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In reply to the discussion: If you got to have dinner with Obama... [View all]pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)My friend and her daughter attended a Memorial Day breakfast there. They did not expect the Obamas to be there, but the arival was announced with a request that the guests remain seated, and then the Obamas entered and proceeded to move from table to table to meet everyone (80-100 people at tables seating 8 each).
When the President got to my friend and asked, "How are you?" she couldn't help exclaiming, "You're my favorite President!" President Obama responded, "That deserves a hug."
So my friend and her daughter both got big hugs from both the President and Michelle, and then the daughter ended up in a long talk with the First Lady about being moms with daughters of the same age. Eventually the President said, "Michelle," and made a motion indicating it was time to go. Michelle replied, "We're having a mom chat here." The President: "We need to leave now."
The only time policy came up (sort of) was when my friend told the President that her husband was listed as MIA in Vietnam for years before being declared KIA. She said the President told her, "We made a lot of mistakes in that war. I hope we've learned enough to avoid repeating them again."
It was a neat story about the meeting, and my friend and her daughter were so impressed at the warmth and sincerity of the Obamas that when the Secretary of Defense ended up being seated with them, it was no BFD, lol. (Panetta immedately turned to the young woman seated next to him, a Naval Academy Midshipman, and engaged her in conversation.)
We may not have our names drawn to do something like this, Peg, so I guess we'll just have to settle for these vicarious thrills.