Posted on 07/11/2004 5:57:12 PM PDT by tgslTakoma
July 7, 2004 (AXcess News) Washington - After two weeks of touring to promote his new book, Bill Clinton Tuesday returned to the city he called home for eight years to meet hundreds of fans wanting his autograph.
At Politics and Prose bookstore, Clinton admirers waited hours in a line that stretched around the block to meet the former president. People lined up as early as 6:30 a.m. to see Clinton, who started signing books about 12:30 p.m. He stayed until 5:30 p.m.
"I'm a big fan - big fan. I wish he was running again," said Marian Smith, 77, a retired dental assistant from Rockville, Md., who got in line at 8:30 a.m. with the copy of "My Life" that she bought two weeks ago when the store handed out tickets for Tuesday's signing. "I like it I like anything he does."
Richard Thompson, 62, a retired military computer systems analyst from Silver Spring, Md., said he admired Clinton for his efforts to reform the health care system and save Social Security. He arrived at the bookstore at 6:30 a.m., he said, "but it was worth it."
Inside, Clinton signed books with assembly line efficiency. Four aides assisted the process - one took the book from the person in line, two others held it open while it was signed and a fourth returned the signed copy to the smiling patron.
For some, the meeting was more than just a brush with celebrity. It was a reunion.
Anne Randolph met Clinton when he was a Rhodes scholar and she was studying in England. They stayed in touch. When her time for an autograph came, she showed the former president a picture of the two of them at a White House breakfast several years ago. Clinton chatted with Randolph much longer than with most of the autograph seekers.
Randolph was sporting a "Socks Rocks" pin in honor of the former first pet, and she said it was "fabulous" to get to see Clinton again.
"It's very touching what he's doing for the world," she said. "He's the kind of person who has a very warm soul."
To a woman wearing a Clinton-Gore campaign T-shirt, Clinton said, "Thanks for wearing that one."
Alonita Vannoy, 54, of Manassas, Va., worked on Clinton's campaign and attended Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's book signing here last year. She said she told the former president that she wants his wife to run for the job some day.
The book store did not have an estimate of the number of people who had books signed, but police said they were prepared for between 1,500 and 1,700 people. The crowd spanned racial and generational lines, and one man was wearing his Navy dress uniform.
"I never had the honor to give him a salute as my commander in chief, so I plan to do that today," said the officer, who refused to give his name. "If my boss knew I was here today, I'd probably get fired."
Not everyone was a Clinton supporter. About 20 members of the conservative group Free Republic held anti-Clinton signs and shouted anti-Clinton slogans, including, "Don't forget your kneepads" and "You're entering a one-free-grope zone."
The group accused Clinton of lying in office and not telling the whole truth in his book.
"The book should be called 'My Lies,' not 'My Life,'" said Kathy Wood, 57, of Burke, Va., a leader of the group, to anyone who would listen.
One thing I will do differently on this repost is link some of the photos I took that day. So, stay tuned...
And thank you for your patience.
:-)
BillF is working on an After Action report thread on this Politics and Prose Freep, as well as the one that the DC Chapter held the following day in downtown DC; so stay tuned also for those threads.
It'll help in picking her out of a crowd.
Line-standers blocked the sidewalk, forcing pedestrian traffic into the street.
Some readers may remember from another thread on this Freep, that a female DC cop at our location on Connecticut Avenue was very concerned with pedestrian egress being hindered by the DC Chapter and the Campus Leadership "kids." She should have concerned herself with the pedestrians endangered by Clinton worshippers.
Scandal for profit, Clinton (heart) terrorists, Clinton = A legacy of lies.
Traffic was heavy, with a fair number of DNC IQ hand signs aimed at us.
No impediment to pedestrian egress here, officer.
View of the huddled masses waiting in the sun to get into the bookstore.
Campus Leadership Program kids hard at "work". They were full of energy, and had great senses of humor.
View from the "media pit." Still no egress issue....
The lone protester across from the bookstore. He had good signs.
I asked "Bill Clinton" if he'd like to hold my sign for a photo. He read it and said, "Sure!" It read: You too, can be a bribe-taking, pardon-selling, treasonous liar and rapist. Ask me how...
Well, that's the photos I got that day.
RE: The Lone Protestor
Proud to say I know this gentleman.
He is a Viet Nam vet (Army), Marine and GulfWar1 vet. He has been protesting solo for quite a few years now and says it is easier that way.
And for all you 'Nam vets - he personally confronted Jane Fonda a few years ago and found it a most satisfying experience.
Tell him "Thank you," for me.
Yesterday I found ex-president Bill Clinton's tome, "My Life", in the bargain bin at the local Safeway. The store marked it's price at $14.95. It would be 20% less if the purchaser also presented his Safeway card.
It was so funny to see Slick Willie's book sold along with last year's diet books, Shrek I activity books and box sets of juvenile paperbacks.
The Lone Protester was also at the second DC booksigning. He stayed across the street but his signs were easy to see and read. He enfuriated several women who made disparaging comments about him. One woman even said that he had one sign she would love to torch -- "IMPEACH ALL DEMOCRATS."
Tell him "Thank You" from me also.
Thanks for reposting this article about our freep of the creep, the first elected president to be impeached. Your photos turned out great and show the variety of messages reminding everyone about what really happened during the Clinton reign.
I have a suggestion for future Freeps of all kinds. I think it would be especially effective to have three people dress up as the Coalition of the Wild-eyed Democrats, Al Gore, Whoopi Goldberg(with a big whoopi cushion pasted to her butt) and Michael Moore. They could each be wearing or carrying a sign bearing one of their more outrageous quotes and standing under a banner that reads, The Coalition of the Wild-eyed supports John Kerry.
My pleasure, Angelwood. Your quote is a very good one to end the article with (the comment that the book should be titled "My Lies.")
That says it all.
They stayed in touch.
Yikes!
Let's see now, Hillary put the entire legislative branch into the hands of the Republicans because of her efforts to reform the health care system. And, it was the Republicans who've really been concerned about doing what's right about Social Security despite the efforts of the Clintons.
I admire Richard Thompson's effort to not see the forest for the trees.
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