If you watched the broadcast of the memorial service for Pres. George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral, you were probably struck by the show of collegiality among the former first families who sat in the first pew. Pres. George W. Bush greeted all of the couples, making sure to hand Michelle Obama a piece of hard candy, a running gag between them.
But there was one first lady who refused to put aside petty politics, and that was Hillary Clinton, who stared straight ahead, stony-faced, when the current president reached out to his living predecessors.
It turns out this aspect of her personality was recognized by the Secret Service, who were as fond of Bush 41 as they were wary of Mrs. Clinton. Ronald Kessler’s book “The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of Presidents” provides a heart-warming look at the man they once knew as code name Timberwolf. It also reveals that he was far more gracious than other high-profile clients, including Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. In contrast to Bush, whom the agents describe as a “great man,” and “an all-around nice person,” Clinton is said to have treated the Secret Service with disdain.
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Here’s What Made Bush So Special
The indelible mark left by Bush on the Secret Service could be felt in a recent social media post in which the agency paid tribute to the man as a true patriot and leader.
The Secret Service sends our heartfelt condolences on the passing of Former President George H.W. Bush. Timberwolf, you defined patriotism and leadership throughout your life of service to this country and you will be sorely missed. pic.twitter.com/qof2DRNX0B
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) December 1, 2018
One of the more amazing stories from the book involves what the former president did for his agents around Christmas time. “Bush was so considerate of the agents who protected him that he would stay in town on Christmas Eve so agents could spend it with their families,” Kessler writes. “Then he would fly to Texas the day after Christmas.”
Another agent told the story of how Bush helped the detail raid the White House kitchen at 3 in the morning to share milk and cookies. Stewards would apparently bake cookies and then hide them as agents were not permitted to take food from the kitchen. Agent William Albracht, however, grew hungry one night and decided to open the refrigerator. “All of a sudden, there’s a voice over my shoulder,” he said. The rest is the stuff of White House legend.
“Hey, anything good in there to eat?” the man asked.
“No, looks like they cleaned it out,” Albracht said.
“I turned around to see George Bush off my right shoulder,” Albracht said.
“After I get over the shock of who it was, Bush says, ‘Hey, I was really hoping there would be something to eat.’ And I said, ‘Well, sir, every day the stewards bake cookies, but every night they hide them from us.’”
“With a wink of his eye he says, ‘Let’s find ’em.’”
They found them, and Bush and the agent each took a stack of cookies and a glass of milk, one retiring to his bed, the other to his post in the basement.
Gore and Hillary Were Miserable
Contrast the warm and compassionate man above with the agents’ recollections of working under Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.
Gore, according to the report, told agents to hide behind bushes when they changed shifts as he and his wife didn’t want to see them. One agent, Jeff Crane, said neighbors near his home in Tennessee would offer them food as gifts, but “the Gores never even bothered to say ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Thank you.’”
Hillary meanwhile, has long been criticized by former agents for her abrasive attitude toward them.
Former Secret Service agent exposes Hillary Clinton https://t.co/8KZcYZqnHf via @YouTube
— Annimatrix (@Annimatrix) November 29, 2018
She “is so nasty to her agents, Kessler writes, “that being assigned to her detail is considered by agents to be a form of punishment and the worst duty assignment in the Secret Service.”
In 2016, Eric Bonner, a military K9 handler who served in Turkey, posted a story about Hillary Clinton on Facebook that quickly went viral.
“Get that F????cking dog away from me!” –#HillaryClinton
(Screeched at military K9 handler, Staff Sgt. Eric Bonner ????????) pic.twitter.com/sTVneLKwtZ— General Halley ???????? (@HalleyBorderCol) August 3, 2016
Dan Bongino, a former agent who worked to protect former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and worked in some capacity with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, lambasted her in a tweet that managed to squeeze in five specific insults.
I worked with Hillary. Hillary is an obnoxious, rude, condescending, fraud who cares about ONE thing-herself.
— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) September 26, 2017
Kessler writes that President Trump is similar to Bush 41 because he “treats his agents with respect and consideration.”
Is it any surprise at all that members of the party that sneers at law enforcement in all its forms treats agents like garbage behind closed doors as well while Republican presidents and vice presidents treat them with the respect they deserve?
Cross posted at the Mental Recession
