When the opportunity presents itself to be in the same room with the President of the United States and only a few hundred other people, it's a good idea to grab it up..........even if it costs you a few extra pennies. But it's an especially good idea when those pennies are going to a campaign you're working on and believe in with your whole heart. Ken Blackwell embodies conservative values, and is a man of deep integrity and purpose, and so his desire to have the President supporting his campaign was no surprise. (Ken's smart, and he wants to WIN and he knows there's no better way than to have this President campaigning for you!)
The event was in Lake County on a blistering hot day, and was held in a spacious tent on the private property of the host. There wasn't much of a wait to get in, which was a relief considering the 95 degree temperature and blazing sun. The room was air conditioned and supplied with hors d'voeuvres and drinks. My husband and I had arrived at the suggested hour of 3:00, and the President wasn't to arrive until 4:30, so we sat and relaxed for a while. But when we walked in it was hard to miss the fact that the rope line was set up only 10 feet from the podium, so that if we moved over at the right time, we'd get incredibly close. That was clearly our plan.
We were sitting and munching on grapes and fresh pineapple when we both noticed that the rope line was filling up quickly, so we went over and staked a claim behind two people (shorter than we were) standing next to a young boy who was sure to get some special attention from our child loving President. So, the wait began.
Four thirty passed, then five, and word reached us that the President had arrived in the area, but was going to visit the Emergency Center for the flood relief of a county that had recently been under water from a very bad storm. The first thing I thought, knowing the President's love and concern for others, was that we were going to wait for quite a long time. I was right. :)
Some time after 5:30 we figured that the private photos with the President had begun (for those whose pockets were more elegantly lined than our own), and the committee arrived in the tent (including Don King, who is working for Blackwell!).
The temperature in the tent was rising, and people had filled in closely behind us on all sides, so there wasn't much breathing room, and my feet were starting to feel the effects of standing in one spot for too long. As the sweat dripped down my face, I kept the 'prize' in mind by gazing at that podium a mere 10 feet away from me. George W. Bush was soon going to be standing RIGHT THERE! No matter what my feet felt like, it was going to be worth it.
Unlike the big rallies, there was no 'hoopla' preceding his appearance. The owner who had sponsored the event and another local Republican spoke briefly, but other than that, the small stage was empty. Sometime between 6 and 6:30 in walked the next governor of Ohio, Ken Blackwell, followed by one of the greatest Presidents in the history of the country!
President Bush bounded in looking fit and tanned, youthful and energetic and full of life. His skin is remarkably young looking, and he looked trim and handsome in a deep blue suit, tone on tone light blue shirt and red power tie. As Ken introduced him, he looked a bit sheepish with a little grin on his face, humbled by the kind introduction.
The following is our joint recollection of the President's speech (we have determined that between the two of us, we have ONE good memory :).
He started out with his usual good humored "Thanks for comin'" comments to all the dignitaries there, including Jim Petro, who lost to Blackwell, but is working for his victory. He said some great things about Ken, and about how he 'married well,' just like he, himself had done, and about how it was smart to marry a woman who was in the field of education.......(Ken's wife is Superintendent of the Cincinnati schools). He advised Ken to surround himself with good people........essential for good leadership (giving the illustration of his selection of Dick Cheney, who was in charge of finding a good candidate, and ended up being that candidate........and NOT for Wyoming's 3 electoral votes!)..........and the President referred to Mr. Blackwell as "Governor."
The first thing I want to mention is that he said several times with great assurance and sincerity that we should NOT worry about him. He knows that people are concerned with what he has had to deal with and the burdens on him, but he said repeatedly that he is "fine". I knew that was something the Dosers would love to hear...........and we don't get to hear those kinds of assurances in media reports.
The thrust of his speech was the necessity of being a 'decision maker' as President, and he started with the anecdote about getting the call before he was even inaugurated asking what color and design he would like the Oval Office rug, and how he immediately got on the phone to consult an expert and said, "Honey......" and proceded to delegate the responsibility to Laura. Leaders need to be able to delegate, you know..... He said that he wanted the rug to convey the optimism of the man who occupies the Oval Office, and described the rug, saying what a fantastic job Laura had done on it.
He then went around the Oval Office describing the pictures on the walls and their significance, and the busts that he has displayed, and why he chose them. He talked about admiring Churchill (though said he wasn't quite as 'articulate' as Winston), Eisenhower, and Lincoln. When he talked about Eisenhower, he said that he would be judged well by history..........and in a poignant moment said that he believed that in time history would judge 'GHW' well also. He mentioned that when a President enters the Oval Office he has the advice and experience of every previous President to guide him, but he and John Quincy had something extra special because one of those Presidents just happened to be their Dad.
When he talked about Lincoln (which he did at some length), he spoke of the terrible times he led the country through (600,000 deaths), his depression and his losing his son, Tad (which the President said would be the worst imaginable tragedy one could endure), and his miserable wife, Mary, who was a complete misfit. And then he said, in this job, if your wife is not happy, then you are not happy (which got some chuckles from the audience). At this point he talked about lovely Laura and how good it is to have a wife who loves you, and whom you love. And then he talked about how great it was to have a "45 second commute" to work. :)
Regarding the busts he had chosen when he entered the office, he said that after 9/11, he noticed that all three of the men had been war heros, and though no one....NO one........wants to be a war time President, that was what he understood that he had become.
He also described the paintings he had chosen to place on the walls of the Oval Office. The first one he described was "A Charge to Keep," and he waxed evangelical about the meaning of the Methodist hymn (by 'one of the Wesley boys'), and that we have a calling to fulfill to do God's will. At this point he made sure that we understood that in America we have complete freedom of religion, which means we can worship as we desire, or not believe in anything at all and be just as good an American. But it was crystal clear that he could not do his job without his faith in God, and that he doesn't know how anyone else could. He talked about the incredible experience of how so many people who 'don't even know us' tell him in rope lines all over the country that they are praying for him..........and that they know that for a fact, because they feel it. (At this point someone in the crowd yelled out "We're praying for you!!" and he responded, "I know it!"). Then he said something I've never heard him say before, and I believe it is completely true. He said that it is only Americans who pray for their leaders as we do.........that no where else in the world does this happen.
When he first talked about the "A Charge to Keep" painting, he described it (we here on the Dose know the painting well!), and told of the complete confidence that the West Texas horseman will get over that hill. He also explained that it was a gift from Joe O'Neil, and said "You probably don't know who he is," (to which I had an overwhelming urge to raise my hand, jump up and down and say, "I do! I do!"), but he's the one (with his wife, Jan) who invited me over to a backyard barbecue where I met Laura, and we were married three months later. It's the best decision I ever made!" (thunderous applause from the audience).
One of the other paintings he described was the one of George Washington ("Who I like to call the first George W.") He said that he had read three books about George Washington's presidency in the past year (and we've been told he didn't read....). But in reading those, he clearly understood that one's presidency cannot be evaluated in one's own lifetime, and that he would be long gone before the true impact of his presidency could be determined. That's why he has peace about what he's doing. He's not worried about what the polls say, nor what the historians will say (since "most of them didn't vote for me anyway!"), but that he just did what was right.........and is at peace.
He said that he came to Washington with a set of beliefs, and that he was going to leave with those same beliefs. There is a great deal of pressure to change your values when you get inside the beltway, but he will not. He gave as an example his campaign pledge to nominate judges who would interpret the law and not legislate from the bench, and that he has fulfilled that pledge (resounding cheers!). He talked about standing up against Europe and getting the U.S. out of the ABM treaty, and his conversations with Putin about it.
He then went into some details about his desk (that it had been first used by Rutherford B. Hayes.........but that he hadn't read any books on old Rutherford B.). He told of how it had originally been open in the front, but that FDR had put a door on it to hide that he was in a wheelchair. He said that Americans didn't know FDR couldn't walk, but knew that he had gained five pounds! Then he, with great humor, told of how the media had reported that he had choked on a pretzel and passed out, and that it was going across the news channel's crawl before he even woke up! He explained that his desk is the same desk that JFK used and that John John was photographed peeking out of, and that it is an honor to be able to use a desk with such historic significance.
He closed with some stories of both humor and poignancy. He talked about Koizumi and the incredible irony and humor of taking the leader of a once enemy nation to Graceland because he liked Elvis, and how much he had enjoyed that experience. And he talked about some day having an American President do a similar thing with the leader of Iraq. He told of the incredible story of the five men who had had their hands cut off by Saddam out of sheer cruelty and vengeance, and who had been fitted with prosthetic hands in Texas, and visited him in the Oval Office. He told of how one of them proclaimed, "Liberator!" as he walked in the room, and how they embraced and both wept. He told the story of how Putin had come into the Oval Office and just said "My God!"..........and then teased about how effective Laura's rug was, and how Putin had been 'converted' on the spot. He is honored to be the President. He loves being the President. And he takes the commitment he has made to the American people very seriously.
The President spoke to us for at least a half hour............not nearly long enough, because every word was precious. After I had take a few photographs, I put the camera down and just watched him and listened intently. We were both brought to tears by some of his words, and we both laughed and cheered. The funniest thing was that I found myself saying "AMEN!" more than having any other response I had.
NordP, when I reported on this briefly last week said, "Isn't it like looking into the face of goodness?"...........and I couldn't agree more. The greatest sense we got from this was that he is a good, GOOD man.
During the course of the speech we had a lot of quality eye contact with him, and both of us got the sense that he was looking right at us, and would remember us if he saw us again (and for the record, his eyes looked quite blue to me :).
After he spoke, the President went down the (stage left) stairs, and proceeded to 'work the room' and move toward us. We were pretty much in the center of the line, slightly to the stage right side of the podium. Before we left, I had tried to think of what to say if the opportunity presented itself to talk with him, or what we should have him sign, and it came to me very clearly...........the picture of Eric standing triumphantly atop Saddam's palace! So, Mr Ohio had it in his suit jacket, and was guarding it with his life until the moment arrived. And when the President neared us, he called out "Mr. President! Mr. President! Will you sign this for our son, please?"......and handed him the photograph. (On the way by, he had given me one of his sideways handshakes.........kind of like holding my right hand with his left as he walked by. Very nice hand, btw :).
He took the photograph, looked at it, and asked what our son's name was. He took out his sharpie and asked how he spelled his name, and wrote "To Eric. Thanks. George Bush"..........and as he was signing, he said, "Please give him my thanks," and handed the picture back. As he was signing, I told him that this was on one of Saddam's palaces, and as he left, I put my hand on his left arm and said "THANK you!"
There wasn't really time to get a picture of the moment, but it is seared in both of our minds. Our priority had been to get his signature, and that was accomplished. We got a chance to see Eric this weekend after his military training in Virginia, and we set the story up (he knew we might see his Commander in Chief, but didn't know anything about what we had done), and when we said we got his signature, and asked if he would like to see it, and he said yes, we handed it to him (already framed), and his eyes welled with tears. After a moment, he kiddingly said, "When you see him again, tell him 'you're welcome'." We of course, plan to do that! :)
There is no doubt that when you see the President, you are in the presence of power and greatness, but for us the most significant sense is that you are in the presence of goodness and contentment.........that you are with a man who truly walks with the Lord. You can see his intelligence, his sincerity, his strength, his tenderness, his passion, his humor............and it's hard to miss that he's really cute! But the strongest feeling we had as we left to go home, was that God has blessed us with His servant, and that we can be deeply thankful for the man that God has chosen to lead us during these difficult days.
A man with a WARN WINCH! Now we're talkin'!
Thanks for the photos!