Well....

I have never seen a President before and here was President Bush about two blocks from where I work. What an opportunity to see a sitting President!

Lori and I (Lori is my Associate Pastor) went out there and stood waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I am not a fan, but seeing a President would be cool. True man of the people that he is, his motorcade ducked down a side alley and he went in the back door of the place. None of us saw him. But we went to lunch and stared at the building (from across the street) that he was speaking in. So that was my big shot at seeing a President and he blew it!

My secretary did see us on TV, however. We were standing in front of all the protesters and signs. We weren't protesting, just there to see a President.

It certainly was interesting.

One guy who was against the war banged a drum the entire time. He kept a good beat, but the drum playing got a bit annoying. Another group sang "God Bless America," badly, I might add, to drown him out. He stopped and let them sing. Then he played louder. Later on the "God Bless America" crowd did the "Pledge of Allegiance," which is fine. The drummer stopped while they did the Pledge and then started up again and played louder upon their finishing.

It looked like there were a lot more protesters than supporters. We were in front, but I suspect a lot of people were like us, simply wanting to see a President.

Interesting things.

One group was yelling and had posters than 9/11 was an 'inside job.' (I looked to see if they were wearing Rosie for President buttons, but they weren't.) That group is a bit extreme and frankly, 'out there.' Others were protesting the war.

There were a lot of "Support the Troops," posters, both among the protesters and the supporters of the President. Frankly, I've not met one person who doesn't support the troops. Supporting the troops and supporting where the troops are sent to fight are different issues.

I was annoyed at the people yelling, "God and country," as if only the supporters of President Bush love God and country. I'm not a fan of his, but I love God and country as much as the next person.

I do wish he had gotten out in front of the Grand and at least waved. I recognize security issues, but there was a lot of security and the few seconds he would have been out front would have meant the world to everyone out there. I wasn't there to make a statement. I was there to see a President and I didn't. All I got out of the experience was a headache (drum and bad singing), and sore feet.