Posted on 11/04/2002 6:57:10 PM PST by rintense
President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush ended their campaign trail today in Texas after visiting Missouri and Arkansas. The first couple will cast their votes tomorrow- their 25th anniversary- in Crawford. And today, birthday gal Laura was treated to rounds of 'Happy Birthday to You' at campaign stops. Enjoy your daily dose of Dubya!
Do you understand now that personal, upclose encounters with Dubya must be reported?
I enjoyed reading about your experience.
This is a warm and wonderful place full of incredible people! Glad you decided to join us here!
OK. First things first, I did not get to shake the president’s hand or get a kiss OR ask him about his eye color, or even get any closer to him than about 50 feet, AND NONE of my photos turned out. They were too dark and blurry. (OH THE ANGST and about $25 down the toilet…wwwwwaaaahhhhhh…….)
However, in the spirit of Johnny Mercer’s “Accentuate the Positive”- I DID get to see Laura ON her birthday (BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH) AND he wore his favorite blue tie!! Can you guys believe that? I am going to take that as proof positive that he knows about our tie and was sending us a message.
Can’t you just see it?
W (getting dressed this morning): Laura, what tie should I wear? I wish I had the Bush Babe tie, but it’s never been found.
Laura: Well, W, how about if you wear your favorite blue tie? They’ll get the message.
W: Great idea Laura!! Did you hear that Lawgirl is going to be there? I sure hope I get to meet her!
Laura, thinking: Note to self: get SS Guy there early………
Uh huh. You will never convince me otherwise. ;-D
OK! So- get there about 7:15 AM (doors to open at 9) there are about 20 people in line in front of us. I have my orange “W 2004” hat on, and it got a few looks. We notice that many have tickets that say “FIRST CLASS” stamped on them. Ours do not. I wondered what that was all about, and as we are finally let in about 8:40, the door dude tells me that it means I don’t get to be on the floor, but rather “on the first level—please go up the stairs to your left”. I almost cried right there. NO FLOOR SEATS WHAT?!?!?! So, I dejectedly walk up the stairs. There are a few people milling around and we walk around to the right and come to a policeman who says “yeah go ahead on down and sit where you want.” So, we go all the way down to the front on the right side, and I notice that right in front of us is a walkway. All the VIPs walk down this corridor, and it is teeming with SS guys. I know that it is a possible walkway for W after the rally is over. Anyway, we get SEATS—we got to sit down (thank god) and we are in the first row of arena seats, which means that when you stand up you have a perfect view over everyone else’s head. Anyway. So---we are sitting here at, like 8:45 and there is no one in the room except us and maybe 20 other people. We are all like “where is everyone???” Then at 9AM a stampede of people RUSHES in and fills all the seats---the policeman had let us down EARLY so we got the absolute best seats!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!! I think he didn’t know he had to make us wait! Total karma! We even got to speak to a reporter from our local paper (a total stonehead liberal I think—he asked what the W on my hat stood for DUH!) and someone from the press took photos of us singing the national anthem—my husband Brad had on a flag sweater so I think that’s why.
Randy Travis sang a brand new song about America—Jim Talent told us it was the first time it had been sung---a very patriotic and wonderful song I will buy the single to when it comes out.
About 11:45 Jim Talent comes out and tells us that President Bush is on his way and then the guy comes out (same guy as you saw OhioWfan) and puts the seal on the podium and we all go nuts. They hand out pompom things and flags to the crowd. Then at exactly noon (how like President Bush) he comes out with Laura- none of us were expecting her, and the crowd goes insane. Just totally freaking out of our minds. It was fantastic. Laura is absolutely gorgeous. Stunningly so, even from 50 feet. You can’t see it so well in the photos, but the outfit she had on was a burgundy color that set off her hair and she was so beautiful!
I can’t tell you all what a fantastic speaker he is. W speaks to you like it’s just a room of 20 people---casual yet impassioned, straightforward and full of common sense. He was mesmerizing. He was fired up, yet he just talked with such a normal tone. He didn’t sound like he was preaching (ok sometimes he did LOL) --- he just sounded like he was talking to you. And he didn’t sound like he was campaigning. Does anyone else know what I mean? You know how loud and monotone lots of speakers talk when campaigning? (read Bill Clinton—he always had that fake tone) He isn’t like that. It is just like he is talking to a roomful of friends. I am still blown away. I never saw Ronald Reagan, but I have to say—George W Bush is one hell of a communicator. He made you feel like he was talking to just you, in a room of 7000 people. And I SWEAR he looked at me, at least 5 or 6 times. I was standing up over the heads of the crowd with a big bright orange hat on and I just could swear he looked at me. I might be dreaming, but again, you’ll never convince me otherwise BWAHAHAHAHAH
So, at 12:30 he finishes and steps back from the podium and puffs out his cheeks and goes “whew”—I thought that was so funny! Like he’d been nervous or something. And then he starts shaking hands with people on the steps behind him and walks down the left side of the stage as you look at the stage (stage right) and starts shaking hands with people in the front row, and then, as he is about to turn down the walkway to come down my row, WOOSH and he walks out through the back curtain. And just like that he was gone. I was, naturally, disappointed, but I know it’s not the last time I’ll see him, and maybe I’ll have better luck next time.
You guys, it was the most amazing experience. I can’t wait to start working on his 2004 campaign.
He was pointing at you there, wasn't he?
Ah well! it's probably the only time I'll get to see him so I don't care! LOL!
You know it!!
W: THERE'S Lawgirl!I am so glad she made it!!
Laura: Yeah! and I'm so glad she's not on the floor!!
Actually know what? If that photo was in Missouri, he is actually pointing right at the area I was located. I TOLD you he saw me. ;-D
Great write-up (a little short, but ok ...). And I'm sure that W was delighted to finally lay eyes on you ... LOL.
Or maybe here's he's saying to Laura, "Look, Lawgirl did make it today!" LOL!
I'm sorry you didn't get closer ..... but the bonus of seeing Laura was a real plus!!! I'm glad to see that you're still accentuating the positive ...... keep it up, sweetie!
P. S. ~~~ and I'm sure that you're exactly right about how he chose the tie ..... :-)
*hugs*
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