The world of secret-service bodyguards surrounding Obama

Ed Pilkington in his article for The Guardian, notes that protecting the 44th President of the United States has presented the secret service with the greatest challenge in its history.

He interviews Joseph Petro, head of global security for Citigroup, who spent 23 years as a special agent, four of them, from 1982 to 1986, protecting Ronald Reagan.

Petro says in addition to the usual risks associated with guarding the world's most powerful politician, his race increased the fears for his safety.

"As the first black president he creates a whole other set of issues for the secret service to deal with," he says.

Pilkington writes:

"Petro has a formula for measuring the potential dangers for any particular incumbent of the White House. You take the general atmosphere of the times in which they are in office and combine it with the specific personality that the president brings to the job. In both regards, he says, Obama presents a huge task.

"In Obama, we have a president with a very unique personality who likes to be out with the people. Put that together with the political atmosphere of these times that is highly partisan and vitriolic, then include race, and we've got a big challenge. There's no margin for error."

The article continues: "a president can only be as safe as he allows himself to be. Agents can advise the commander-in-chief what is best for his security, but they cannot give him orders."

Read more in The Guardian...