How the Secret Service said goodbye to Mitt
Of all the indignities involved in losing a presidential race, none is more stark than the sudden emptiness of your entourage. The Secret Service detail guarding Governor Romney since Feb 1. stood down quickly. He had ridden in a 15-car motorcade to the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston for his concession speech. He rode in a single-car motorcade back across the Charles River to Belmont. His son, Tagg, did the driving…
Had Romney won, everything would gave been different. A full counter-assault team, “Hawkeye Javelin,” was on stand-by in Boston, ready to supplement his detail. A team from the White House Communications Agency, which had been consulting with his informal transition team on secure space for intelligence briefings, was on hand too.
Romney has his family. When the race was close, agents would joke about the number of “j” words they’d need to come up with in order to give every one of his children, their wives, and all of their children code names. That’s 29 people who would have received, if not protection, at least a protective survey and recommendations from the Service. Quietly, plans had already been put in place to assign protective details to all of them, just in case.
Blowback
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Did they go out with a bang?
tommer74 on November 8, 2012 at 2:45 PM
That’s what they think. Valerie Jarrett thinks otherwise. Of course if their assignment would have been to an ambassador then, sure, don’t bother coming back.
schmitty on November 8, 2012 at 2:48 PM
Well I guess we’re really lucky Romney lost.
El_Terrible on November 8, 2012 at 2:49 PM
J names? 9 short of the Duggars.
Oil Can on November 8, 2012 at 2:49 PM
I’m waiting for the books by retiring protective agents for both Romney and Obami
phreshone on November 8, 2012 at 2:51 PM
Takeaway for libtards: It’s legal to threaten to kill Mitt Romney again.
Alberta_Patriot on November 8, 2012 at 2:51 PM
Now the agents can go back to stiffing (heh) Colombian hookers.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 8, 2012 at 2:52 PM
If us evil fatcat Republicans didn’t hate middle class families we would have just let King Barry run unopposed so that the Secret Service could spend more time with their loved ones.
Kataklysmic on November 8, 2012 at 2:54 PM
How I say goodbye to Mitt:
You’re a role model to me, you inspired me. Thank you.
Paul-Cincy on November 8, 2012 at 2:55 PM
PHEW.
nicktjacob on November 8, 2012 at 2:56 PM
But no longer necessary.
Washington Nearsider on November 8, 2012 at 2:56 PM
So, if you want to use terrorism to keep the Republican party from ever running candidates, you just wait til after the election and attack. Sure glad we give away our state secret service tactics away for free.
Does anyone think they would have done the same to Obama in 2008 if he lost?
astonerii on November 8, 2012 at 2:57 PM
Hookers?
Gatsu on November 8, 2012 at 2:57 PM
says GQ
Well, it beats writing about Benghazi
entagor on November 8, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Um, is it just me or was there NOTHING in that story about HOW the Sec. Ser. said goodbye to Mitt. Instead, what we got is that they left as per their ending duty. There was nothing that related any “how” at all in that story.
Warner Todd Huston on November 8, 2012 at 3:03 PM
Jeez.
You know what happens when you have one candidate, especially the one in power, using division as a method for retaining power?
You get this – on both sides. Scary stuff.
Red Cloud on November 8, 2012 at 3:05 PM
During Romney and Ryan’s visits to Reno, NV in the last few weeks of the campaign, I volunteered to work in various capacities at the events, and enjoyed watching the agents work.
Sure, like in any business there are some bad apples, but I really respect these men and women for what they do and what they go through in protecting the President, VP and the nominees
Reno_Dave on November 8, 2012 at 3:07 PM
Just think how much more efficient everything would be if we did away with elections altogether.
And, with God in the White House, isn’t this the perfect time?
logis on November 8, 2012 at 3:07 PM
Heh. I thought the same thing. There was that line about the call going out on the radio, but that’s about it…I figured they’d be talking about any parting gifts that were handed out, etc
changer1701 on November 8, 2012 at 3:10 PM
That’s ok. He got more than he deserved. Just ask the Romney benchwarmers.
DannoJyd on November 8, 2012 at 3:13 PM
WT Huston and changer,
I think the title was meant to be ironic, and I suspected the basic line of the story before clicking the link in the HA headlines.
I would imagine that Romney and the agents probably said their actual goodbyes shortly after Romney conceded and before the families went to be.
Reno_Dave on November 8, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Does that mean the vermin on Twitter still won’t try and get at him? I would think not.
Rixon on November 8, 2012 at 3:16 PM
liars are lousy role models….mittens is the biggest liar i have ever seen on the political stage…..what an embarrassment! good riddance to him!
Pragmatic on November 8, 2012 at 3:18 PM
Indeed.
Kataklysmic on November 8, 2012 at 3:28 PM
It’s funny – I was anti-Mitt during the primary season. And the vitriol folks here have for him now as a squishy moderate is pretty much all self-inflicted. We project the values we want him to have and get all bent out of shape when our fellow voters yield a candidate that doesn’t dovetail as nicely with our own views as we would prefer.
But in the last two elections, the Dems have put up a rabble rouser Alinskyite against a war hero in 2008 and the most good-hearted philanthropic candidate ever in 2012, and lost both times.
Like Breitbart said – politics is downstream from society. This is a symptom of what we have become as a society and a people, not an indictment on these candidates. Simply on the basis of who these men are versus Obama, they should have won in a landslide. But – unfortunatately, it’s a different society now. The people around us will do anything to benefit themselves, irrespective of what that means for their fellow man. And a man that promises them more, regardless of his (lack of) integrity, is a better bet than a war hero or a philanthropist.
CycloneCDB on November 8, 2012 at 3:29 PM
Apologies for the edit.
CycloneCDB on November 8, 2012 at 3:30 PM
Winning!!!!!
Fazman on November 8, 2012 at 3:39 PM
I read a book a few years ago by a former agent. He said they all LOVE Obama. And if you look closely at press footage, you can tell it’s true.
michaelthomas on November 8, 2012 at 3:43 PM
But…not Michelle so much
michaelthomas on November 8, 2012 at 3:43 PM
What …? That’s it? No fruitcake or anything?
matd on November 8, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Assassination plots? What assassination plots? Name even ONE legitimate assassination plot “nipped in the bud” by the Secret Service during this 2012 POTUS campaign. Just a single solitary ONE. Sure — lots of people venting on Twitter and perhaps even some loons publicly proclaiming their desire to kill Obama/Romney via other methods like Facebook or a letter to the White House or something.
But not one single legitimate “plot” with even a remote chance of success to assassinate anyone has been “nipped in the bud” by the Secret Service in this entire century — so far. At least — not that the MSM is letting us in on. If there was ever an actual “plot” to assassinate anyone it must have been Romney becuase we never ever heard about it. If a “plot” to assassinate Obama were true — they’d have run with it in their leads and headlines until election day — for the sympathy votes.
Jeez — HotGas is even linking asinine GQ magazine pieces now.
…
HotAir.com — Guaranteed Soft & Squishy™ Or Your Money Back
…
FlatFoot on November 8, 2012 at 4:35 PM
Thanks for that, I’m still giggling.
moonsbreath on November 8, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Perhaps I’m out of the loop, but I just skimmed the comments and…I wasn’t aware his nickname was actually “RobMe” by some on the left.
So incredibly, chillingly effective the left is in branding…
and the sheeple have no clue. If they are even in the POSITION to be losing money in the next few years (read: actually working and paying taxes), will they regret their decision when they realize who is actually raping their wallets? *sigh* Not likely.
I hate everything, seriously.
Bee on November 8, 2012 at 4:46 PM
BS meter just broke on the title alone…DEATH RACE 2012?
How drama queenish.
moonsbreath on November 8, 2012 at 4:49 PM