The fear around Obama

Lots of people worry that an assassin is lying in wait for Barack Obama. They are right to worry, I'm sorry to say. If some nut shoots him, aside from the personal horror, it would be a worse blow to the country than 9/11, I think. The 9/11 attacks brought us together as a country; an Obama assasination would tear us apart.

I hate even to bring it up, but people are talking about it, and it's a real threat. A few weeks ago, I got an e-mail at the paper from some random racist who spoke about a nonspecific violent end for Obama; I forwarded it to federal authorities, and ended up talking to an agent about it.

So it was just incredible to turn up at the Dallas Obama rally last week and not have to be searched or go through any serious security protocol. I mean, this is Dallas, with all the historical weight that holds, and still, I was able to walk into Reunion Arena without being searched, even minimally. It turns out that the Secret Service ordered weapons screening to be halted for this rally.

Security details at Barack Obama's rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena.

The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.

Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department's homeland security and special operations divisions, said the order -- apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service -- was meant to speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena's vacant seats before Obama came on.

"Sure," said Lawrence, when asked if he was concerned by the great number of people who had gotten into the building without being checked. But, he added, the turnout of more than 17,000 people seemed to be a "friendly crowd."

The Secret Service did not return a call from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.

The Secret Service apparently thought better of that, and contacted the paper to defend its handling of the rally. To be fair, I left the rally about halfway through Obama's speech, and there was still a very, very long line of people making their way into the arena. I don't know if any of those people were being checked.

Thinking about the threat to Obama should put us in mind of the threats faced by Hillary Clinton, President Bush and other top US officials. It requires an unusual amount of courage to serve at the top of the US government these days. Whether you love, like or loathe the president or a presidential candidate, it's worth bearing in mind the risk they and their families run every single day. And it's worth saying a prayer for their protection.