Hello, Mr. President
I’ve met a good chunk of politicians in my life. Some are vain (Orrin Hatch, R-Utah), others are smarmy (Trent Lott, R-Miss. and Tom Delay, R-Texas), some are ridiculously short (Tom Daschle, D-Neb.) and a few have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel (Strom Thurmond, R-SC). There are the Kennedys (Ted, D-Mass. and Patrick, D-RI), the dead wringer for my grandfather (Charles Schumer, D-NY), and a windbag or two (Joe Biden, D-Del.). I interviewed Pres. Clinton a handful of times over the years, attended Pres. Reagan’s funeral and tonight… well, tonight was both a 12-second thrill and a disappointment.
I was under the impression I’d be attending a reading with former President Jimmy Carter. Sadly turned out to be an autograph session for his newest book (A Remarkable Mother) which included a serious stare-down with some out of shape Secret Service agents. As usual, they were a little intense and quick to shuffle the crowd through the line. Therefore my brief conversation with Jimmy went like this:
Jimmy Carter: Thanks for coming.
Pammy Girl: I appreciate your time, Mr. President.
Jimmy Carter: You bet. Thanks for coming.
Pammy Girl: Have a nice evening.
He has the brightest blue eyes which stand in stark contrast to his white hair. A little anti-climatic but still a well-spent evening. OK, evening is a strong word… a memorable 12 seconds.
12 comments May 7, 2008
