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Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Secret Service Codenames
by Stacy Conradt - September 8, 2008 - 2:02 PM

q10

It’s common knowledge that the Presidents of the United States and their families have code names used by the Secret Service. But other people get the distinction as well – for example, important politicians, people running for office, certain celebrities, visiting dignitaries. Today’s Quick 10 is about some of those non-Presidential nicknames. Look for a quiz later this week about Presidential code names!

1. Jesse Jackson – Pontiac or Thunder
2. Henry Kissinger – Woodcutter
3. Strom Thurmond – Footprint
4. Prince Charles – Unicorn (huh?) or Daily
5. Frank Sinatra – Napoleon
6. Pope John Paul II – Halo (how obvious.)
7. Rose Kennedy – Coppertone
8. Scott McClellan – Matrix (awesome)
9. Michael Dukakis – Peso
10. Queen Elizabeth II – Kittyhawk or Redfern

They all sound suspiciously like American Gladiator names to me. Although Prince Charles as “Unicorn” isn’t very threatening.

A few other codenames I think I would take issue with if they were assigned to me:
Ted Kennedy: Sunburn
Ron Nessen: Clam Chowder
Ron Ziegler: Whale Boat

What would your codename be? I think I would request to be “Minty”. Or perhaps “Pancakes”.
You could always go the route of The Jerk and give yourself a name that will crack you up every time you hear the stoic Secret Service agents whispering it into their headsets.

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Comments (19)

  1. On The West Wing, CJ Cregg’s was “Flamingo.”

    posted by Tim on 9-8-2008 at 2:15 pm

  2. Just call me Sizzle Chest.

    Great Jerk reference, by the way!

    posted by Jill on 9-8-2008 at 2:18 pm

  3. Why the hell does Scott McClellan get to be Matrix?

    I’d like to be… Squiggles.

    posted by Aemi on 9-8-2008 at 2:47 pm

  4. I don’t care what my code name is, as long as it is a Witty Nickname.

    posted by Witty Nickname on 9-8-2008 at 3:19 pm

  5. hmm, I think I’d like to be ‘Deep Red’ or ‘Bag’ (which is related to a nickname of mine).

    posted by susan on 9-8-2008 at 3:20 pm

  6. One of the supporters on the British royal arms is a unicorn. Though (a) why doesn’t that one belong to his mother, and (b) why go to the bother of having one that actually relates to the person? So that can’t be it.

    (reCaptcha is “Nixon requirements” — so maybe that answers my questions)

    posted by Liza Jane on 9-8-2008 at 3:23 pm

  7. what’s the point of these secret code names if they are made so public?

    posted by kat on 9-8-2008 at 3:40 pm

  8. I wanna be “firecracker!” (with the exclamation point.

    posted by Fran on 9-8-2008 at 4:04 pm

  9. Mine would be “Fat man in tiny speedo”

    posted by Frog on 9-8-2008 at 4:53 pm

  10. I would want my nickname to be something witty when used in a certain way, but in only one way. The best example I can think of is “Up” that way if I was shot the Secret Service agents would be screaming “Up is down! I repeat, Up is down!”

    posted by Aaron on 9-8-2008 at 5:15 pm

  11. I would like mine to be caribou or wapiti or antelope or some other funky named ungulate

    posted by McCobb on 9-8-2008 at 6:03 pm

  12. I would like “gnocchi” as my codename. The Secret Service could pretend to be ordering food, and it’s a fun word to say.

    posted by steph on 9-8-2008 at 8:58 pm

  13. Batman

    posted by jill on 9-8-2008 at 10:43 pm

  14. My current street name is “Preacher”, but I would prefer something classy like “Exegete”. Or, something down to earth like “Riffraff”. “Riffraff has left the building, thank God.”

    posted by SK on 9-9-2008 at 1:48 am

  15. oh I laughed at some of the above!
    I want to be The Hobbit. Don’t know why- I just feel like one… sighhh, and it’s not witty at all.

    posted by ann on 9-9-2008 at 2:05 am

  16. I don’t know what my codename would be, but I think Pancakes would be the best codename ever!

    posted by dee on 9-9-2008 at 11:33 am

  17. Pancackes is my codename.

    posted by Mudi-B on 9-9-2008 at 1:01 pm

  18. In all likelihood, Prince Charles’ codename is “Unicorn” because of the unicorn on the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Come on, I’m an American and I know that!

    (cf. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_coat_of_arms_of_the_United_Kingdom)

    posted by Robert D. on 9-9-2008 at 6:41 pm

  19. Those are some awesome code names but as for mine, I would go above and beyond..
    I’d go by.. LAZERBISCUIT.

    All one word and all in caps.

    posted by Meredith on 10-28-2008 at 4:18 pm

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