Comments to the Internets - Secret Service Protection 2

from POLITICO: Obama grants himself lifetime Secret Service protection

by JENNIFER EPSTEIN
1/10/13 1:19 PM EST

President Obama on Thursday signed a bill granting him -- along with George W. Bush and future ex-presidents -- lifetime Secret Service protection, reversing a 1990s law that limited post-presidency security.

The Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 restores lifetime protection for presidents and spouses who served after Jan. 1, 1997, and gives the children of former presidents protection until age 16.

The existing law, passed by Congress in 1994, ended protection for former presidents a decade after leaving office. But members of Congress and law enforcement officials had since come to see lifetime protection as more necessary as global threats have grown.

my comment...
The reason the 1994 law was established was because presidents were living longer. In 1994 there were 5 former presidents alive (Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, and Nixon would die that year, but also he gave up SS protection in '85). The 1860s was the last time this many presidents were alive at once. When lifetime protection was established in 1965, there were only 2 former presidents alive Truman and Ike (Hoover passes away the year before). 2 days after Nixon's 2nd inaugural in 1973, there were no former presidents. Since presidents (and first ladies) were living longer the 1994 law was established. President Bill Clinton would sign the 1994 law and wouldn't be effected as most laws never effect the current office holder (i.e. the passage of the 22nd Amendment, term limits, in 1951 didn't effect Truman whereas Ike was the first to be limited). The 1994 law took effect in 1997, so had Bob Dole won the 1996 election he would've been the first to be limited to 10 years after office SS protection, but George W. Bush became the first effected by this. It was during the Bush administration that returning to the 1965 law was originally brought up. Seeing as how relatively young and healthy Bush 43 is, I would guess something caused the SS suggested to the Congress that a ten year limit wouldn't be prudent. The same probably could be argued for Obama.

in response to Obama not only "granting" himself Secret Service protection for life, another commenter believed he could become president for life. A lot of ignorant speculation all thanks to a misleading titled article thanks to the POLITICO reporter's lame title. Here is my response, aka my comment...

Interestingly a Democratic Congressman has been trying unsuccessfully to repeal the 22nd Amendment since 1997. IF by some chance the States ratified a constitutional amendment to repeal the 22nd amendment before Obama's term ended in 2017 (it's not a quick process, but there are exceptions), he probably wouldn't be allowed to run for a 3rd term until after he'd leave office since most laws (amendments included) always have a stipulation about the current office holder. In this hypothetical scenario, Obama would have to wait a presidential term before running for reelection...so that would be 2020. Another example, if the Democratic congressman was successful back in 1997, Bill Clinton would've been prohibited from running for a 3rd term in 2000 and would have to wait until 2004 (and any presidential election after), whereas Bush 43 (having won the 2000 election) would've been able to run for reelection in 2004 and as many times after as he'd want in this scenario.

Comments to the Internets - Secret Service Protection

from POLITICO: Ex-Presidents could get lifelong Secret Service protection

By BREANNA EDWARDS
12/5/12 12:31 PM EST

Former presidents and first ladies of the United States would have Secret Service protection for as long as they live under a bill passed Wednesday in the House.

Passed in the House on a voice vote, the "Former President Protection Act of 2012" erases the 10-year limit of service protection previously imposed by a 1994 law, returning the statute to the original, lifelong mandate.

The previous law only granted 10 years of Secret Service protection to any former president (and first lady) elected after January 1, 1997. It did make room for exceptions, however, by allowing Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to grant Secret Service protection to former presidents and spouses after the expired period.

But now, national security interests, as well as the mobility and youth of former presidents, led Congress to push lifelong Secret Service protection.

“I think protection, public safety [and] security [are] the foremost responsibility of government and this is a different world, even from the 1990s, when this act was last revisited in terms of the threat that high profile people face,” said the bill’s main sponsor Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). “President Bush [and] President Obama are youthful in terms of how long we currently expect people to live. So it just struck me that when you have people that high profile, that have served the country, that it is not too much to ask that they be protected for the remainder of their life.”

Gowdy said that this act also addresses the “anomaly” of Barbara Bush receiving lifetime protection from the Secret Service herself, but her son, former president George W. Bush, only being protected for 10 years after his tenure.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) who cosponsored the bill, echoed Gowdy’s words.

“It’s not a matter of saving any money,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy to occur to remove the limitation that’s there now.”

Lawmakers consulted Secret Service while proposing the bill. The agency felt that the bill was “appropriate,” in offering continued protection.

“Former presidents routinely engage in diplomatic and humanitarian activities overseas. They serve as diplomatic emissaries and require frequent overseas travel,” said a law enforcement official. “As former presidents they remain symbols of our country, as symbols they can be potential targets to those seeking to do harm.”

The bill also alters the protection of children of former presidents. Under the old statute, children were to be protected for up to 10 years after their parents’ service or when they turned 16, whichever occurred first. Under the new act, it will protect minor children until they turn 16.

my comment...
The 1994 law came at a time when there 5 living former presidents. Nixon died that April and also gave up secret service protection in the 1980s. The law most likely came about because there were so many living former presidents, which has happened in the past. When Secret Service protection began for former presidents in 1965 there were only two living former presidents, Harry S. Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover died the previous year, and by a few days after Richard Nixon's second term there were no former presidents alive. So far the 1994 law only applies to George W. Bush, but it was his administration that probably had the Secret Service rethinking the 1994. The world wasn't always happy with the United States in the early years of the war on terrorism, so if the suggestion by the Secret Service that revision of the law is necessary then we should listen to them.