Mr. Obama Goes to Washington

Dad says goodbye at school, then tries to instruct George on diplomacy.

Monday
November 10
Chicago to Washington, D.C.

Barack Obama will have his first meeting with George Bush as president-elect at the White House today. But first, the pool gathers and follows him to the University of Chicago Lab School were the First Dad drops off Malia and Sasha, 2 very adorable daughters, at the school. Dressed for his usual morning workout, Obama emerges first from the SUV, reaches in and carries each girl to the street. The girls seem to relish in the attention from us 4 photographers and ABC camera crew. Malia seems to be carrying a flute case and both girls have large, overstuffed backpacks. Each gets a kiss and hug from Dad, and they are off.

Dad goes to the gym, then home to change, then we head to O’Hare airport. Since he is not president yet, we actually have to weave our way through traffic, though with 2 Chicago police cars in front and several SUV’s full of Secret Service agents it’s much easier than doing it yourself. We climb on board an American Airlines charter flight, a MD-80 plane for the 20-25 or so people in our entourage. Gone is the 757 Change We Need Obama plane used by the campaign.

The president-elect wanders back to the first row of economy to talk to some aides and we get shots of the relaxed man just hours from the historic meeting in Washington.

Much warmer in Washington as we arrive, this time he gets the full presidential treatment as they close down highways and streets. Large groups of people gathered on corners along the route cheer as the motorcade drives by. We enter the White House South Lawn and race out of the mini-bus only to miss Bush greeting Obama. Fortunately all in the pool have colleagues to get that photo, then we all run into the Rose Garden. In all the rushing I forget to look around and realize I’m at the White House that you usually see on tv or in photos. The future and almost former president walk along the ‘Colonnade’ for a photo op, occasionally waving and smiling to the harried photographers.

We then retreat to a cramped media room to send the photos.
I find a spot on top of a recycling trash can near an electrical outlet and spend the next hour on my knees peering into my computer to send the pictures. I see lots of friends from AFP and the other wire services. At the appointed time the pool is herded out to the motorcade, I stop and snap photos of the front of the White House like a tourist.
More crowds on the streets wave good bye to Obama and we head home to Chicago after an eventful day in Washington.

Election Night

Tuesday
November 4
Chicago

Grant Park in Chicago was the site for the huge election night rally for Barack Obama. I had been there with AFP technician Jerry since late Friday setting up our coverage and dealing with the Obama advance team. I had the head-on position at the main press area, so I had a clear view of the stage.

Giant tv screens were set up around the park and CNN was the network of choice.
It was an amazing sight to see the thousands of people cheering as a state would be declared for Obama. The electoral vote tally kept increasing for Obama and at one point it really seemed certain he would win. Then shortly after 10 pm central time, the giant tv screen announced:

“CNN Projects
Barack Obama
Elected President”

A huge roar from the crowd as people cheered and many cried. In the frenzy to take pictures to capture the moment, I kept thinking, wow, it really happened.

Compared to other election night celebrations I’ve been to where there is a band playing or music in a hotel ballroom for donors or the well connected, this really seemed like a gathering of just people. I think the excitement was almost unbearable for some as they then waited for Obama to come out. “The new First Family” as they were announced, came out, Barack, Michelle with the 2 most adorable daughters Malia and Sasha come walking out onto the stage to another huge roar from the crowd. Along with Joe Biden and his family it was quite a scene.

I talked Vincent, the boss in Washington, who was walking in the streets of D.C. and he described people celebrating spontaneously, something he’d never seen there.
It was a long day for us, and almost hard to believe Obama had won and that America had really voted him in. T-shirt sales were brisk and the cashier at the pizza place we ate at already had his “Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama” shirt.


In front of the Obama stage and the sign marking our spot on the main press area.