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Love the Obama ones. Couldn’t be more perfect.
I get Celtic and Tumbler, but I don’t know the stories behind Capri and Tempo…
this is old news!
tumber? is that true? not whiskeyface, or echochamber?
Why do you have a code name if we all know what it is?
The code names are just a tradition now, they’re not important for security anymore. Before their communications were encrypted, it was important, and the names were actually secret.
If I were Obama I would have asked for ‘Maverick’ instead.
Also, they work well as unique identifiers to avoid confusion, and also for clarity when communicating over walkie talkies, or cell phones or whatever.
Huh. I always figured it was like the NATO Phonetic Alphabet – terms picked to be easily discerned in a noisy environment.
Unfortunately, these just look like someone was being cute and alliterative.
The Obama ones are really charming. 🙂
Doesn’t Renegade= Maverick?
That must really piss McCain off. HA!
@Violet:
Please click the URL and help us out…
it’s going to be fun, fun, fun!
JFK was called “Lancer”, which seems appropriate.
I especially appreciated the last three mentioned in the article 😉
Why do they use code names if the code is not kept secret?
All these people already have public names.
Is this just the way Secret Service agents amuse themselves when nobody is trying to pass the motorcade in traffic.
Chelsea Clinton was “Energy”, Amy Carter was “Dynamo”.
@#14, Rain Monkey,
Because its cool…and Obama’s should be Mr. Fantastic or maybe 007.
http://www.nndb.com/lists/050/000140627/
this has been Obama’s codename since the primaries.
the long list is pretty entertaining:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Service_codenames#Presidents_of_the_United_States_and_their_families
(as is the fact that there will be a Rosebud in the White House)
Was Tumbler named after the pretzel incident?
Not only is W Tumbler, but his brother Jeb is Tripper, from the days when they were part of Timberwolf (GHW Bush)’s First Family.
The Bush Kids: They fell down a lot.
The best, however, are the Palins: Denali and Driller. Stay classy, Secret Service!
Will the Secret Service agents be pronouncing “Celtic” with a hard initial C like “Capri” or with a soft initial C like the Boston NBA team?
I can think of a lot more appropriate names for Bush.
If I was Obama I would use Moron.
I will be really pissed off if the Secret Service calls Biden “Seltic” instead of “Celtic.” Really. Pissed. Off.
Must be a sign of age that I thought of ‘Citizen Kane’ upon first reading the codename “Rosebud”