Monday, April 23, 2012

That Time We Saw The President

Well, sort of anyways. According to my students, I never actually "saw" the president, but I think it counts!

Let' start at the beginning...

Remember when we went to Tampa for our friend's wedding? Well, when I was telling you about the hotel we were staying at, I left out the little detail that we just so happened to see the President of the United States.

We pulled up at our hotel a little early. Okay, about an hour earlier than we were suppose to be there for check-in. I got my travel times a little mixed up, sue me. As we were getting out of our car and walking through the parking lot towards the lobby, we noticed an unmarked police car, with their lights on, pulling out of our parking lot and into the road. I think what caught my eye more was the fact that the cars weren't moving out of the cop's way. They couldn't.


I looked towards the intersection (our hotel was literally right on the corner), and there was a cop directing traffic. Seemed odd. We had just driven through that intersection not even 5 minutes earlier, and there wasn't a cop then. I didn't notice an accident, but even if there had been one, there is no way the cops would have been able to respond that quickly to the scene.

Then, all of a sudden, the cop from the unmarked car jumped out and started to tell people to be patient, they were making way for the President of the United States. Someone in one of the cars screamed like a little school girl. I turned to the hubby with a look of disbelief. There was no way the president was actually in Tampa, let alone going past our hotel.



Another bystander said it was probably a drill. They had been practicing things like this for the upcoming Republican National Convention. He called out to the cop and asked if this was another practice drill. She said no, this wasn't a drill, and then told the guy to back away from the street.

So what did I do? Grabbed my camera out of my purse and waited for the motorcade to drive by. The hubby asked why I was getting a picture of a president I didn't even like. I said, "I don't care what his politics are, he's the president, and I'm getting a picture!" (I should probably mention here that I'm not a big fan of most politicians, regardless of political affiliation. I don't think our country is being run properly, and it has nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat, but everything to do with a lack of common sense.)

So without further ado, here's Obama and his motorcade on their way to the airport in Tampa.




At first I wondered why so many motorcycle cops were needed, but then I realized that they were covering all of the smaller driveways along the route. They were so synchronized. It was really cool to see.






There were two identical limos. Not quite sure which one he was in. I'm sure it's like Air Force One - two identical models, but they switch off being occupied by the president.





Still not quite sure why he needed a fire rescue to follow him. And I'm pretty sure some of those vehicles weren't necessary. But, hey, when your job warrants an entourage, go big or go home, right? Unless it's costing tax payers some major moolah.

My students say that I saw the president's car, not the president himself, so it doesn't actually count as "seeing" the president. If you ask me, I think it counts. What do you think? Have you ever met a famous political figure

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