Obama placed under Secret Service protection

In the last election, Democratic candidates John Kerry and John Edwards received their protection in February 2004 as they were competing for the party's nomination. Obama's detail comes nine months before the first votes are cast.

Federal law allows candidates to seek protection if they meet a series of standards, including public prominence as measured by polls and fundraising. The members of the congressional advisory committee are the Speaker, the House and Senate majority and minority leaders as well as one additional member

Concerned about the safety of Sen. Barack Obama on the presidential campaign trail, Sen. Dick Durbin two weeks ago went to the Senate's top Democrat to point out the danger he thought his fellow Illinois Democrat might be in.

Durbin said he told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about the size of the crowds he'd seen on the campaign trail with Obama, and also that he showed Reid some unspecified material that added to his concern.

That conversation lead Thursday to the assignment of a Secret Service detail to Obama, the earliest in a presidential campaign the service has ever made the decision to cover a candidate not already under their protection as an office holder.

The idea that a credible black candidate might have a larger potential for danger from crazies somehow doesn't amaze me.

I'd say yes to that one. The whole "rock star" thing. Hillary is the main competition -- she already has Secret Service protection. Dunno about Edwards -- I can't imagine that a) he's as big of a deal, in terms of how many people come to see him, on an ongoing basis, or b) that he has that much hate mail.

The idea that a credible black candidate might have a larger potential for danger from crazies somehow doesn't amaze me.

snood wrote:

The idea that a credible black candidate might have a larger potential for danger from crazies somehow doesn't amaze me.

The key word is "credible"!!!

Clinton gets USSS protection by virtue of being a former 1st Lady. She's had it all along and will for the rest of her life.

I'm more surprised that the USSS has seemingly waived their own criteria. Obama isn't a shoe-in at this point and he hasn't won a single primary (neither has anyone else of course...)

There is more to this story than meets the eye. IMO, either there are credible threats or there was an actual attempt.

But white supremacists, appalled that a black candidate may have a viable shot at the presidency, have been spewing venom across the Internet for months.

"Our world will become unbearable with him as President," wrote a typical poster on a white powerWeb site. "Maybe there will be someone who would take [a] chance and do a Lincoln on him? Is that our only hope?"
[...]
An article in last week's edition of the rightwing Insight magazine blasted him for his lack of security, mentioned Robert Kennedy and accused Obama of "almost courting this tragic, and historically predictable, result."

"It is time for Obama to put aside his pride, or bravado, and ask for the protection he requires," the magazine said.

A congressional aide said that the request for Obama's Secret Service protection was unanimously backed by Republican and Democratic congressional leaders. The aide said Reid made a vigorous argument for the detail when the advisory group met.

"Reid was very adamant", said the aide.

And from today's update on CNN:

"Illinois' senior senator, Democrat Dick Durbin, told reporters Thursday night that he relayed concerns about the size of the crowds Obama was drawing and other issues to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reid decided to take the matter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff as an issue for a congressional advisory board, Durbin said.

"I knew the crowds were large ... but some of the other information given to us, unfortunately I think, raised a concern among many of [Obama's] friends," Durbin said.

"Unfortunately, some of the information we found was racially motivated. It is a sad reality in this day and age that Mr. Obama's African-American heritage is a cause for very violent and hatred, hated reactions among some people."

Durbin would not elaborate. "I've been advised not to talk about any specific security problems or any threats," he said. He also would not say how he received the information, only that it was from "credible sources.""

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/03/obama.protection/index.html

So no "credible threats" - but serious info from "credible sources". These people are all dancing here.