Political & Elections

conyat · Veteran Member

RE: Obama couldn't eat at Hill meeting without a taste tester

conyat · Veteran Member

I don't think it was Obama's choice. The Secret Service is very rigid and the President does not get to overrule them. I have talked to people who have waited on George W. Bush while he is in office, and while I don't know all the precautions, the Secret Service has someone in the kitchen watching the food being prepared and the president has to use tableware and flatware that is brought with him; he can't use the restaurant's stuff. I didn't hear anything about a taster, but that wouldn't necessarily be transparent to waitstaff.

I think one of the presidents compared the White House to a gilded cage. It's for good reason.

Razorsharp · Guru

I don't blame Obama for having or insisting on a taste tester, but is there any guarantee having one prevents harm? If food is poisoned, can't it take a while for the poison to act and, thus, the taste tester will show no sighs for a while?

longprime · Guru

This week, the waiter at candidate Romney revealed himself. He said that a lot of people, including the wait staff had cell phone cameras-. He said he had no intention of posting Romney's remarks, that is until he heard the 47% remark.

You can bet that all future Republican meetings will enforce a mandatory no recording/cell phone policy. Besides having a cook-wait staff that is either vetted or has no prior knowledge of a Republican event. Probably applies to the Democratic Party.

The President's security staff did the correct thing.

You think NK Kim has a food taster? 100% of the time?

catahoula · Guru

Never know when a tea party fanatic might infiltrate the kitchen staff.

Seems odd, to not have a taster on hand, when you've slipped off into an area where you feel the need for one. That breaking bread and sharing salt used to testify to certain admissions and obligations on the part of both the host and the guest comes to mind as a possible reason, but...

cbreeze · Veteran Member

This is what he does when he says he is reaching out to the Republicans. If my dinner guest behaves like this, he will never be invited back. In addition, it shows this guy has no common sense.

blankmind · Senior Member

I think Obama has a bit of Nixon in him.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Nope.

blankmind · Senior Member

So this is a joke, right?

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

I think Nancy Pelosi should taste everything for him, first. That way, if by chance he is threatened with being poisoned, she could take one for the team.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

I have no doubt that food tasters are used. I would think this is critical when out of country or at a facility with less than average security. I would not think this is the case in Congress, where there would also have to be high levels of scrutiny on those preparing and serving foid on a daily basis to our elected representatives.

-- Edited by SamuraiLandshark on Saturday 16th of March 2013 07:30:36 AM

busdriver11 · Guru

I think he only needs a tester when he's eating with Republicans.

Democrats, he can trust. Republicans, though, just might try to poison him.

cbreeze · Veteran Member

WASHINGTON — Following President Obama’s lunch meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill, Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins described the food served and said the president was not able to eat since his “taster” was not present.

“University of Maine recipe for healthy lobster salad — I pointed that out to the president in keeping with the first lady’s initiatives and Fox Family Potato Chips made in Aroostook County where I’m from and wild blueberry pie full of anti-oxidants, see this was a healthy lunch as well. We did have a little ice cream on the pie too, also made in Maine, Gifford’s Ice Cream. So in all seriousness this was well received,” Collins told reporters on Thursday after the meeting at the Capitol.

“Unfortunately, you know, the president can’t,” said Collins when asked if Obama ate at the lunch meeting.

“He looked longingly at it,” Collins continued. “He honestly did look longingly at it, but apparently he has to have essentially a taster, and I pointed out to him that we were all tasters for him, that if the food had been poisoned all of us would have keeled over so, but he did look longingly at it and he remarked that we have far better food than the Democrats do, and I said that was because I was hosting.”

According to a 2009 AFP report, the U.S. Secret Service has “always refused to confirm that US presidents travel with a food ‘taster’, in line with their policy of discretion on all security related issues.”

Really?? At a Hill meeting? Why can't he ask Senator Collins to taste his food?