The video: President Obama's trip to Philadelphia to rally the Democrat base did not go smoothly. Not only did a member of the crowd hurl a book at the president (see 00:23 in the video below) but a pudgy promotionally-minded streaker further disrupted the event. Although the first incident evoked the 2008 Baghdad press conference when an angry Iraqi journalist pelted his shoe at President Bush, a Secret Service spokesperson says the "over-exuberant" book-tosser just wanted the president to read a book he'd written. The streaker's appearance was, it seems, engineered by Akli David, a British billionaire who's earned headlines by offering $1 million to the first person to streak in front of the president with the name of David's website, Battlecam.com, written on his chest.
The reaction: If it was the streaker who threw the book, "I don't want to know how he smuggled it in," jokes Doug Powers at MichelleMalkin.com. Looks like the Left has "finally found their 'out of control teabagger,'" though. (The Secret Service says the two incidents aren't related.) But this "security lapse" is no laughing matter, says Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs. "Somebody in the President's security detail wasn't alert enough today." Watch the clip:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto KnightsFeature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
-
Bombs or talks: What’s next in the US-Iran showdown?Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
-
Inside the contested birth years of generationsThe Explainer Battles over where Gen Z ends and Gens Alpha and Beta begin remain unsettled
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala HarrisThe Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
