<p>Today, I am thoroughly excited to have the opportunity to be in a crowd of only 500 to hear Barack Obama speak! He is my current most admired speaker -I have always found his oracle skills to be outstanding. Going with my college aged son who is also a huge admirer.</p>
<p>I’ve seen Reagan and Bush #1 when they did their train tour stop visits. I think i might have seen a glimpse of Clinton, but i dont seem to have good memory of it. Obama will hopefully now be added to my list!</p>
<p>Who’s on your “I’ve seen/met/heard the President” list???</p>
<p>The only one I’ve ever seen in person was Nixon.</p>
<p>I was a teenager at the time, and he was in his first term. He dedicated the then-new Italian Center in Stamford, Connecticut, which was about a dozen miles from where I lived in Norwalk, and I went to the event with some friends.</p>
<p>The helicopter landed so close to where the audience was waiting for the outdoor event that it blew vast amounts of dust all over the crowd. </p>
<p>I don’t remember a word of what Nixon said; I was too busy trying to get a speck of dust out of my eye.</p>
<p>Also, I think you meant “oratorical” rather than “oracle,” although the latter would be even more interesting. ;)</p>
<p>Ford and Carter both spoke in the early 1980s (together, an astonishing idea in this day and age, given that they were from different parties!) after their presidencies were over. I heard them at University of Michigan in a fairly small venue when I was a student there.</p>
<p>Have seen Obama speak several times, although the crowd is never small. :)</p>
<p>I saw Clinton twice. Once was when he spoke to an event in NYC for some organization called “People for a Better NY,” or some such. The second was when he, Hillary, and Chelsea landed in a helicopter at the Block Island, RI airport, where DH and I happened to be for a weekend. The Clintons were being hosted by one of RI’s senators. </p>
<p>I’ve also heard Hillary speak several times.</p>
<p>I guess I was with the “in” crowd during the '90s. Not since then. :(</p>
<p>I met (as in having an actual conversation) Hilary, Allen Ginsberg, Bobby Kennedy, Mohammed Ali, and John Lennon. Isaw JFK, Nixon, and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Spent time w/ Abbie Hoffman at Woodstock. Got propositioned by David Peel at Woodstock (rocker) and proposed to by Ron Kovic (Born on the Fourth of July) whom I barely knew.</p>
<p>I should stress in all these cases I was in the right place at the right time. I am a total nonentity.</p>
<p>My D and a couple of friends saw President Obama. They were on the sidewalk in front of their NYC public school, deciding what to do for lunch, when a limo came slowly by. They saw the president, he saw them and waved. They jumped up and down screaming.</p>
<p>I saw Obama and got my picture with him when he was campaigning in my town. I also got to meet XiJing Ping, the Vice President of China. He will actually be the President by the end of this year.</p>
<p>When we were near Kennebunkport (in Ogunquit) with my parents, our tourist bus driver said, “Look over there and you’ll see the senior Bush and Gorbachev.” I thought he was pulling our legs (dumb tourists!), but he wasn’t! They were going into Barnacle Billy’s, a popular restaurant. They were eating out on the deck, which wasn’t crowded at all, so we decided to get a table. They were just a few yards away. So cool! Gorbachev was wearing a red, blue, and white outfit - looking liked jogging clothes.</p>
<p>We got to talk with Laura Bush when she came to read to my son’s preschool class in southern Maine (I’m not sure why she came!). We wore our Texas garb, and all her aides were excited to see it. This was before she was First Lady, but I suspected she might be, so we asked her to sign our family journal. She told us all about the house they were in the process of building in Crawford. She was so gracious and sweet! After she read the Halloween story, she asked the kids what they were going to dress up as. My son piped up with, “A boot!” She didn’t quite know how to reply to that one.</p>
<p>I was in a hotel in London. I never miss breakfast, so I was in the hotel restaurant very early one morning when secret service walked in, surveyed the place, stared at me (the only other occupant of the room), then sat down. Then in walked President Clinton. He and about 4 men all sat at the table next to mine. And yes, I definitely eavesdropped for the entire meal…</p>
<p>I’m also very intrigued by the Secret Service. I went to a Dole rally once and spent most of the time watching them. I’ve never heard anyone talk about it, but despite all the dark suits with earpieces around, the one in charge seemed to be a guy off to the side, wearing just a sweater and khakis with a very discreet earpiece. I only happened to notice him because I’d always heard the way to identify secret service is to watch the ones watching you instead of looking at the stage. This guy never looked at the stage, he talked into his wrist a couple of times, and I saw him next to Dole’s bus later. It made me wonder how many other plainclothes secret service are around in the crowd. I really admire their work.</p>
<p>I met Jimmy Carter in 1978 at a large convention. I was National Hostess at the event so it was my job to introduce him for his presentation. We traditionally met them and chatted before hand backstage. I was so excited and impressed that he called me by name … then someone pointed out that my name was on my jacket!</p>
<p>I haven’t actually seen/met/heard a president, but I did get to pet one of LBJ’s beagles in 1966 while waiting outside to tour the White House. I also saw Jackie Kennedy while shopping at Bloomingdale’s in the early 1970’s and heard/met Teddy Kennedy while he was running for president in 1980.</p>
<p>I almost saw President Bush. For D’s sweet 16, we had about 10 of her closest girlfriends stay overnight in a NYC hotel. Secret Service guys were swarming around the hotel and they cleaned out the entire parking garage for extra security. As I’m standing near the elevator rounding up all these 15 and 16 year old girls, calling “Kate Kaitlin Emma Sara Sarah Kelly” etc. I looked at the guys and said, “I think I have the tougher job here.” They agreed.</p>
<p>Saw JFK in a parade in my home town. Saw LBJ speak at my older brother’s college graduation. (Showing my age?) Don’t think I’ve seen any other Presidents.</p>
<p>I saw Gerald Ford years ago. And Bill Clinton when he was Knox College’s commencement speaker.</p>
<p>My dd met Obama when he was an Illinois senator. She even had her picture taken with him; but sadly the girl who took the picture never sent it to her :(</p>
<p>My family was planning to see JFK. He was scheduled to speak in our town, and we were going to attend. I was really young, but very very excited about seeing the president. Then at the last moment, he cancelled because of a cold. Of course, the “cold” turned out to be the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was very mad at the Russians for making me miss seeing Kennedy.</p>
<p>I saw a whole group of them at once at the opening of the Nixon library in my hometown area. Then, saw a group of them again at Nixon’s funeral…again in my hometown area. It was an cloudy day, and then when Reagan walked in the, clouds parted and the sun shined. Even the media was moved and reported it. </p>
<p>Saw both Reagan and HWBush upclose at a rally in my hometown area as well. We got driven around by one of their peeps.</p>
<p>I’ve seen George H.W. Bush (within the last five years or so). I met friends for lunch and noticed his Secret Service detail. They escorted him out of the restaurant. He looked fragile in person.</p>
<p>Oldest daughter and husband ran into Lady Bird Johnson at the LBJ Presidential Library.</p>
<p>Barbara Bush read to my youngest daughter’s fifth-grade class. She brought her dog to the story time - and her Secret Service guys. I asked if she wore pearls and amazed my youngest with vast knowledge. :)</p>
<p>My youngest daughter recently visited with Laura Bush at a reception. She found Mrs. Bush extremely nice.</p>
<p>It looks like we do better with presidential wives.</p>
to hear Barack Obama speak! He is my current most admired speaker -I have always found his oracle skills to be outstanding. Going with my college aged son who is also a huge admirer.</p>