General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A good friend of mine is an ex-Secret Service agent. [View all]LeftofObama
(4,243 posts)Back in the late 80's I went to a George H. W. Bush rally, not because I supported him, but because I had never seen a President before. In 1992 and 1996 I went to Bill Clinton rallies. You could see secret service agents on the rooftops and snipers on both sides of President Clinton at one particular rally. Not once did the secret service ever say anything to people who were there at the rally.
Fast forward to 2012... I went to see President Obama and the line was HUGE! A U.S. Marshall walked by us in line and in groups of about 5-10 people he would say that if we saw anyone acting strange or if we were even the slightest bit suspicious go to an agent immediately and report it. That really made me aware that yes, the threats against this president are probably 100 fold what they were against the others.