Includes index

Foreword / by Wayne Simmons CIA -- Early years -- NYPD blue -- In the line of fire -- The end of the Clinton era -- 9/11 -- An assassin among us -- Training the next generation -- Dignitary protection and the fight to protect -- The "big show": the Presidential Protective Division -- Transportation: it's not simply about motorcades -- The President's life in my hands -- Missile treaties and the return to Indonesia -- Oil spills, Indonesia again, and making a war zone "safe" -- Media spin vs. security reality -- Giving back the gun and shield -- From behind the camera to the front -- Israel and a surprise entrance into the primary -- The campaign heats up -- A political loss, and why action matters -- The real scandal of "fast and furious" -- Benghazi: who gave the order to stand down? -- Boston: too many agencies, not enough communication -- Our government has failed us

Why would a successful, twelve-year Secret Service agent resign his position in the prime of his career to run for political office? Bongino, assigned to protective duty for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, takes an intimate look at life inside the presidential "bubble:" a haze of staffers, consultants, cronies, acolytes, bureaucrats and lobbyists that creates the "alternate reality" in which monumental policy decisions are made. Uncover why a government filled with incredibly dedicated people continues to make tragic mistakes