Shake a President's hand

I shook Barack Obama’s hand in 2005. He wasn’t President at the time…but, I might accomplish this one on a technicality if he wins the upcoming election!

... unless I happen to be wearing a joy buzzer at the time.

A friend and I were in our (then) home town of Little Rock, Arkansas, completely bored one evening. We went downtown to the Excelsior hotel to ride up and down the glass elevator to pass the time. When the door opened at the top floor, we heard a live big band playing. We were young jazz musicians at the time, so we got out of the elevator to go see who was playing.

We poked our heads into a ballroom to see a room full of people in tuxedos, an ice sculpture, a huge spread of food, and a big band partially made up of musicians we knew from the area jazz scene. So, like any young punk musician would, we walked in to listen (uninvited and underdressed).

After a few minutes, we discovered the purpose of the party. It was a pre-campaign fund raiser for Bill Clinton. We found out, because Bill Clinton walked up to us, shaked our hands, and asked how we were doing. We told him were musicians and just wanted to listen to the band. I was a saxophonist, like Bill (but better—God he’s awful). He was very friendly, and didn’t kick us out himself.

A few minutes after he walked away, a security guard ejected us.

I shook President Clinton’s hand at an event that he had a while back. And, I got to shake John Kerry’s hand while he was campaigning. Too bad Bush won again.

I shook President Clinton’s hand early one Saturday morning while jogging with a buddy on the mall. He was jogging, too, running down 17th street from the white house, with Sec Service on either side of him.

I was star struck and couldn’t think of a thing to say. I’ve thought of a lot of clever things I could have said since that day.

So when you get your chance, be ready!

I don’t care. Repub, Dem, Indie… I just want to shake a President’s hand.

I was on a cruise with Jimmy Carter and got to shake his hand a book signing. Also I stood next to him and talked about fishing as we did a “muster” drill right after boarding. Turns out if the ship had gone down, I was going to be in good company.

I shook Bill’s hand a few times when i was an itern at the white house years back. All i can say is the man has charisma. More charisma than i have been in the same room with since. He stares right at you and for a second you think, “he really does share all of my values, understand me, and plan to fight for what i believe in.”

still sad to see him go.