Would President Obama Need More Secret Service Protection?

I posted this question to YouTube for the CNN Republican Debate in November where they took questions from YouTube:

While my question was not aired during the debate, I think it is an important question since the election of Barack Obama would truly be a historic event in America, and I think a lot of thought has to be put into protecting the first African American President of the United States.

Many of the comments on my question (which can be found here) were hostile to the idea of granting additonal protection to Obama. The more civil comments made the reasonable argument that Barack should not be given any special treatment. I think these comments were made out of ignorance of what has been done in the past to protect an African American candidate for President.

When Jesse Jackson ran in 1984, he received more death threats than any other candidate in the history of America combined. Therefore, his Secret Service protection was larger than the others due to the tremendous amount of threats of open violence directed against him.

Obama was given "special treatment" when he began receiving Secret Service protection in March 2007 which was earlier than any other presidential candidate in the 2008 race. In fact, it was the earliest for any candidate since the practice of Secret Service protection for presidential candidates was instituted after the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Mark Potok posted a message on the Hatewatch site stating that online expressions of hatred have steadily increased as the success of Obama's campaign has increased. These posts sometimes include calls to assassinate Barack Obama to prevent him from becoming a "Nigger President". It is almost certain the the early granting of Secret Service protection to Obama is due to these threats.

So, if Barack Obama is receiving special protection as a candidate, then should special measures be in place if he successfully wins the general election?

I think the answer lies in understanding the history of violent threats against the holders of the highest political office in America. One can assume that the President of the United States is one of the most protected people in the world. However, one also has to realize that four Presidents have been killed in office: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901, and John F. Kennedy in 1963. Also, since the 1960's, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush were attacked while appearing in public. Ford was not injured, but Reagan was hit by gunfire. Bush was not injured when a grenade thrown at him failed to detonate. So, despite the protection of the Secret Service, it is possible, even in the modern era, for attacks to get through and harm, if not kill, the President.

The tactics of the Secret Service are reasonably shrouded in secrecy, but I suggest, given the high level of threats against Obama, that a special investigation into their practices be instituted by Congress. Their security practices need to be reviewed and additional measures need to be instituted in order to minimize the risk of harm to Obama should he become President. I believe that even a numerical increase in the size of is detail would be a valid measure. For example, if, for a given event, the current President is assigned 10 Secret Service Agents, then Barack should have 15 assigned to cover him.

Just as Obama's election would signal a new era of possibility in America, his assassination would cast serious doubt on the ability of America to truly rise out of the racist hatred of its past. Therefore, I believe it is reasonable for him to receive additional protection if he succeeds in becoming the 44th President of the United States.