Wheels up, hair down

The Secret Service sent home some of its agents for misconduct that reportedly occurred at the Hotel El Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia before President Barack Obama’s arrival on Friday for the Summit of the Americas. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Secret Service scandal
deepens; 11 placed on leave

The president isn’t quite sure yet whether to be angry.

“If it turns out that some of the allegations that have
been made in the press are confirmed, of course I’ll be
angry,” said Obama.

But members of the Secret Service advance team
allegedly arguing with a prostitute over what to pay her?
On the plus side, it’s certainly the most attention
Americans have paid to a trip to Latin America probably
EVER. But as Congressman Darrell Issa says, it doesn’t
fit our image of the Secret Service:

“It’s part of a pattern of behavior that’s built up so-
called “wheels-up parties,” said Issa.

Wheels up parties?

“When the president leaves there’s a wheels-up party,
that’s when you can sort of let your hair down. In this
case, you had a pre-wheels-down party. You had drinking
and you had activity that clearly compromised the ring of
security.”

Wheels up, wheels down — more like wheels off.

A former long-time agent said this is way out of
character:

“This sort of thing doesn’t happen with the Secret
Service, this is an anamoly,” said Ralph Basham.

But I’m willing to go out on a limb here and guess this
is the first time they got caught, but probably NOT the
first time it’s happened.

Heterosexual males on out-of-town trips have a long
tradition of patronizing sexual entrepreneurs, and while I
assume most of the rest of us probably have little direct
experience with this recreational choice, even the most
naive know that of all the bills you might be tempted to
challenge, challenging THIS type of bill is an especially
bad idea. Skip your mortgage payment, fine.