Secret Service Guards Obama

By Politics
Friday, May 4, 2007

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was placed under Secret Service protection yesterday, in the earliest such move for a presidential candidate who was not an administration veteran.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff authorized Obama's protection at the senator's request after consultations with House and Senate leaders in both parties, spokesmen for the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security said.

Officials declined to discuss the reason for the move, and the Obama campaign declined to comment.

"The secretary did authorize and the Secret Service is implementing today protection for presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama," Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said. "We're not going to discuss further details as to the number of resources or as to those protection operations.

"This is certainly the earliest, but if you look, this is also the earliest kickoff of any campaign season," Zahren said.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is under Secret Service protection as a former first lady, DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. Knocke said Chertoff made the decision on Obama "in recent days."

"As a matter of procedure for very obvious reasons we would not disclose whether other requests have or have not been made," Knocke said.

Candidates must request protection before it is authorized by the secretary of homeland security.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) expressed concern to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) about information on threats to Obama in letters and on the Internet, the Chicago Tribune reported. Reid raised the issue with DHS, the Tribune said.

-- Spencer S. Hsu and Zachary A. Goldfarb

Freeing the Footage

On a less weighty note, Obama asked the Democratic National Committee to urge hosts of Democratic presidential debates to waive copyright protection so the video from the debates could be placed on the Web without restrictions. Former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) made a similar request last night of the cable networks.

In a letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Obama became the first presidential candidate to heed the call of a coalition of academics, bloggers and Internet activists to let the online community slice and dice debate video and post their creations online. Obama said that in this digital age, voter participation "will take the form of citizen-generated content."

Stacie Paxton, the DNC's press secretary, said the committee is "already exploring ways" to make the debates more accessible. A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee said it would not get involved in the issue.

-- Zachary A. Goldfarb

Stars Shine for Clinton

Young Hollywood is coming out in droves later this month to raise money for Clinton's presidential bid.

Pop songstress Christina Aguilera, "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria, actress Penélope Cruz, and actors Jeremy Piven and Mike Myers, as well as rapper Will-i-am, are among the celebrities set to gather at the Los Angeles home of director Brett Ratner on May 30. Producer Steve Bing and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle are also included on the invite. Roughly 350 people have been invited to the event and will give -- at a minimum -- a $250 contribution to Clinton.

On that same day, Clinton will be feted by director Steven Spielberg, News Corp. executive Peter Chernin and Democratic mega-giver Haim Saban at an event that will raise an estimated $700,000.

Clinton is also planning for the crunch between the first votes at the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14 and the Super Tuesday primary day on Feb. 5 when at least two dozen states will have held their primaries. In an e-mail yesterday, she asked campaign supporters to sign up to help run on-the-ground efforts in every state with a primary on or before Feb 5.

-- Chris Cillizza

Fla. Primary Moving Up

Florida's legislature passed a plan yesterday -- expected to be signed by the governor -- that would move the state's 2008 presidential primary from March to Jan. 29, only days after the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and on the same day as South Carolina's Democratic primary.