In 1996, Secret Service agents told Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala that she could go anywhere but the floor of the House chamber, where Clinton would be speaking



In 1996, Secret Service agents told Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala that she could go anywhere but the floor of the House chamber, where Clinton would be speaking

Cabinet's odd member out gets a taste of presidency

Precaution: While others gather for the speech, the Secret Service spirits someone away, just to be on the safe side.

By Ellen Gamerman
Sun National Staff
Originally published February 2, 2005

WASHINGTON - Tonight, if history is any guide, one Cabinet member will watch the State of the Union address on TV, sequestered with the Secret Service, fighting thoughts of becoming president between bites of cold pizza.

"The thought goes through your mind, even for a 10th of a second, and you think, 'Who knows?' But then you say, 'Don't be silly. This is just a precaution,'" says former Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pena, who sat out Bill Clinton's 1995 State of the Union so he could step in if the top ranks of the government were obliterated during the speech.

In the end, the closest Pena got to the presidency was a Secret Service souvenir mug.

Every year, the White House selects one Cabinet member to stay home when the ruling class gathers for the State of the Union. Should calamity strike the House chamber, wiping out the entire line of succession to the White House, this official would lead the government.

To some, it's an honor, though they also acknowledge they're often picked because they're obscure enough not to be missed.

[Excerpt]

In 1996, Secret Service agents told Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala that she could go anywhere but the floor of the House chamber, where Clinton would be speaking. She settled on what she said was a cheaper - and more entertaining - option.

"I took my whole staff to the White House," Shalala recalls. She watched the State of the Union on TV in the Roosevelt Room - where she, too, ordered that ubiquitous pizza - but also took a detour. "I checked into the Oval Office," she says, "to make sure the seat fit."

Soon, after the Secret Service gave her a tour of the building's top-secret fixtures, her time was up. "The president came back and told me I was off the hook, I didn't have to be president," she says. "I just told him, 'I'm glad you're back.'"

For the odd-one-out, it is an evening spent dressing up with presidential accessories.

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

RPCVs mobilize support for Countries of Service RPCV Groups mobilize to support their Countries of Service. Over 200 RPCVS have already applied to the Crisis Corps to provide Tsunami Recovery aid, RPCVs have written a letter urging President Bush and Congress to aid Democracy in Ukraine, and RPCVs are writing NBC about a recent episode of the "West Wing" and asking them to get their facts right about Turkey.

RPCVs contend for Academy Awards Bolivia RPCV Taylor Hackford's film "Ray" is up for awards in six categories including best picture, best actor and best director. "Autism Is a World" co-produced by Sierra Leone RPCV Douglas Biklen and nominated for best Documentary Short Subject, seeks to increase awareness of developmental disabilities. Colombian film "El Rey," previously in the running for the foreign-language award, includes the urban legend that PCVs teamed up with El Rey to bring cocaine to U.S. soil.

---

January 29, 2005: This Week's Top Stories UPI says Suicides lower in Iraq after Lariam discontinued 28 Jan Chris Starace makes DVD about life in Benin 28 Jan Gaddi Vasquez tours Sri Lanka 27 Jan Tom Hazuka receives writer's award 27 Jan Raymond Wacks to oversee Baltimore's budget 27 Jan L. A. Adams provides online assistance to village of Cochiraya 27 Jan New blog helps prospective PCVs apply to PC 27 Jan RPCV writes open letter to "West Wing" on Turkey episode 26 Jan PC moves Guyana Volunteers from Flooding Areas 26 Jan Taylor Hackford's 'Ray' scores six Oscar nominations 26 Jan State building in Georgia may be named for Coverdell 25 Jan Nick Craw to head Automobile Competition Committee 25 Jan Peace Corps Announces Top Colleges 24 Jan RPCV Francis J. Thomas was WWII Pearl Harbor vet 24 Jan PC crafts strategy for Deborah Gardner murder case 23 Jan Senator Bill Nelson says expand PC in South America 23 Jan George Wallace is county's first poet laureate 20 Jan

---

Ask Not As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Read the stories and leave your comments.