My first day back to work this week has been slightly more eventful than most, since the Decider-in-Chief is in Chattanooga today to address his latest health care policies. President Bush spoke to a group at Erlanger Medical Center, a local hospital that has historically been the area’s health-care leader (but has been in financial trouble in recent years). He also spoke at the Chattanooga Trade and Convention Center, which is two blocks away from where I work. The president’s motorcade came down our street on both occasions (unless it was a cleverly-disguised decoy motorcade), so I was presumably within a few feet of him. I guess it doesn’t matter whether I approve of him or not, because it was still pretty cool.
There were a handful of supporters and protesters lined up along the street, and I could only read one of the protesters’ signs from my building (“Mr. President, what about our veterans?”). One of our local news stations got a great quote from a 7-year-old kid who was lined up to see Bush go by:
Asked why he likes the president, the son of an Army officer replied, “I don’t know, I just like him.”
Interestingly, his opinion of the president is not that much more complex than a lot of folks I know around here. I’m only partially kidding.
Hopefully there won’t be State Troopers at every interstate exit on the way home this evening. I hear they were making lots of money for the state this morning by pulling people over while they kept Bush safe.
jfwiii.net 