Taking a bullet for a President

There are jobs in the world that I am thankful that I do not have. Lion tamer. Plummer. Dentist. A postal worker. These are all professions that I am glad are carried out by other people. My gratitude is based in part on my understanding of my relative strengths and weaknesses. This understanding has allowed me to understand why the job of taming lions and repairing other people's pluming belongs in the hands of other people. If forced though to identify one professional position that I would be profoundly ill suited too, particularly at this juncture in our nation's development, it would be that of a secret service agent, tasked with overseeing the protection of our current protection.

To be clear my lack of suitability for such a position has little to do with my feelings about law enforcement. Profound changes may be needed in the structure of how law enforcement executes its duties on a community level, but I have generally had nothing but respect for the individuals who serve as members of the secret service. Members of the public may see such individuals are embodiments of the fictional characters portrayed in the comedy Guarding Tess, but they would be mistaken. Based on what I have read members of the secret service often are placed in thankless, and occasionally life threatening situations. Their professional obligations do not provide them with the option of excusing themselves. Potential threats cannot be contacted by email and asked to present themselves for an informational interview. Once presented with a threat agents assigned to a Presidential detail are expected to respond immediately, and without hesitation. If necessary it is understood that agents will sacrifice their lives, rather than allow any physical harm to come to those they are sworn to protect. In a era of partisan divide it is worth noting that such individuals undertake their duties regardless of the political views of any given President. Their service is an expression of devotion to our nation's constitution, and the precepts embedded in its texts.

It is easy to forget how long the secret service has been in existence, and how often they have interceded to prevent past and future calamities. It is true they have not always succeeded in their noble quest to protect the life America's chief executives. Presidents Kennedy, Garfield and Lincoln were all felled by an assasin's bullet. Not even the intuitive foreboding of Lincoln's wife had been effective in thwarting the goals of Lincoln's killer.

But for every single plot that tragically has resulted in the death of a Presidents, there have been countless machinations that have been foiled by the diligence, and in some heroism of former agents. Most Americans with a passing knowledge of contemporary are aware that Ronald almost lost his life to a mentally unstable stalker. Few though are likely to remember the name of the agent whose sacrifice left him with permanent injuries. Such feats deserve recognition, especially when one considers that their service may represent one of the few examples of bipartisan behavior that still exist.

Confirmed reports of COVID cases amongst members of the secret service attached to the White House have generated both alarm and outrage. Some have begun to question how those in the secret service can continue to protect a man whose regard for the lives of those around him appears inconsequential. For many the concept of service is sufficient to explain the continued loyalty those who serve on the Presidential public detail. The assumption has always been that the secret service would give their lives to protect this President because their allegiance is to the office not to the man. It is an argument that I would generally accept if the current President even remotely embodied the institutional values of former Presidents.

Trump's behavior has demonstrated that he bears no resemblance to any of America's past President's. His relentless disregard for traditonal precepts such as honesty, morality or ethics can only have undermined the President's working relationship with members of the secret. The cynic in me has begun to wonder about the psychological impact of Trump's behavior on those charged with ensuring his safety. I would never suggest that member's of the President's security detail would actively seek his death. But I have begun to wonder what the corrosive effects of Trump's vitriolic attacks on the FBI might manifest itself in a crisis. In a moment of crisis would members of the security team assigned to protect Trump hesitate in a moment when decisive action was needed. Dedicated public servants are not easily rattled. Yet even seasoned Washington operatives have often found it necessary to resign their postions rather than risk further exposure to a toxic environment. The decison of such men to leave their respective positions is a reminder that, while we may be a nation of laws, our decision to support a given administration is a profoundly personal one. Roosevelt's new deal legacy would have not have been possible if America's voters had not instinctly recognized his innate decency. America's union forces might not have prevaled if the nation had not been able to draw on Lincoln's political skill and his profound love of country. Trump's manifest lack of such qualities is what causes people such as mysef to ponder if the secret service can continue to function. I hope that my fears regarding the impact of Trump's behaviors on those who serve in the secret service turn out to be unfounded. I sound electoral thrashing by Trump's opponent, Joe Biden, would do more to begin the healing process than any act of violence. Mob justice, even if expressed by a single individual, is an ineffective way to achieve political change. Violence is a phenomena that has never produced protracted periods of peace. Quite the opposite. Single acts of violence have been viewed by historians as catalytic events that have been linked to not one, but two world wars. Such facts are why I continue to pray for the psychological resilience of those who serve on Trump's Presidential detail.