A little anecdote. I forget what year this happenned, probably '72. There was an ongoing protest at the Lincoln Memorial. Late one night Nixon decided to go out and talk to them. He grabbed a few Sec Serv guys and walked the short distance from the White House to the monument and talked about the war to the protesters!
No press conferance, no media, no motorcade. He simply spoke with his opponents and walked back to the White House. Contrast this with the August events this year in Midland, TX.
After Hinckley, I don't think the secret service would EVER let a President do that again.
