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This security breach is inexcusable

Omar J. Gonzalez was carrying a knife when he stormed into the White House recently.

What if he had been equipped with a bomb?

Gonzalez, a military veteran, clearly is mentally unbalanced. As yet, his state of mind when he invaded the White House and what he intended to do there has not been revealed.

But it is known he scaled a fence and ran across a lawn before charging through the front door of the president’s mansion, where Secret Service agents apprehended him.

He might have been stopped sooner, had Secret Service agencies sent their trained dogs after him. Or, he could have been shot down by agents stationed on the White House roof. It is fortunate for Gonzalez that none of the heavily armed agents opened fire.

But the fact remains he was able to get inside the White House. It is unlikely he knew President Barack Obama and his family were not home at the time.

Secret Service officials have pledged a full investigation of what happened. One aspect of the probe should be learning why trained dogs were not used to stop him. As unpleasant as that sounds, it could have been done without serious injury to Gonzalez.

The Secret Service’s job is to protect the president and first family, along with others in government. Allowing someone to do what Gonzalez managed is more than an embarrassment, then – it is a lapse that simply cannot be repeated.

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