Unlike Scotland Yard's "randomly" generated code names, the Secret Service's names for high-ranking government officials are chosen by military officials. (Read: code names are often pretty funny and often fitting.) Click through for a look at some of the best American code names.
Ronald Reagan
Code Name: Rawhide
We're guessing Reagan's Secret Service code name had something to with his love of horses. Yep, the Gipper fancied himself a regular cowboy, once telling reporters, "I'm proud of my spurs. I've often said there's nothing
better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.'' Had he not been president, the onetime actor could have given John Wayne a run (or ride) for his money.
Nancy Reagan
Code Name: Rainbow
Nancy Reagan and the color red go together like John Boehner and an orange glow. The former first lady wore bright red ensembles so often, in fact, that the color became known as "Reagan red." Call us crazy, but we're
betting Nancy's color obsession may have something to do with her code name...
George W. Bush
Code Name: Tumbler
President Bush's Secret Service nickname may date back to the days when his father was president, but it seemed to suit him just as well during his own White House stint. Initially thought to refer to his rowdiness as
a young man, the name seemed perhaps even more apt once Dubya had some embarrassing moments caught on camera (like the time he fell of his Segway, for instance).
George H.W. and Barbara Bush
Code Names: Timberwolf and Snowbank (and Tranquility)
We're not quite sure why the Secret Service chose to call Bush Sr. "Timberwolf," but there's no doubt that it's a pretty cool code name. We are, on the other hand, fairly
certain that Barbara's code name (Snowbank) is a reference to her signature rolling white hair.
John F. and Jackie Kennedy
Code Names: Lancer and Lace
These names require some careful decoding, but we think we've figure them out. JFK's code name, Lancer, is a reference to Medieval cavalrymen who fought with lances -- a perfect fit for the face of the so-called Camelot
dynasty. The name is also a fitting nod to Lancelot, King Arthur's famed womanizing knight.
Jacqueline Kennedy's code name -- Lace -- must have been intended to symbolize her ladylike style and elegance.
Ted Kennedy
Code Name: Sunburn
As a presidential candidate in 1980, the often lobster-red Ted Kennedy had to endure this code name. We guess it's the price he paid for all those summers in Hyannis Port.
Todd Palin
Code Name: Driller
This may just be the most perfect code name of all time. When Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain's running mate for the 2008 presidential election, Mama Grizzly's faithful sidekick was dubbed "Driller" -- an
obvious reference to his former job on an oil slope. The McCain-Palin ticket's "Drill, baby, drill!" philosophy may have had something to do with it too...
Bill Clinton
Code Name: Eagle
Sure, the eagle is a symbol of America, but we have a feeling that the name refers to Clinton's near-obsession with golf. After all, "eagle" refers to a score of two under par on a hole.
Chelsea Clinton
Code Name: Energy
President Clinton's awkward teenage daughter was referred to as "Energy" by Secret Service agents, perhaps as a nod to her adolescent hormones (which were, by the looks of it, out of control during Chelsea's
White House days).
Richard Nixon
Code Name: Searchlight
The Secret Service had no way of knowing about the Nixon-era Watergate break-in and subsequent coverup when they dubbed Tricky Dick "Searchlight," but it is laughable that his code name refers to a device that
sheds light on the unknown in say, a high-level investigation.
Dick Cheney
Code Name: Backseat
The Secret Service gave Cheney this code name when he served as Gerald Ford's chief of staff, but we think it's just as fitting as he became the ultimate backseat driver while serving as vice president in the Bush
administration.
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