U.S. Secret Service under spotlight after prostitution flap in Colombia, 16 April 2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters)Monday 16 April 2012 - They are known for their shiny sunglasses, dark suits, and stern gazes. But they are men too and have this sexual desires.

Secret Service agents, the men and women who protect U.S. leaders, are as much a part of the American political tableau as the presidents, cabinet officials, and candidates they shadow and protect.

But, unlike their high-profile charges, they are not supposed to make news.

The suspension of 11 agents this weekend after alleged misconduct involving prostitutes in Colombia brought unwelcome headlines and attention to the agency's culture.

One critic said the incident reflected a systemic breakdown of standards and practices among overworked agents that could leave a president vulnerable to an attack.

An investigation will show whether the event, which overshadowed President Barack Obama's meetings with Latin American leaders in Cartagena, Colombia, was an unfortunate anomaly or a sign of an agency-wide problem.

Either way, it shed light on the human frailties and working conditions of a group expected to perform discreet and self-sacrificing services for U.S. leaders.

People familiar with the Secret Service described long work hours on stressful presidential trips, some of which are scheduled at the last minute.

Agents often meet at hotel bars at the end of the day on such trips to drink and unwind. Those who are not traveling with the president sometimes hold "wheels-up" parties after Air Force One has lifted off for Washington or another destination.

On Thursday, some U.S. agents brought a number of prostitutes back to a beachfront hotel in Cartagena near where Obama was due to stay the following day, according to a local police source, sparking a weekend of scandal.

"We've heard about these wheel-up parties when the president leaves," said congressman Darrell Issa, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation" program.

"Well, this was a pre-wheel-down. So the question is, is the whole organization in need of some soul-searching, some changes ... before the president, the vice president, members of the cabinet are in danger?"

Ralph Basham, a former director of the agency who is now a principal with Command Consulting Group, said the incident was a rare mishap for an agency that prides itself on its professionalism.

"I do not believe that there is a systemic problem in the Secret Service because if there were, this wouldn't be such a huge story," he told Reuters in an interview.

"This is really an abnormality."

"WILLING TO TAKE A BULLET"

David Gergen, a political analyst who worked for four presidents including Ronald Reagan, who survived an assassination attempt thanks to Secret Service protection, said occasional incidents such as the one in Colombia were not out of character given the masculinity of many in the profession.

Overall, he said, the agents were brave, outstanding people.

"These are guys who are willing to take a bullet to save a president. I've seen them do that," Gergen said. "My hope is people keep it in perspective."

One prominent critic was less forgiving, saying the connection to prostitutes should end the careers of the agents involved.

"The fact that they were engaged in this conduct, you know, compromises the agents," said Ronald Kessler, author of "In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect."

"The prostitutes could have blackmailed them, could have been involved with terrorists, drug cartel people, or foreign intelligence services," he said. "Any foreign intelligence service would love to get a Secret Service agent in their pocket."

Kessler said the events in Colombia were illustrative of a general slide of Secret Service standards. He cited the admittance of uninvited guests to a White House holiday party early in Obama's tenure as further evidence of lax behavior.

The Secret Service stressed that Obama's safety was never in question and rejected Kessler's claims of a wider problem.

"We have hundreds of personnel that travel around the world every day that conduct thousands of security advances, thousands of events, and we don't have incidents like this that occur,' said Ed Donovan, an agency spokesman. "It's an anomaly."

Obama, speaking at the end of the summit, said he, too, would withhold judgment until all of the facts were established.

"These men and women perform extraordinary service on a day- to-day basis protecting me, my family, U.S. officials. They do very hard work under very stressful circumstances and almost invariably do an outstanding job," he told reporters.

Even so, Obama said he would be "angry" if the allegations about the agents in Colombia proved true.

"I'll wait until the full investigation is completed before I pass final judgment," he said.

Barack Obama, debt deal reached

Whatever the super powers do, we have to give attention for it will affect us.

Republican and Democratic leaders have agreed on a plan to raise the United States debt ceiling, President Barack Obama announced Sunday night, 31th July 2011.

The announcement arrives after months of intense closed-door negotiations, and just two days before the deadline set by the Treasury Department.

According to the details available, the agreement would slow the growth of government spending over the next decade by $2-$3 trillion and allow enough borrowing to put off another vote to raise the ceiling to 2013.

About $1 trillion will be cut immediately, and the details of the remaining spending reductions will be handled by a bipartisan committee of 12 lawmakers from both chambers, who will recommend cuts for Congress to vote on. To appease the GOP's conservative wing, the deal would also require a vote in both chambers on an amendment to the Constitution requiring the federal government to balance its budget each year.

"I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default--a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy," Obama said. "Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. . . . But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."

House Speaker John Boehner held a conference call Sunday evening with House Republicans in which he urged them to support the package, declaring that the deal in place "meets our principles of smaller government."

"There is a framework in place that would cut spending by a larger amount than we raise the debt limit, and cap future spending to limit the growth of government," he said, according to a transcript provided by Boehner's office. "Now listen, this isn't the greatest deal in the world. But it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town."

With the approval of leaders of the House and Senate, and Tuesday's deadline looming, Congress must act quickly to convince enough members to seal the deal with a vote on Monday. The deal will require bipartisan support due to the opposition within factions of both parties.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader Harry Reid will both present the deal to their caucus Monday at 11 a.m. with a vote expected afterward.

God Bless the World.

Presiden Barack Obama - Anak Menteng, Indonesia

Sepertimana diketahui umum, Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Barack Obama pernah menetap di Indonesia, ketika zaman kanak kanaknya pada penghujung 1960an.

Lebih tepat, di daerah Menteng, Jakarta.

Atas sebab itulah Presiden Obama boleh berbahasa Indonesia termasuk perkataan Terima Kasih, Apa Khabar, malahan beliau juga boleh menyebut nama makanan popular Indonesia seperti Bakso, Nasi Goreng dan lain lain.




Atas sebab itulah sebuah filem dokumentari mengenai kehidupan kanak kanak Barack Obama di Menteng sedang disiapkan. Dokumentari itu bertajuk "Obama, Anak Menteng".

Ya, siapa sangka seorang anak Menteng suatu hari nanti menjadi pemerintah Dunia dengan menjadi Presiden Amerika Syarikat ke 44. Itulah Barack Obama.





Ilham Anas (kiri), Presiden Barack Obama (kanan)


Malahan di Indonesia juga, seorang jurufoto - Ilham Anas menjadi seorang celebriti kerana mempunyai wajah seiras dengan Presiden Obama. Oleh kerana popularitinya, Ilham juga sering kali ditemuramah dalam rancangan bual bicara Televisyen di Indonesia serta juga membintangi iklan komersial di TV dan surat khabar.

Official photographs of the family of the US Presidents

Barack Obama, Michelle and kids - Sasha and Malia



Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Smith Carter



John F. Kennedy and Jackie and children



Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan



Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea



Abraham Lincoln and who??



Who are these people??????? Definitely they are not related to any US Presidents, past or present or future!!!!

barack obama and no smoking zone

Excuse me Mr President, you can't smoke in the White House... yes, change we can, believe in me... Barack Obama has been smoking since he was in the mid 20s and he is changing the bad habit. Reuters reported that the U.S. President-elect Barack Obama failed to give a straight answer when asked on a U.S. talkshow on Sunday whether he had managed to quit smoking.

In a country where cigarettes are responsible for 1 in 5 deaths and smoking costs tens of billions of dollars in health care, Obama has been under pressure to set an example by giving up his reported two-decade-old habit. (old habits die hard ehhhh!!)

But the question of what brand of cigarretes he smoke still lingers in my mind. I smoke Dunhill.

Obama was often observed on the presidential campaign trail chewing Nicorette gum, which helps ease the craving for nicotine. He has tried several times to quit.



The 47-year-old president-elect, who takes office on January 20, works out daily at the gym and sometimes plays basketball, and is fit to serve as U.S. president.

Gerald Ford, who served from 1974-77, was the last U.S. president to use tobacco on a regular basis. The White House no-smoking rule was imposed by former First Lady Hillary Clinton, now Obama's nominee for secretary of state...!!

But i bet there is no such no smoking zone at Fidel Castro's official residence in Havana!!!