Reply #14: I can think of better people to emulate

[Posteritatis]

Seriously, how far are we going to go protecting the guy? While I warrant that he needs it, and needs more of it than a lot of other presidents lately, just what are we going to do? Shut things down to the extent that Putin has? Allow only Democrats in earshot, like Bush's handlers do with the Republicans? "Free speech zones?" What?

I'm anxious as hell about Obama's safety, for the next four days and for the next four (well, hopefully eight) years. But I hope that safety doesn't have to come at the cost of completely insulating him from the population. Just what kind of a bubble do we want to put the next president behind - and why is it suddenly alright to after eight years of (rightly) deriding Bush for doing so to himself?

The idea of a president based around hope operating on fear upsets me more than a little, especially considering the receptions the guy's gotten when he's traveled the last several months (without, I might add, McCain-esque straining of the attendees for ideological purity beforehand). Be cautious, yes; probably be more cautious than either Bush or, a lot of the time, Clinton's guards needed to be; but taking a siege and bunker mentality to the guy is simply going to play into the hands the Republicans and other opponents.