> Secret Service guys aren't supposed to think for
> themselves, are they?
Not typically, no.
> If they didn't tell Bush, that must be part of the protocol.
Well ... they don't have the final say about anything other than his personal safety. And it's clear: his safety wasn't at issue here. What was at issue was whether he should have been notified, and whoever decided not to tell him probably did it for a reason: Rummy was in the loop, Bush was out of it ... the NCA was intact and not under threat. I doubt the President goes anywhere with _only_ USSS agents; I'm sure there was at least one handler there, and that's who probably decided not to tell him.
On the other hand, it could have all gone to hell quickly, and if I were handling POTUS, I'd want him headed in the direction of a telephone rather than cycling around. It seems unlikely, once engaged by the helicopters, that this was a real threat; so it's equally unlikely that they would have shot it down.
I'm very curious why it is that someone (politically motivated or just plain nuts) hasn't provoked a shoot-down in a metropolitan area. It seems like it would be easy enough to do, and it would cause a huge stink.
Of course: we're just talking here.
But: hilarious exchange with McClellan.
/jordan