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Nambe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:40 PM
Original message
3,000 agents to guard Bush's life
The (Bangkok) Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd


At least 3,000 US security agents will be on hand to protect the life of President George W Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

National police chief Sant Sarutanont said ``every square inch of Bangkok'' was being checked in advance of the October meeting _ including water pipes in the Chao Phraya river and drains beneath buildings. ---

Pol Gen Sant said the use of so many US agents should not be interpreted as a lack of trust in the capability of Thai police to ensure security.

``They always mount this kind of security wherever the president goes, whether it's a visit to advanced countries like Germany or England or a less advanced country like Thailand. The US is a major target for terrorist attacks, so such tight security is understandable.'' ---

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Maple Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:45 PM
Response to Original message
1. As bizarre as this sounds
yeah, this is what happens when any American president visits another country.

It's one reason we hate to see ANY of them visit, much less a president as paranoid as Bush.

Having the Queen visit causes less problems for goodness sakes.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:45 PM
Response to Original message
2. No shit? that puke head needs 3,000 agents worth of our tax
money? I heard the Police Chief in Portland, Oregon sent the waffle house the bill for his security in Portland!
]
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dArKeR Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 08:49 AM
Response to Reply #2
41. And what do you think Shit-for-Brains accomplishes at these meetings?
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Neutrino Donating Member (609 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 08:56 AM
Response to Reply #2
42. Bush is now the Texas version of Salmon Rushdie--and

that's what he wanted, so that's what he's got. "Bring it on" is
the way his mind works. go figure.
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chenGOD Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 11:35 AM
Response to Reply #42
45. That's quite the insult to Rushdie...
Seriously, if Bush had half the amount of talent that Salman Rushdie had in his little finger, the world would be a better place.
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Arun29 Donating Member (47 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 02:48 PM
Response to Reply #2
47. 23 Million Estimate
My Estimate:

1) 3,000 Agents make an average of around $100,000 in total compensation (2,000 per week). Some advance team is already there (I'll estimate 10%) and the thing is October 20th!!!

2700 Agents x 1 week x $2000 = 5.4 Million
300 Advance Agents x 9 weeks x $2,000 = 5.4 Million

2) 3,000 round trip tickets estimated at $600 a piece in military cost:

3,000 Agents x $600 = 1.8 Million

3) Food, lodging, and per diem estimated at $300 per day:

300 Advance Agents x $300 per Day x 63 (7 Days x 9 Weeks)
= 5.67 Million

2,700 Agents x $300 Per Day x 6 Days (Setup and Visit Estimate)
= 4.86 Million

Total $23.1 Miliion Estimated Cost in Agents.







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TEXASYANKEE Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 03:37 PM
Response to Reply #2
49. Waffle house!
Ha, that's a good one! Whistle Ass in the Waffle House!!! :-)
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searchingforlight Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:47 PM
Response to Original message
3. I wonder if they're included in the cut in the pay raise Bush mentioned?
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Jacobin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:55 PM
Response to Original message
4. Maybe they should teleconference instead
No one over there wants to see his sorry ass anyway
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Kellanved Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 07:57 PM
Response to Original message
5. It was a nightmare in Berlin
Edited on Wed Aug-27-03 08:13 PM by Kellanved
They glued the sewer-covers shut and so on.
But in total only 1000 Agents were officially in Berlin AFAIR.
Of course they had requsted 11000 German police officers to back them up; it's very expensive to welcome the POTUS.

Edit: It should read this potus. Clinton even took a bath in the crowd without any problems.
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LiberalFighter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:02 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. I look at it as the Secret Service/or whoever...
as incompetent.

It would seem that other countries should consider the cost factor and tell whistle ass that they will accept an invitation to the U.S. instead. Meaning... don't bother going to their country.
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eek Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:07 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. Thailand? He can get tips on "dates" from brother neal!
n/t
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PartyPooper Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:47 PM
Response to Reply #7
26. That was very naughty!
;-)
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Kellanved Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:29 PM
Response to Reply #6
11. The Chancellor brings his own security as well
Edited on Wed Aug-27-03 08:29 PM by Kellanved
As does the (German) President.
Even when visiting the US (or especially so; the quality of the US security isn't considered as being especially high)
It's not as expensve as welcoming Bush, (€15 million for the police officers alone), but it isn't cheap either.
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Maple Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:31 PM
Response to Reply #5
12. Yes, plus all the advance people
who check sheets, under the bed, breakfast food, clear other tenants out on entire floors...insist that the police of that country are useless....our Mounties always reply that THEY have never lost a leader....and so on and so on...

The US embassy in Ottawa is visible everywhere it is so covered in turrets, barbed wire, barriers and so on...everyone immediately knows whose embassy it is.

Makes people nervous being anywhere around it...you're afraid to cough a block away in case you get shot!
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LifeDuringWartime Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:41 PM
Response to Reply #12
16. thats frightening
are there any pictures of it?
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Kellanved Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:45 PM
Response to Reply #12
18. the embassy in Berlin is much the same
The whole street is walled up since 9/11.
Sometimes there are tanks standing in front of it - if you think Berliners like walls, then you should see the reaction to tanks. (It's near the Brandenburg Gate)



And they got a permission to build a new one in a very frequented street - walling that one up will cause a major public outrage.
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Maple Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:53 PM
Response to Reply #18
20. Yeah that's much like
Edited on Wed Aug-27-03 09:23 PM by Maple
what the one in Canada looks like except there are crash barriers as well, and it takes up all kinds of street space.

Stands out like a sore thumb in Ottawa.

On edit: All the windows are sealed over too.

Giant bunker...only above ground.

Well ...that we know of.

On edit: This is what it was supposed to look like:

http://www.ottawakiosk.com/us_embassy.html
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trogdor Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 09:01 AM
Response to Reply #20
43. You're talking about the US Embassy in Ottawa?
Gawdawful ugly-ass building. It looks like a goddam prison or something.
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GCP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 06:33 AM
Response to Reply #12
38. Michael Moore has a point about how paranoid we are
as a country. It's so obvious when you look at other leaders and countries.
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PartyPooper Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:32 PM
Response to Reply #5
13. (cough)...Clinton WAS a bona fide president.
He was elected BY the people. Junior was "installed" by SCOTUS! Big difference, if you know what I mean.

:eyes:

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JPace Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:07 PM
Response to Original message
8. Tell me this is a joke!
3000 agents to protect one miserable
piece of an imitation of a pResident?
The bill for this must be enormous!

Who pays for housing them and flying
them? I am so ashamed of his corny
and unpolished attempts at communicating,
can't he just send a letter or something
and stay here? Whatever happend to
sending a diplomat who probably won't
need more than a couple of bodyguards
plus the diplomat can probably speak
correctly enough to be understood.

Oh God! How much longer must we
endure this fool?

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UpInArms Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:27 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. if the base pay is $20 per hour,
that amounts to $60,000 per hour (that is just "base pay") not including overtime, meals, housing or travel expenses.

in 24 hours that amounts to $1,440,000 in pay alone!
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Don_G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:26 PM
Response to Original message
9. 3K Agents Times 60K/Year?
Plus travel expenses?

When are we going to get a President that's not afraid to Lead?
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burrowowl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:35 PM
Response to Original message
14. I'm not sure
there are 3000 secret Service Agents trained for protecting the President. So I guess they will have to hire Dynacorp or Haliburton agents.
$20 an hour are you kidding? Look at $100 an hour (not all goes to the agent) plus logistics (housing, feeding, equipment, etc.) will probabably be extra.
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UpInArms Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:39 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. not saying that they are "paid" $20 per hour
just using a figure to show a starting point for cost :(
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hippywife Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:43 PM
Response to Original message
17. I don't see why all this is necessary
Edited on Wed Aug-27-03 08:44 PM by hippywife
I think people have figured out by now that if they blow away WhistleAss, the world is still stuck with big ol' KazooButt Cheney. (or as Dennis call's them "our unelected president and his undisclosed vice president") I'm sorry, but that's a much scarier proposition.


In other words, I think * is pretty safe traveling with just his nanny.
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catzies Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:19 PM
Response to Reply #17
22. Shudder. He has "assassination insurance" just like Poppy did
with Dan Quayle.
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Aristus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 08:50 PM
Response to Original message
19. The SS becomes a small army devoted solely to the protection
of "The Leader". Hmmm. Think we've seen this movie before.
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greenwow Donating Member (729 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:11 PM
Response to Original message
21. No one person is that important
What a megalomaniac!
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:31 PM
Response to Original message
23. Deleted message
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
 
greenwow Donating Member (729 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 09:57 AM
Response to Reply #23
44. Moderators overzealous again?
Why would a message be deleted that suggested something that would greatly help this country? What the heck is up with the moderators again?
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Catherine Vincent Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:34 PM
Response to Original message
24. This thread begs me to refer bush as CHICKEN GEORGE.
What a wimp!
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JPace Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:44 PM
Response to Reply #24
25. "bush as CHICKEN GEORGE"
Chicken is a fitting description. Remember
9/11 when he was in hiding all day long?
He didn't come out of hiding or send a
word of encouragement all day long. It's
like we did not have a president.....
come to think of it we don't!
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nothingshocksmeanymore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:48 PM
Response to Original message
27. Thanks GOD. If they don't protect him we're stuck with Cheney!
Protect him!
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onehandle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:53 PM
Response to Original message
28. Are the preteen prostitutes that he surely will partake of....
...counted as "security agents"?
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Lisa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 09:57 PM
Response to Original message
29. It really DOES take a village to look after a child!
Especially one who's always getting into trouble like Georgie.


3000. Wow. "An army FOR one"?
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liberalmuse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 10:22 PM
Response to Original message
30. This is too much!
The Bushes are a huge drain on this country. They've been living off the public treasury for years. The Repubs complain about some poor mother with 3 kids being on welfare while this piece of sh*t has 3,000 SS babysitting him! Don't flatter yourself, Whistle Ass, no one's going to risk jail time to off your sorry ass, because you're just not worth it! Maybe he needs 3,000 SS to make sure he doesn't off himself by accident? They probably have to chew his Cheetos for him and pad the coffee tables in his hotel room.
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grasswire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 11:43 PM
Response to Reply #30
31. karlschneider....
Edited on Wed Aug-27-03 11:43 PM by grasswire
...you really should remove your post number 23. It's not good for DU.
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Mari333 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-27-03 11:46 PM
Response to Original message
32. WHAT a Waste of taxpayers money
the man should have been an abortion, but now we have to pay for his security?
He is hated everywhere and hasnt got a clue.
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MetaTrope Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 12:35 AM
Response to Original message
33. I'm just wondering which is going to take down Bush in Bangkok
a) The booze
b) The smack
c) The transsexual hookers
d) The prepubescent hookers
e) The heat

Got my money on (e), actually...
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Khephra Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 01:01 AM
Response to Original message
34. All 3000 of them look like this, right?
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NIGHT TRIPPER Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 02:23 AM
Response to Original message
35. what a waste
a waste of taxpayer money.
Even with the best security,
it's hard to be "really" safe these days.
Get ten thousand guards and still there's still no guarantees.

Shrub should probably not venture off too far in the hostile world he's created.


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Spirochete Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 03:44 AM
Response to Original message
36. 3000? Sheesh.
The number of people keeping him alive is more than the number of people he let die on 9/11.
Someone might consider that a challenge...
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Turley Donating Member (585 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 04:26 AM
Response to Original message
37. SS Details
In the Army I got to work with Potus, VPOTUS, FLOTUS, SECDEF, and some others in the Balkans.

The POTUS force is massive but nowhere near 3000. I'm guessing that figure includes a lot of logistics people and other hangers-on.

You would not want to mess with the President's security.
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frustrated_lefty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 05:58 PM
Response to Reply #37
50. Nah, it's not logistics people and hangers-on;
they had to create a new division in security to protect him from runaway pretzels.
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DoYouEverWonder Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 06:40 AM
Response to Original message
39. If W really believes he was picked by god
Edited on Thu Aug-28-03 07:07 AM by DoYouEverWonder
then why do they need to go through such extroidinary lengths to assure his safety? You would think a man of such faith wouldn't have to worry about such things?

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susu369 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 06:47 AM
Response to Original message
40. But we must realize the importance here
Whistle Ass is going to an economic summit.

Whee, I cannot stop laughing.
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Ganja Ninja Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 12:58 PM
Response to Original message
46. 3000 Body Guards is an awful lot....
So if those terrorists think they can frighten or break the resolve of the American people by attacking the fearless elite force flight suited hero of the Iraq war then I say “Bring’em on”! They don’t scare me half as much as he does.
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Betty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-28-03 03:25 PM
Response to Original message
48. So much money
to protect someone so worthless!!
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