Don't get yourself shot
If you remember my list of 100 things, which I'm sure you all do, #45 on that list mentions my fascination with the position of President of the United States.
In related news, I got to shake hands with Bill Clinton! I had previously never even seen a US President. I didn't even find out he was coming through my town until about 18 hours prior to his arrival. And frankly, I still don't even know why he was here.
There isn't really a great story around it, I just grabbed my camera, went to the building where he was giving his short speech, and walked in the lobby. The only noteworthy part is that when I left, a co-worker said, "Don't get yourself shot by Secret Service." Always good advice, thanks. I did initially get stopped by Secret Service agents when he was in the lobby of the building before his speech, but once the speech started, they let me walk right into the lobby (the speech itself was invite-only). Then I waited 45 minutes in the lobby for him to come out. Because I was there early, I got a spot along the perimeter of where they roped everyone off.
When he came out from his speech, he very graciously walked around, shook hands, and signed autographs. Had I realized he would sign stuff, I would have brought something. I had a pen, but no paper. Live and learn.
Anyway, it was a tremendously exciting afternoon. Regardless of political affiliation, this guy is one of only 43 people who has ever been President of the US. And it was fun to go, see him, and get a handshake.
I went home and told a buddy of mine. He quickly deflated my excitement by saying, "Congratulations! Now you're in that exclusive club with the 100 million others who have also shaken his hand." Jerk.
Comments
Ant said:
I've got a similar fascination with that post (unusual for a Brit), and think that the hand-shaking and the photos are very cool...
And yes, your buddy is a jerk for belittling the moment...
Jackie said:
you didn't have him sign across your chest? DUDE! you had a pen right there! seriously though I must be out of the loop.. didn't BC crawl into a hole after his term only coming out to do commercials for hurricane victims?
at said:
How cool is that! I am impressed just for your sake Omar!! Is that you with the box drawn around your head?
anne arkham said:
I'm in that club, too, and I don't care how big it is. Meeting the President (Bill Clinton) was one of the coolest moments of my life.
Go Omar!
Katie said:
No, the man with the box is BC. If you hover your cursor over it, it says "That's him!" I would also have him sign my leg, or my hand, or any other body part that the Secret Service would not shoot at me for displaying. You have to go for the moment. But that is sweet ass, did the SS have the loopy things over their ears?
Glo said:
Who was that naysayer? Meeting anyone famous is always memorable, regardless of how many people came before. It was, after all, *your* first time meeting an ex-President. Sheesh.
Ok. Rant done. Awesome, awesome experience. I'm so jealous I can't blog today. What can possibly match an ex-President?! Congratulations. What a cool day!
Seventeen Syllables said:
Dude, that is so totally cool. I think I'd be jealous of you getting to shake any President's hand but I do particularly like BC.
That one photo on flickr is pretty fey, though. Bill's got his come-hither look on, was there a pretty brunette standing behind you or something?
jasmine said:
that's exciting! i'd love to meet him actually...
mep said:
Omar, he was looking right at you when you snapped that last picture! How cool. And I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I realized that the picture of the barrier wasn't just to illustrate how close you were . . . it was you scooting the barrier closer!!! Classic.
jedith said:
Very interesting experience. I was kinda mean for that person to shatter your happiness in the end. I doubt anyone could shake 100 million hands in one lifetime.
cadiz12 said:
BC rocks. don't let anyone take the coolness away from meeting him, omar.
Demosthenes said:
Hey, that's worth something. You've touched the hand that's touched everyone from Ariel Sharon to... well, to Monica I suppose, if you want the opposite extreme.
Cate said:
Awesome pictures, Omar! You're a really good photographer. And you can take that to the bank, because everything I say is substantiated by my own opinion.
anne arkham said:
Isn't he tall? I could not believe how tall he was.
I said:
If Bill could go around shaking everyone's hand, I can reply to everyone's comment.
Ant - Thanks! And the buddy is a republican, so he was all snotty because it was President Clinton.
Jackie - If I was a girl, I totally would have had him sign my chest.
at - One of the photos has a box around a secret service guy's head, the other is a box around Clinton through a windowshade. The only picture of me is the one of my feet kicking the barrier.
anne - I read about your Clinton book signing experience, I thought about that while I was posting this one!
katie - All of the SS guys had the earpieces, yes. So did local law enforcement though, so it was sometimes hard to tell who was who.
glo - Like I told Ant, the naysayer was a Republican. Still, it's a President!
Mrs. Syllables - It's maybe a little hard to tell, but he was close enough in that photo for me to reach out and touch him. As a result of our closeness, I think he was a little nervous about what I was pulling up and pointing at him.
jasmine - I would love to actually talk to him, rather than just sitting there in awe.
mep - I probably moved that barrier a good 3 or 4 feet to get me a better angle :)
jedith - Probably not 100 million, no. Though I do bet that the actual number would be astonishing. That's all they do is shake hands!
cadiz - He took an edge off my excitement, but he couldn't take the coolness away!
dem - I left out how one of my other buddies made a reference to whether the hand was used for... something intern related. I pretended not to hear him.
cate - And really, what other substantiation is necessary?
I said:
anne - I was more surprised about how skinny he was! Part of that may be a recent result of his heart problems, but still. It was surprising.
anne arkham said:
He was skinny when I saw him, too, which was before his heart problems. I think he's just a very long, lanky guy.
Nadia said:
Cool. I don't think I'll ever get the chance to meet any past, present or future POTUS. So I've set my sights on something relatively simpler: meeting someone who has TOUCHED any past, present or future POTUS.
Omar, you have been warned.
Squeaky said:
That's really cool. I saw Joe Leiberman in Georgetown once, but I didn't know what to say to him, so I just kind of stared blankly.
X said:
I don't think I'll ever get the chance to meet any past, present or future POTUS.
A "potus" sounds like some sort of hallucinogen. A mushroom, perhaps. Or maybe a dog's name. Come here, Potus! Here, boy!
"Potus". Hahaha.
---X
Syar said:
I'm with Nadia. our country has only ever had 5 prime ministers, which I guess make them a little bit more special. I was in the vicinity of the current prime minister's son-in-law last Sunday. I didn't touch him and nobody else recognized him (even though he himself is a politician, of course *coughinbreedingcough*) but still. its got to count for something, eh?
Eh?
Tayster said:
That last picture looks like he's about to open a can of whoop-ass on you.
Classic stuff.
kelly said:
aww lol Well I think its GREAT that you shaked hands with president! I would love to have a chance to do that one day.. I'll bring his book to get signed though. haha