is change you can believe in. Oh, I am sure the car will be painted ONE COLOR by the time O takes the oath.

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Mind Sorbet

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Obama, fighting as the bubble closes in

While everyone loves photos of the Obamas, and let's be honest, "WE ALL DO", the bubble called Secret Service is closing in at rapid speed.

“It’s just hard to know that there’s somebody with you all the time,” said Steve Elmendorf, who was deputy campaign manager for John Kerry in 2004. “Being able to get up and go biking or go for a walk, or hold hands with your wife — everything you do is not just under the scrutiny of the press or the pool.”

For Obama, who received a Secret Service detail earlier than any presidential candidate since the practice began, the scrutiny is much more intense.

The glare on his family is shaping up to be unprecedented, both because Obama assumes the presidency amid a 24-hour, Web-dominated media age where many traditional boundaries don’t exist and because of what he represents. He’s the first African-American to be elected president. At 47, he’s a young guy – as presidents go. He also has a youthful, attractive family that is social and active.

I was talking to a friend the past few days and she said, "Now the Obamas are finally realizing that the bubble is real and all the things they love to do, will be photographed from here on out and many things they will just have to stop doing." I pooh-poohed it, but sitting here she is right. After the paparazzo photo of Obama shirtless and the girls running around in bathing suits, along with Michelle Obama, pictures of that magnitude is over. It has to be, the family must have privacy and after having that one photographer, who sold the pictures to the paparazzi after taking pictures less than 200 feet, it will stop.

“There's still some things we're not adjusted to," Obama said in a “60 Minutes” interview after the election. “You know, the small routines of life that keep you connected, I think some of those are being lost.”

Does this mean that Barack Obama will become like President Bush? Totally out of touch, in denial, won't burst the bubble to reality not even once? It does not have to be. We don't want Barack to become like George W. Bush and his total lack of understanding what happened after Katrina, remember his aides had to burn a cd/dvd of the news coverage and give it to him so he could understand what actually happened. Remember Bush does not watch the news or television.

Please, we don't want that again.

I don't think Barack Obama will become GWBII in that regard, but he will lose much freedom, that is part of becoming President of the United States. It will be up to him if he will fall into the bubble or have it half closed. We will see.

The day before Thanksgiving, a sixth grader at a Chicago school asked Obama about his new life.

“You don't have a lot of privacy," Obama told some 200 children, adding that going to Walgreen's and riding a bicycle are now far more involved than before.

Those close to the Obamas have spoken to the media less and less since the election. Calls and e-mails to close friends and associates of the Obama’s were not returned.

“My husband and I have been asked not to speak with the press about the Obamas,” one of them wrote in an e-mail. “They would prefer that we stay out of the papers for now.”

It seems the narrower the gap between transition and reality gets, the more private Obama has tried to become.

“You can see how he chafes at it,” Elmendorf said. “It’s hard for people who like to do outdoors things. It’s also hard for people with young kids. … You decide at 9 in the morning, I’m not going out anymore, then at 2 p.m. you decide, ‘Hey let’s get some ice cream.’”

“Normal people can do that. The president or president-elect can’t do that,” he said.

It is getting that tough folks, the bubble that is.

Source

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Is the Secret Service doing its job?

Many are salivating at Obama, his gams and abs, but many are wondering how in the HELL did this photographer take these pictures? Or even get close?

Well, the photographer was walking along the beach (it is public property) and he was about 200 feet from the Obamas.

The Bush "Shoe" incident sent questions and shivers about the Secret Service protection and their job. Remember, this organization is the one who should not be surprised or shocked at anything. So, why was this photographer, who is paparazzo allowed such close access?

And I am sure the Obamas while used to this, are probably pissed. This is their vacation time, after a long and arduous primary and election season. Plus, it is the secret service who is suppose to make sure this stuff does not happen. Right?

Reporters, photographers and television camera operators traveling with the Obamas have been banned by the Secret Service from approaching the oceanfront estate in nearby Kailua where the family is vacationing. But an enterprising paparazzi photographer wearing a Hawaiian shirt apparently strolled along the beach, saw the Obamas, took out his long-lens camera and started shooting.

The photographer was less than 200 feet from the Obamas, said Frank Griffin, co-owner of Bauer-Griffin, the California-based paparazzi agency that snapped the shots. But the Secret Service agents guarding the property did not ask the photographer to leave the beach.

"There was tacit approval that he was able to shoot what he could shoot. It's a public beach," Griffin said in a telephone interview Monday with The Washington Post. He declined to identify the photographer, but said he is a contractor who lives in Hawaii and whose family has a house not far from the Obama's vacation property.

"The guy just walked along there. He had a camera in his hand. He wasn't hiding behind the bushes. He took some pictures. Everybody saw him. And then he walked off," Griffin said. "It was as simple as that."

Griffin added that the Secret Service "didn't seem to mind."

"He wasn't hiding behind the trees, he wasn't on a boat and he wasn't doing anything that we are used to doing," Griffin said.

Again, a public beach, so the Obamas just have to get used to what may seem like "privacy" invasion. But for someone to be less than 200 feet from the Obamas, sorry it is scary and unacceptable.

Pics and link, here.

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