The Obama Assassination Thread

Apologies if there's already been one of these, but I've not been around.

Now assuming, as expected from the current polls, that Obama gets in, how long before the white supremesists bump him off?

Oh yeah, he's toast in the first year.

I love toast.

Wow, you guys aren't giving the poor bean my time are you. One year isn't nearly enough time for a peace mission to Kenya.

Nothing will happen to Obama.

Obama isn't going to get assassinated, the secret service will be working overtime for the next 4 (8?) years to make sure of it.

You can't cover every eventuality, random events or just shitty luck, so no matter how hard they work they can't ever guarantee 100% to stop any attempts. It's that old saying - "no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy".

There'll be an attempt, which probably won't be successful, but will make much moolah when turned into a hollywood blockbuster.

Although I guess success will depend if the assassin has 2 or 3 parts to their name

Obama doesn't need secret service. On inauguration day, me and a few of my "homies" are going down to Washington to make sure things go well.

Why so sure?

I seem to remember what happened to the last young and vibrant president who was popular with the black population.

I certainly hope so.

Though I disagree strongly with what I see of him so far, and probably will disagree at least as strongly with what he actually does as president (though that of course remains to be seen), America doesn't need that kind of drama. Not to mention that Obama and his family don't deserve it, either, no matter how much people disagree with his opinions (and/or the color of his skin--I have nothing but disdain for those who would kill someone just because of the color of his skin).

Well, if you believe the Kennedy theories half of them will be working overtime over the next 4 years to make sure it does happen.

Yeah? So he was impeached, he didn't get shot or killed.

This is just as stupid as a person saying that he will definitely be assassinated.

The Titanic couldn't be sunk.

A million men could never take Tarawa in 100 years.

And so on.

Statements like "Nothing will happen to Obama" are just tempting fate.

You know who I mean.

Yes. I agree.

Joe Biden is the best insurance policy Obama could ever have.

Well, he couldn't get Quayle to run with him...

I second that. No one has bumped off Charlie Rangel, and he's been in Congress since Watergate.

In an unusual display of optimism, I voted that McCain will die first (of natural causes).

Not quite the same thing. The possibility of an Obama presidency has energized quite a few people, mostly good.

But the white supremacists are licking their chops, as they believe it will dramatically increase their chances for recruitment.

I certainly hope Obama well, whether he wins or not, but some body is going to make the attempt if he's president. Hopefully they will be stopped before it even gets a chance to be put in motion.

No American president has been assassinated since the Secret Service gained the powers and capabilities it has today.

The Secret Service today is many times more capable than it was in the days of Kennedy.

Ahh, I should have waited for the voice of knowledge to speak. Would you care to give us an informed detail of how the capabilities have increased and how they are now absolutely fool proof.

I'd agree with that, but I think the big reason is there's so little access to POTUS.

But they've gotten inventive over the years. A guy smashed his Cesna into the white house lawn, another one tried to use a grenade against Bush overseas. And of course Saddam Hussein tried to use a car bomb against Bush senior when he was in Kuwait.

I remember there was uproar when an Irish photographer was able to get an unauthorised picture of Bush while he was on a visit - on the grounds that if he could get into that position, so could a sniper.

I think it'd be pretty hard. The Secret Service are very thorough.

Were you disappointed?

Incidentally, I'm glad that stuff like this isn't much of a concern here, see such examples as the setup the Chaser guys did where they walked up to our former PM and shook his hand while holding a chainsaw.

Like I learned from reading Robert B. Parker novels, if a truly determined killer is truly determined to kill you, he will, and nobody can stop him.

Spenser wouldn't lie!

Back in 1994, I was actually in Washington one day, on a field trip with some college students I was teaching. We were wandering on the Mall near the Washington Monument when Secret Service swarmed over the place. We asked what was going on and we were told that since there was construction at the White House, the presidential helicopters were going to land near the Washington Monument and that President Clinton would be boarding them. We waited about 15 minutes and sure enough, here comes a motorcade. Clinton and Robert Rubin got out, waved to us (a small crowd had gathered) and got in the helicopters.

Now I was about 50 yards from Clinton at the closest. The Secret Service never searched us or anything. They just told us to "get out of the street". If I had a weapon, I could have gotten off 2, maybe 3 good shots before "going down".

Security was none too tight on that day.