A sign of Obama’s growing popularity that I’m sure he and his family would rather not have:
WABC and ABC News have learned that Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama has been put under the protection of the United States Secret Service, reportedly due to a threat against the candidate.
It is the earliest that the Secret Service has ever placed a candidate under its protection, sources said.United States Secret Service confirmed that the detail has been put in place based on a decision by a five-person advisory committee chaired by Michael Chertoff, the head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Two separate sources would not elaborate on the reasons why the detail was put in place, beyond acknowledging that it had been put in place and that there had been security concerns including a threat that warranted the protective detail.
The news brought back memories of this comment from Mrs. Obama earlier in the year:
COURTESY CBS NEWS, 60 MINUTES: I don’t lose sleep over it. Because the realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station. So you can’t, you know, you can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.