Obama

  To round out my stories of seeing Presidents (except Kennedy), we come to President Obama.  It was toward the end of his second term, and he was going to speak at Benedict College in Columbia.  Since I had the 411 on knowing about tickets for the event, I tried to get one.  The auditorium was relatively small, and the waiting list was very big.  I didn't get one.

 I was resigned to wait across the street from the event to catch a glimpse of him.  The police had closed off Harden Street next to the school.  There was a lot of people lined up across the street.  Having been to these things before, I saw where the motorcade would probably leave the event under a tent, so I stood on a corner with a few others as close to the exit as possible.

 We stood for a long time and chatting with the officers.  One advantage for being in the know is that you can hear what is going on over the police radio, especially if an officer is close to you.  I felt sorry for all those folks further up the road who thought that Obama's car would come out of the main exit to the school.  That exit was just too narrow to handle "The Beast".  

 After a while of standing in the sun, we heard that the President was leaving the event.  We got ready to wave.  The police helicopter was flying overhead.  That meant that it was about five minutes before he was going to leave.  They fly above buildings along the route to ensure there are no snipers or other bad actors around.  Then, the police motorcycles started revving their engines.  They pulled out and turned onto Harden Street in front of us.  Then came the police cars, followed by a Secret Service car.  Then, one limousine.  Obama was in the second limousine (The Beast).  We waved.  I saw the profile of his face through the thick glass of the window and then the back of his head.  If I had blinked, I would have missed it.  They drove fast down Harden Street followed by more Secret Service cars and press busses. 

 Some people on our corner said they didn't see him.  I did, however briefly, just like my encounter with George W. Bush in Greenville a few years before.  I understand that Presidents need to be protected, especially what happened in Dallas in 1963.  I just wish we lived in a world where they could "press the flesh" more without the worry of being shot.  That's a pipe dream.