The Secret Service, Barack Obama and Why Did He Flinch?

Did you ever wonder what it's like to be president? While Obama has been in other parts of the world this week, the security is so tight that the Secret Service used a fake motorcade to confuse his location from threats. He also secretly visited US troops in Iraq.

Take a look at this video and watch Barack Obama flinch when a 1 gun salute is fired in a ceremony in Turkey. This video affected me because the threats must seem real for him to react as he did.

This is different from the Barack Obama who was light-hearted about security and the secret service while he appeared on the Jay Leno show a few weeks ago. And the photo of Obama relaxing at a basketball game while he drank a beer portrays a man comfortable with himself.

Why is it he flinches in the video? Has something changed? Is he more aware of threats or are the threats worse outside of the United States?

I don't know the answers to these questions. I only know that it looks like whoever is president is aware their life is in danger 24 hours a day and 7 days per week. Maybe this is why so many of our past presidents seem to age right before our eyes.

I remember reading that when George Jr. retired from the White House, he and Barbara had to discuss with the Secret Service where they were going to live. And once they made the decision to settle in Dallas, the neighborhood they moved to had to be changed into a gated community.

I don't know if anyone saw this besides myself and my sister, but the day of Barack Obama's inauguration, after he left the swearing in ceremony, we were greeted with quite a sight. After Obama and his family left the area, they were followed by Secret Service men. The men seemed to just flow in from several directions behind them.

What happened next was breath-taking. The cameras stayed on the empty passageway for just a little longer after everyone disappeared out of sight. Then, from somewhere, a man with a huge coat appeared in the empty passageway. He walked backwards into the passageway searching all around as if watching for an attack.

My sister and I both noticed the coat he was wearing was huge. We both felt his coat must have had weapons under there because of the strange fit. I have never seen anything like this and I think it may have been caught by mistake. The cameras usually move to another view once a celebrity disappears.

I remember when Barack Obama introduced Joe Biden as his running mate. The camera gave a long view of them and we could see the secret service snipers on top of the roof on the building behind them. There are reports that once Obama announced he was running for president, he was immediately assigned a security detail. This is the first time in the history of the US that a detail was assigned so early.

I think it's the striking contrast that touches me. Barack Obama is a polished, poised man and the position he is in as president calls for a whole different scenario than that of a scholar. God bless him, his family and all the secret service people who protect our presidents.

Sources:
Author's Own Observations
http://abcnews.go.com