Some observations on "Gate-gate"

 Call it business as usual. Congress has managed to politicize “Gate-gate” or whatever the media choose to call the recent White House security breach.

 The Secret Service chief told members of the House Homeland Security panel today that “appropriate procedures were not followed.” Ya think?

 The ranking Republican weasel on the House committee, Rep. Peter King of New York, wants White House staffers to testify to see if there is some blame that could be spread their way. Anything to attempt harm to the other party even if the real victims here were the White House, the President and his family. Fortunately, this was a benign incident — this time.

 Along with the Republican “gotcha machine,” the talking heads on TV have been doing their usual hand-wringing. “Oh my, what if the president got stabbed with a fork during the state dinner?” “What if the intruders tried to attack with biological warfare?” “What if someone tried to get the president with a butter knife.” Or, heavens forbid, a plastic spork.

 What these same people don’t realize, forget or just plain omit is there was probably a unit of Secret Service snipers placed strategically out of sight at all times during the dinner, just waiting for such moves. I say probably, I don’t know for sure. I have been in the presence of a presidential visit to a building — a mess hall at Fort Hood actually — and saw a team of black-suited Secret Service agents emerging afterwards carrying cases that I seriously doubt held musical instruments. I don’t think I am revealing any state secret here because these snipers were in plain sight once the president left the building (so was a Marine with a metal briefcase that I imagine contained the Nuclear “Football.” — scary stuff.) Nevertheless, the snipers were not visible inside the building when the president was inside, so you put two and two together. Similar placement of hidden  Secret Service or other police officers takes place as well wherever the president decides to pop in and say hello.

 From what I’ve seen being in close proximity to a president, on about a handful of occasions, is that the POTUS is pretty well-guarded. Whatever I think might be flaws in presidential security I will keep to myself unless asked by the Secret Service. And the flaws that I have seen were generally specific to the former president.

 Also, and this too is from my own observations dealing with and watching those in the last president’s entourage — and a traveling one at that — the White House staff does have a hand in security but it appears to be more of an administrative manner. But when the rubber meets the road, or the tires touch the Tarmac, the Secret Service is ultimately in charge of the president’s life. The buck stops with those folks who, at least I say, do an incredible job. For the most part, the Secret Service presidential detail is awesome.

 I’m sure the Secret Service will learn from this mistake and continue doing what they do well. As for the uninvited guests, if it turns out they were not invited to the White House in a legal manner I hope justice will be done and they are made an example of why fame (or infamy) isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.