It is a bit crazy how many people the President travels with. I've worked production for events during both the Clinton and Bush administrations, and you need an advanced spreadsheet just to keep track of the key players, much less the peons.

Most of the folks are either Secret Service or military (including much of the kitchen staff, the President's food is under amazing security...best guarded veggies in the world, I tell ya!). Secret Service and WHCA advance teams are massive. Then you get the politicos...and those are the true wastes of space (and the biggest pains in the butt).

I worked a Bush event a few months after 9/11. I've never seen so much security in my life.

Remember that when a President travels domestically, they have a few advantages. Secret Service draws from the regional field offices, and local law enforcement is utilized as well. When traveling abroad, they don't have those agencies for support...hence a larger contingent.

-Mark

PS-If you knew what it cost for the President to show up in a city and give a 35 minute speech, you'd vomit. Trust me. I know what the production bill was for the events I handled, and that alone could have provided a solid down payment on a nice house in Minnetonka.

Kind of excessive for a public servent! I think the political class forgets their true position.

I like the idea presented in God-Emperor of Dune.

The ruler has to walk,-unarmored, unarmed, and unguarded-through a dark street, among all of his people. A good ruler, in theory, would make it to the end of the street.

So true!

That's good! How long do you think pbo would last?

Sadly, I think he'd be the fastest through in modern history. Not only that, he'd be carried through on the shoulders of the masses, chanting and shouting for joy about how wonderful their world now is.

America just doesn't get it.