The Return of "My Pet Goat"
Belle Waring asks the obvious question:
John & Belle Have A Blog: They Told Cheney Right Away, So...: Can it really be the case that everyone who works for President Bush in any capacity is convinced he's just a cypher when it comes to potential security threat? That he shouldn't be told anything worrying till the My-Pet-Goat-reading/bike-ride-with-high-school-pal is over? This just seems weird to me.
Capitol Police officers began shouting to stragglers, 'Run, run, this is for real!' At the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in suburban Maryland, a half-hour's drive from the White House, Mr. Bush's Secret Service detail - following him on bicycles and in vehicles as he got some midday exercise after returning the previous night from a five-day trip to Russia, Latvia, Georgia and the Netherlands - decided not to inform him of what was unfolding, said Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman.
Mr. McClellan said the members of the security detail had decided that Mr. Bush need not be informed because there was no danger to him and because procedures for intercepting the airplane, evacuating buildings in Washington and increasing security at the White House did not require his authorization. The Secret Service agents did not consult with Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, or other senior administration officials, Mr. McClellan said.
Mr. McClellan said Mr. Bush was told of the incident at 12:50 p.m., after his ride with a high school friend. Asked whether Mr. Bush wished he had been informed earlier, Mr. McClellan replied: 'The president has great trust in his security detail. He was never in any danger, and the protocols that were in place were followed.'
I mean, obviously it turned out to be no big deal, but not even to mention it?
