Jackson Free Press

From CNN:

The organization said in a written statement that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, "after consultation with the congressional advisory committee, authorized the United States Secret Service to protect presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama."

Chertoff works with a congressional panel made up of half a dozen members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"As a matter of procedure, we will not release any details of the deliberations of assessments that led to protection being initiated," the Secret Service statement said.

Protection goes beyond surrounding the candidate with well-armed agents, the Secret Service's Web site states. The agency does extensive advance work and threat assessments developed by its Intelligence Division to identify potential risks, the site says.

Previous Commentsshow

The secret service did comment that Obama requested protection. They did not say why he asked. Some candidates request protection to appear official and presidential. Candidates generally have to be serious candidates or have a threat against them for the service to agree. AGamma627

AGamm627

May 3 2007

On CBS News, they said it could be because of his "rockstar" status - crowds closing in on him wanting to shake his hand, etc.

LatashaWillis

May 3 2007

LW: cut out the drama. That is pretty standard procedure for serious presidential candidates. Whole thread should be zapped.

Kingfish

May 3 2007

Actually, Kingfish you haven't listened to enough of the report. This is the earliest that a candidate has gone under secret service protection during a run for president. That's news. Crazy news? No. News, none the less. Obviously, VP's and ex-first ladies don't figure into that stat as they have secret service protection anyway. Bit bossy today, eh?

pikersam

May 3 2007

look at how early the race has started though. We are having debates NINE MONTHS before the first primary. NINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kingfish

May 3 2007

Kingfish, if it wasn't news and if it is standard procedure, why was it reported as breaking news on CNN, etc.? Apparently it's out of the ordinary. The fact that the campaign has started early is out of the ordinary. I said I "guess" it was a death threat, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. I'm trying to be nice. :-)

LatashaWillis

May 3 2007

I agree with you there Kf. And, I know that the fact they are all running so early is a big part as to why this is the earliest a candidate has "requested" secret service protection. But, it is newsworthy, and worth noting on the blogs. Let the folks decide how popular the thread is.

pikersam

May 3 2007

with the 24 hour news cycle they are desperate to sensationalize anything and call it news.

Kingfish

May 3 2007

FYI, Trent Lott had Secret Service protection last week when he was in MS. I thought maybe all high-profile congressmen had it.

Droite

May 4 2007

CNN has updated the article I linked. Here's a portion of it: The government is not aware of any specific, credible threat against Obama, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the decision. But his office has received hate mail and calls and other "threatening materials" in the past and during his campaign, the source said. Three Obama campaign officials who discussed the issue on condition of anonymity also said there was no specific threat against the candidate. They said the request stemmed from what one called the "cumulative effect" of a heavier campaign schedule, larger crowds and "just the growing perception internally" it was time to take additional security precautions that are best suited for the Secret Service. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson also told CNN there is no known specific or credible threat. Illinois' senior senator, Democrat Dick Durbin, told reporters Thursday night that he relayed concerns about the size of the crowds Obama was drawing and other issues to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid decided to take the matter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff as an issue for a congressional advisory board, Durbin said. "I knew the crowds were large ... but some of the other information given to us, unfortunately I think, raised a concern among many of [Obama's] friends," Durbin said. "Unfortunately, some of the information we found was racially motivated. It is a sad reality in this day and age that Mr. Obama's African-American heritage is a cause for very violent and hatred, hated reactions among some people." Durbin would not elaborate. "I've been advised not to talk about any specific security problems or any threats," he said. He also would not say how he received the information, only that it was from "credible sources." The crowds, he said, have been record-breaking. "Naturally, it's encouraging politically, but it's also raised a lot of security concerns."

LatashaWillis

May 4 2007

Here's a related story: College student charged with threatening Hillary Clinton

LatashaWillis

May 4 2007

This college kid is a perfect illustration of why we should teach our kids to shun drugs and alcohol. He has gotten himself in some sh!t he may not be able to get out of short of jail and being marked forever.

Ray Carter

May 7 2007

Senator Obama is definitely a lightening rod for the "death of." Let's not get so comfortable with the issue of racism that we sooooooon forget. I was talking to a friend who is a Council Person in Chicago. We both agreed that if Obama wants to have any chance at raising his children and being a supportive spouse to his wife, his best bet is to EXIT- STAGE - LEFT. This has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence and experience. This has all to do with the "Powers-That-Be" I have witnessed too much of this type of though proccess. I saw it with MEG. I saw it with King. I saw it with John F. Kennedy. I saw it with Bobby Kennedy. I saw it with Brown and the list does not stop here. What Obama has embarked on is a movement into harm's way and you know the saying: "If you put yourself in harm's way, you will be harmed." Secret Service will not be able to keep Obama alive if a real hit is in. I hate it. No one should be killed because he/she tries to do what is within their scope of things. It just doesn't work that way. These things are precieved as "POWER" and "POWER" is never given away, it has to be taken. Gloom and doom? NO. Just a person who has lived long enough to witness what happens in this country when you are on that page where some think that you should not be.

justjess

May 7 2007

Muzzling All to Hush a Few CBSNews.com has been getting so many vitriolic comments about Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, that it has taken the unusual step of blocking all reader comments on its stories about Mr. Obama.... Mike Sims, director of news and operations for CBSNews.com, was quoted on the Web site as saying that CBS could not selectively delete the ugly remarks because of their “volume and persistence.” The site plans to continue to allow comments about other presidential candidates, and a spokeswoman for CBS said it would do more to monitor the comments and would try to reopen the Obama comment section as soon as possible. Bill Burton, a spokesman for Mr. Obama, said, “It’s too bad that a few discordant voices would be allowed to muzzle the vast majority of folks who are interested and want to participate in the dialogue.

LatashaWillis

May 8 2007

Check this out.

LatashaWillis

Jul 21 2007