Secret Service Director: Threats Against Obama Not Up

Um...might be better to have already said that should some attempt go down, maybe? I mean, saying they're stretched thin really wouldn't make much difference to whether a nutbar idealogue makes the attempt or not.

If somebody's going to attempt some bad act against a president, unless the person is totally schizoid, s/he's gotta know it's a suicide attack anyway. If the mind is set on such a macro act, it's cocked, locked and ready to rock regardless the state of security.

When people are under oath, they're usually selective with their words.

I went back and looked at the transcript. Here's the exchange:

NORTON: I'm asking about this president. And my question is very specific. Given death threats to this president, was there any attempt to increase the security at this event, yes or no?

SULLIVAN: Ma'am, I can't talk about that.

I would be more -- number one, I will address the threats. I have heard a number out there that the threat is up by 400 percent. I'm not sure where that number...

NORTON: Is it up at all? We're not asking for the threat number.

SULLIVAN: Well, I would -- I think it can answer you, ma'am. It isn't at 400 percent. And I'm not sure where that number came from, but I can...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't hear, gentlemen.

NORTON: Please don't assign to me a number in my question. I just asked you if the threats were up. Are the threats up or not, Mr. Sullivan?

SULLIVAN: They are not. The threats right now in the inappropriate interest that we're seeing is the same level as it has been for the previous two presidents at this point.

NORTON: This is very comforting news.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0912/03/cnr.07.html
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He never says that the threats WEREN'T up. Instead, he says that they are not up NOW. [He uses present tense, but the question was initially asked in the past tense; he didn't answer it.]

My interpretation is that they were elevated, but have returned to the levels seen by previous presidents.

I don't think he said anything that contradicts the reporting that the threats against Obama were up.

I think the key statement is the following:

SULLIVAN: They are not. The threats RIGHT NOW [emphasis added] in the inappropriate interest that we're seeing is the same level as it has been for the previous two presidents AT THIS POINT [emphasis added].

Twice, in the same statement, Sullivan emphasizes the PRESENT threat level. I think that was intentional.