IN THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET SERVICE

A friend sent me some excerpts from this book, which is apparently recently published. I found some to be amusing, some enlightening, and some confirming what was already known or suspected.

The Book is:
IN THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET SERVICE

Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect
By Ronald Kessler
Crown Publishing.

Review by By Don Oldenburg, Special for USA TODAY

The recent news report that corner-cutting at the U.S. Secret Service has put President Obama's life at greater risk may be the most attention-grabbing disclosure emerging from Ron Kessler's latest book. But there's a lot more in this fascinating exposé, which penetrates that federal agency's longstanding mission and tradition of sworn secrecy. Never mind that the book's title is stiffer than the Secret Service's public persona — dour-faced agents wearing pressed suits, dark sunglasses and earphones, scouring crowds for potential threats. Inside the covers, Kessler's lively narrative is loaded with details of how the federal agents, authorized to protect the president and other national leaders, get the job done — and sometimes don't. But what fuels this high-energy read isn't Kessler's investigation of the Secret Service's training, procedures and strategies — from guaranteeing the safety of the president's food to analyzing daily threats. Instead what turns these pages are the amusing, saucy, often disturbing anecdotes about the VIPs the Secret Service has protected and still protects. The secrets, in other words.

Some excerpt form the book.

This book about the Secret Service reveals an awful lot about the Presidents and Vice-Presidents ... very interesting recap thus far:
JFK and LBJ = Philanderers of the highest order, both kept a lot of women in White House for affairs.
Both set up "early warning" systems for it and when their wives were nearby.
Total immoral men.
In addition, LBJ was as crude as the day is long.

Richard Nixon = Weird, moral man but very odd and weird. Paranoid etc.
Horrible relationship with his family, almost a recluse.

Spiro Agnew = a nice, decent man, everyone was surprised at his downfall.

Jerry Ford = A true gentlemen who treated them with respect and dignity.

Jimmy Carter = A complete phony. Would portray one picture of himself to the public and a very different one in private; i.e., he would be shown carrying his own luggage, suit cases were always empty, he kept empty one just for photo ops.
Wanted the people to see him as pious and a non drinker, he and family drank alcohol a lot.
Had disdain for the Secret Service, and was very irresponsible with the "football" nuclear codes. Didn't think it was a big deal and would keep military aides at a great distance. Would never acknowledge military or Secret service they were there to serve him.

Ronald Reagan = The real deal. Moral, Honest, respectful and dignified.
Treated Secret Service and everyone else with respect and honor. Would always thank everyone all the time. He took the time to know everyone on a personal level.
One story was early on in Presidency ... the President came out of his room with a side arm attached to his hip. The Agent in charge said "Why the pistol Mr. President?" Ronald Reagan replied, "In case you boys can't get the job done, I can help." It was common for him to carry a pistol. People do not know that when he met with Gorbachev, he had a pistol in his briefcase.
Upon learning that Gary Hart was caught with Donna Rice during the election Ronald Reagan said, "Boys will be boys, but boys will not be President."
Nancy Reagan = Very nice but very protective of the President ... the Secret Service was always caught in the middle. Nancy would try to control what the President ate all the time (healthy) and he would say to the Agents "Come on you gotta help me out."
The Reagans rarely drank alcohol. Secret Service said they could count on one hand the times the Reagans were served alcohol other than, wine during dinner.
They made the comment for all the fake bluster of the Carters. It was the Reagans who lived life as genuinely moral people.

George and Barbara Bush = Extremely kind and considerate. Always respectful.
Took great care in making sure the agents comforts were taken care of. They would bring them meals etc. One time Barbara Bush brought warm clothes to agents standing outside a Kennebunkport . One agent who was given a warm hat tried to nicely say no thanks when he was obviously freezing and President Bush said "Son, don't argue with the first lady, put the hat on."

Bill Clinton = Presidency was one giant party. Not trustworthy, he was nice because he wanted everyone to like him but life is just one big game and party to him.
Hillary Clinton = Another phony. Her personality would change the instant cameras were near.
She hated with open disdain the military and Secret Service.
Again another one who felt people are there to serve her.
She was always trying to keep tabs on Bill Clinton.
Al Gore = An egotistical ass who was once overheard by his Secret Service detail when he told his son he needed to do better in school or he "would end up like these guys" and pointed to the Secret Service agents.

G.W. Bush = They loved him and Laura Bush. They said no one is a nicer person than Laura Bush who never has a harsh word to say about anyone. The Bush's went out of their way to take care of the Secret Service and made sure they were well cared for with meals and other comforts.
G.W. was the most prompt of the Presidents. He ran like a well oiled machine.
He was also the most in shape who had a very strict work out regimen.
The Bush's made sure their entire administration understood to respect and be considerate of the Secret Service.
Karl Rove was the one who was the most caring of the Secret Service in the administration.

Barack Obama = Clintons all over again. Hates the military and looks down on the Secret Service.

Lots more in the book, some is juvenile and petty, but a lot shows how these people act when no ones looking and the cameras are off.

I miss Reagan. He was good president.

It's no big loss if Obama is assassinated in their professional opinion...in other words.
Quite an indictment there kool-aid drinkers.

It sounds to me like the SS agents are mainly bothered about how they personally were treated by their employer and not how the presidents actually did their job. I suspect if they were not treated as well as they had become accustumed to previously than they would find bad things to say about said president in this book. If they spoke mainly about the quality of which the presidents performed their jobs first and how they were personally treated as a far second issue than I would be more inclined to believe this.

It is possible to have a boss you dont like who also works very well and who you can admit is great at his job. But those exerts just made me feel that they were being judged on how they did their job mainly by how well they treated their SS agents.

I also strongly believe that their are very strong political bias throughout there as well.

reply to post by clintdelicious


I just want to apologise for calling secret service agents SS agents. I only just realised that it sounded like I was making a nazi SS pun but I never ment that at all and just realised it now when I re-read what I posted lol. Damn I fell dumb