New Secret Service Code names for Obama and Michelle:

[JDwho]

Obama is "Renegade", and Michelle is "Renaissance".
I think CNN said Biden is "Celtic".
There are names for the children and for Jill Biden, but I didn't catch them.

[NYCGirl]

1. Malia is "Radiance" and Sasha is "Rosebud". Jill Biden is "Capri."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama_code_names_bdnov09,0,7865884.story

[JDwho]

14. Thanks, The Obama family's names seem apropos.

[Liberalboy]

24. Is there signifigance that they are all R's?

[Alexander]

27. I think every family has code names that begin with the same letter.

Look below, that's the pattern since at least Carter.

[AzNick]

66. 2 weeks old topic! Seriously even Wiki listed these

I actually started a thread about this and how the SS was already calling him "44" 2 weeks prior to the election.

[slampoet]

44. Funny....Sasha doesn't remind me of a sled.......

[NYCGirl]

48. Well, it took less than an hour for someone to make that joke.

I suspected it would be much sooner.

:evilgrin:

[Blasphemer]

46. Interestingly, Maureen Reagan was "Radiant". nt

[SharonRB]

2. The girls are Rosebud and Radiance

I'm not sure which is which.

Jill is Capri.

[eyesroll]

3. Is Biden's nick pronounced Keltic or Seltic? n/t

[CakeGrrl]

7. Norah O'Donnell pronounced it "Keltic"

which would be how I'd pronounce it if it refers to Irish heritage. Not sure if it's either/or.

[dbmk]

36. Given that Jill Biden is Capri, I'd go for the Keltic guess.

[Bozita]

4. Renegade. ... How mavericky!

Ya betcha.

[oviedodem]

5. They SHOULD NOT RELEASE THIS INFO. Correct me if I am wrong but

I don't recall them releasing what bushes was

[Whalestoe]

Bush is Tumbler. Obama has been Renegade for some time now, I believe.

[Medusa]

62. One of the books about him is going to be called Renegade

the Wolffe guy from Newsweek is writing it.

[demokatgurrl]

8. They're hardly "code names" since they are always known

Everyone knows Clinton was "Elvis" (don't they?)

[Whalestoe]

16. Isn't Clinton Eagle?

[calimary]

13. What were the bush names, anyway? Drunk and Enabler?

[Whalestoe]

18. Shrub = Tumbler, Laura = Tempo

[onehandle]

22. "Smirk" and "The Joker."

That's what they are in my head, anyway.

[billybob537]

20. I think it was BUMMER and BABS

[Hippo_Tron]

34. This isn't really secret info and never has been

The Secret Service doesn't explicitly publish it on their website or anything but somebody always leaks the code names to the press and it's not really a security concern.

I think the President is always referred to as "Eagle".

[pgh_dem]

Why use code names, if you're going to publish them?

I think Dr. Strangelove lost a doomsday device around here somewhere.

[MidwestTransplant]

17. The names were a well guarded secret before secure communications were invented.

Now that their radios are secure it doesn't much matter apparently.

[dogpatch]

6. "Renaissance" - how true

But if they're codes, why do they make them public?

[Cosmic Charlie]

9. now they just call Obama 44

[NWPatriot]

10. What I'd like to know is....

What loose-lipped f*** is giving the MEDIA the Secret Service codewords for the future First Family????

Isn't anyone the slightest bit CONCERNED about this???

[onehandle]

19. No. The "code names" are simply verbal shorthand.

The names will be spoken all around them for the eight years they are in the White House.

Lots of people will hear them.

Yes, I said eight years.

[thereismore]

37. Renegade is a short for Obama? Renaissance a short for Michelle? nt

[onehandle]

42. You mean President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama?

Yes, shorthand.

Also the Secret Service is basically a military unit. Operational code names are their thing.

[thereismore]

54. Oh I get it. Now I get it. Thanks. nt

[Occam Bandage]

40. These are always known by the public. They're half PR. nt

[davepc]

11. Why is this public info?

[demokatgurrl]

12. It always is. "Code names" is a joke.

[JDwho]

41. According to Wiki:

The 'secret' codenames change over time for security purposes, but are often publicly known. For security, codenames are generally picked from a list of such 'good' words, but avoiding the use of common words which could likely be intended to mean its normal definition.

[dancingme]

15. "Tumbler" the actual name for Chimpy!

Jill Biden: Capri

President George W. Bush: Tumbler

First Lady Laura Bush: Tempo

Bill Clinton: Eagle

Hillary Clinton: Evergreen

Chelsea Clinton: Energy

George Bush: Timberwolf

Barbara Bush: Tranquility

Jimmy Carter: Deacon

Rosalynn Carter: Dancer

Amy Carter: Dynamo

Ronald Reagan: Rawhide

Nancy Reagan: Rainbow

[JDwho]

21. Cool...

With GWB, wonder how they decided on "Tumbler"...?

[onehandle]

25. As in Whisky Tumbler.

He's a dry drunk. It's supposed to be ironic.

[Bozita]

26. Pretzels and Segways?

[berni_mccoy]

28. The man couldn't ride a Segway without "Tumbling" it over

And those things are designed not to fall over:



There are many many more pics of Bush "tumbling" off of bikes, stairs and just walking.

[JDwho]

29. Between that and the "dry drunk", I think GW earned his name,

That's not what I privately call him....

[YOY]

23. Who knew Nancy Reagan was so gay friendly...RAINBOW!

:rofl:

For the record "(Fist) pumpers are better than Tumblers"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO7ZxPDFzyw&feature=related

[Joe Chi Minh]

30. "Renegade" sounds a little negative to me. Not personally, as any

half-decent soul would have to be considered a renegade or madman in our societies, but maybe I'm too sensitive about possible connotations. Now "maverick", as someone else suggested it resembled, that has a better ring to it.

[dbmk]

47. It might actually serve a purpose :)

To reinforce an image of someone who is not tied into/following to usual political rules/games.

[Joe Chi Minh]

55. True, and if so, more cause for hope all round.

[Lint Head]

31. Why hasn't the Secret Service investigated Ted Nugent for

threatening Obama with a machine gun?
:dem:

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

32. Here's a Wiki article, including the codenames of past politicians:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Service_codenames

Some of these are pretty interesting.

[dogpatch]

33. Commander Bunnypants

Remember that Bush code name? I miss that one.

And Evil Dewer's.

[Lerkfish]

35. FWIW, these codes are chosen for their uniqueness and clarity over radio transmission.

consider each code word cannot be easily mistaken as anything else.

this cuts down on wasted radiotime repeating and "do you copy?" back and forth.

Just like the military uses unusual words for letters: Tango, Whiskey, etc. So that if the radio cuts out intermittantly there is still a chance enough of the unusual word will get through to communicate.

hope this helps.

[JDwho]

38. It does, Thanks!

[onehandle]

43. Exactly right. nt

[Mariana]

52. Maybe originally they were. But Renaissance and Radiance

are fairly close in pronunciation, too close to imagine that they were chosen to make sure they'd be heard as clearly different sounds over a staticky radio.

[Yukari Yakumo]

39. LOL...

Todd Palin - Driller

[JDwho]

45. Just looked up "Renegade" in the dictionary for the heck of it, and I don't like it.

renegade   /ˈrɛnɪˌgeɪd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun 1. a person who deserts a party or cause for another.
2. an apostate from a religious faith.
–adjective 3. of or like a renegade; traitorous.

[camera obscura]

49. I think Obama picked it himself

as more of a "rebel without a cause" thing :)

[arcadian]

50. They change them when the press finds out.

As it stands these are probably only the codenames while they are the first-family-elect anyway.

[Blasphemer]

51. Don't they often simply use "POTUS" and "FLOTUS" ? nt

[onehandle]

60. Sound too similar and are used in West Wing lingo.

Only the Secret Service use the "code names" around the administration.

Also, if they are in the company of former White House occupants...?

FPOTUS and FFLOTUS?

Nope.

[Rocknrule]

53. If they're going to release the codenames, why have them at all?

[doc03]

56. What in the hell is the purpose of having code names

if everyone knows them? It doesn't make a lick of sense, you listen to SS on the radio and they say Renegade is going to a certain location so you want to do him harm you know where to find him. Maybe that's what they did call them I sure hope they don't now.

[JuniperLea]

57. Well, there goes that secret

They will have to come up with new names now

[DeschutesRiver]

58. I like them a lot. nt

[Blue_Tires]

59. if they are 'secret names', then why give them out to the news?

i don't get it

[buzzard]

64. They are not secret just SS code names as far as I can glean.n/t

[SteveG]

61. Here is a full list

As you all know, the Secret Service assigns code names to all of those it is assigned to protect. This stems from an era when securing communications was difficult or impossible, and were kept top secret. However since such communications encryption is now available, the SS does reveal the code names. It gives an interesting take on how how they think about their charges. Some of the names are pretty obvious, others a bit more cryptic. Here for your general amusment is a list.

President-elect Barack Obama: Renegade

Michelle Obama: Renaissance

Malia Obama: Radiance

Sasha Obama: Rosebud

Vice President-elect Joe Biden: Celtic

Jill Biden: Capri

Rep. Pres. Cand. John McCain: Pheonix

Cindy McCain: Parasol

Sarah Palin: Denali (after the National Park in Alaska)

Todd Palin: Driller

President George W. Bush: Tumbler

First Lady Laura Bush: Tempo

Jenna Bush: Twinkle

Barbara Bush: Turquoise

Bill Clinton: Eagle

Hillary Clinton: Evergreen

Chelsea Clinton: Energy

George Bush: Timberwolf

Barbara Bush: Tranquility

Jimmy Carter: Deacon

Rosalynn Carter: Dancer

Amy Carter: Dynamo

Ronald Reagan: Rawhide

Nancy Reagan: Rainbow

Gerald Ford: Passkey

Betty Ford: Pinafore

Richard Nixon: Searchlight

Pat Nixon: Starlight

Lyndon Johnson: Volunteer

Lady Bird Johnson: Victoria

Lynda Bird Johnson: Velvet

Luci Baines Johnson: Venus

John F. Kennedy: Lancer

Jacqueline Kennedy: Lace

Caroline Kennedy: Lyric

John F. Kennedy Jr.: Lark

Dwight Eisenhower: Providence

Harry Truman: General

Ted Kennedy (during 1970 campaign): Sunburn

Kitty Dukakis: Panda

Scott McClellan: Matrix

Fictional - from West Wing

Jed Bartlett: Eagle and Liberty

C.J. Cregg: Flamingo

Zoey Bartlett: Bookbag
__________________

[JDwho]

63. Thanks for the list,

I especially enjoyed those from West Wing. JFK jr. was "lark" and Caroline was "Lyric"? hmmm.
Cool. I don't think these names are top secret/homeland security threatening factors. It's just what they do. Personally, I think those are the names released to the public. Who knows, really?

[JDwho]

65. Huffington Post has it, as of an hour ago. 11:30pmEST, if anyone's worried about the secrecy of it.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

67. From what I understand, it is an outdated practice

Dating back from before modern technology made its use obselete. It is not revealing any confidential information otherwise we wouldn't know so many of the code names

[dbmk]

68. Its not outdated.

The main function of the code names is not obfuscation, but clarity in communication.