But there is another side to the story. Not a single one of these incidents, including Pickett's charge, would have been prevented by blocking traffic from Pennsylvania Avenue and surrounding streets. And the truth is that, if the Secret Service had its way, the President would serve out his term in a bunker, protected from any public contact whatsoever. The White House is already cordoned off from the citizens of our democracy by huge gates, high iron fences, concrete barriers and growing arsenals of weaponry and cannon fodder. This is neither appropriate nor desirable in a free society.
Public life carries some risks, which every candidate for the presidency weighs in the balance.
The truth is that no president can be guaranteed absolute safety, and the instinct to protect our leaders from harm must be measured against the dangers of police state procedures. Given America's size, and the nature of our open, unfettered society, it is a wonder that so few incidents actually occur. JWR contributor Philip Terzian is associate editor of The Providence Journal. Comment by clicking here. Today, Dr. Laura.