Here's the President arriving with Ambassador Bleich (note the beefy guys up front):
Ambassador Bleich introducing the President (they are old friends):
The President works the crowd - he stopped and posed holding a lot of babies, which of course thrilled everyone - the parents of this one were so excited they didn't get pictures - but I did and passed them on. At one point because some beefy guys were blocking the view and access, Debbie and I hoisted a Marine Major's son up and over the ropeline so he could shake the President's hand (successfully). Events like this should be about giving the kids access first rather than people who just happen to be at the head of the line and take up prime real estate - at one point I had to ask a beefy guy to move so a kid could take pictures (and I got one of him with the President speaking in the background for his parents - see below with beefy guys). Some kids won a lottery (Debbie made the tickets!) and got to be in a special section (below) but the rest of them were having to jump up and down to see the President or be on people's shoulders.
In this video you will also see a Famous Finger (mine) as I attempt to work a video recorder and still camera simultaneously (with mixed results). I could not get a picture of The Handshake as I would have had to be 8 feet tall. However, I did note that Debbie's hand had a slightly ethereal glow to it for several minutes. She has been sleeping with it wrapped in plastic wrap ever since.
Well that was our fifteen minutes of fame (after standing in the sun for about 2.5 hours waiting...). There was nearly a mutiny over in the kids section because it was such a long time - the Secret Service looked worried. Unfortunately you had to be in place TWO HOURS before the President arrived.
Still, very interesting experience; Debbie has now worked a 4th of July ceremony, a 9/11 ceremony and finally a Presidential visit - the Trifecta of Protocol.
