Secret Service, Politics and Poverty on FTN
This U.S. Secret Service scandal is really a very, very sad story because there are so many of these people who literally put their lives on the line every day to proudly protect the president. To have this group of people embarrass them in such a huge way, it's sad.
But this is also a very serious story. Bringing people into a secure environment - whether the president is physically there or not - puts the security of the president in real danger.
In the beginning of this thing, officials stressed the idea that the president wasn't in Colombia yet and he was never in danger. That's totally incorrect. When you bring people inside the bubble where there are documents, schedules and the like, you put the president in danger. Any one of those women could have collected information that was meant to be secure and used it - or passed it along - to someone who wanted to hurt the president.
We have no idea yet that something like that did happen, but it certainly could have happened, and that's what's important to remember.
I think the administration is right to really get into this thing and figure out what exactly happened, how it was able to happen, and to remove the people who were responsible. I think the president had the right idea when he said, "When we travel, we have to observe the highest standards. We're not just representing ourselves. We're here on behalf of our people."
More Secret Service agents could be ousted soon
I don't know whether U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan will make it through this storm or which shoe is the next to drop, but we'll find out more this Sunday on Face the Nation. I'll talk to Chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Sen. Joe Lieberman. His committee has oversight over the Secret Service.
We'll also talk to former USSS Director Ralph Basham. I'm curious to hear his take because I doubt anyone is more dismayed by all of this than the people who serve - or served - in the service.
Then, I'll talk to a roundtable about all of this, too. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, told MSNBC this incident will "probably go down in history as one of the worst incidents" one could have. She'll join Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Cummings expressed confidence in Sullivan's handling of the situation, saying he "is leaving no stone unturned." Sen. Tom Comburn, R-Okla., Ranking Member of the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee should have insights to share, too. They'll all be joined by CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Norah O'Donnell who's reported extensively on this story.
We might touch on the GSA scandal, too. This one has taken the limelight from that investigation, but I'm confident Congress will still investigate it thoroughly.
Then, we'll talk a little politics. Our CBS News/New York Times poll showed a dead heat between presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama, and it showed their parties are lining up firmly behind each one of them. I think it's going to be a very, very close race. I'll talk to Deputy Campaign Manager for the president's re-elect Stephanie Cutter, and I'll talk to a senior adviser to Romney's campaign, Eric Fehrnstrom.
I'm anxious to hear what the Washington Post's Melinda Henneberger, the National Journal's Major Garrett and CBS News' Norah O'Donnell and John Dickerson have to tell me about what Cutter and Fehrnstrom say, and to hear what they think we should be keeping our eyes on.
Finally, we'll move onto an issue that could transform the campaign and something we should all think seriously about: Poverty in America. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley just published a book The Rich and the Rest of Us: A poverty manifesto. They talk about the changing face of poverty in America and how the new poor are the old middle class.
All this and more, Sunday on Face the Nation. Check your local listings so you don't miss a minute of the news.
