When I first heard the most famous person on the planet was planning to visit Ottawa I knew I wanted to be there. If our generation has a voice a la Dr. King or Winston Churchill Obama is it. The man is a masterful orator and if he was going to speak I wanted to be there. I immediately called my MP and booked tickets to parliament in case the President were to address the house and I eagerly marked the date on my calendar. As media updates trickled out and it became apparent that there was to be no public speaking engagement I lost my enthusiasm and pondered whether or not to brave the cold at the Hill merely for a chance of seeing the man from a distance. I spoke to my dad yesterday about it and we came to the conclusion that in addition to being the world's most famous person he is also the world's biggest target and why would I go out of my way to try and be near such a dangerous entity? So I decided to give it a miss. Then I woke up this morning a bit earlier than usual and after a coffee and an internet session I found myself playing Spider forty minutes before Barack's scheduled arrival at Parliament Hill, and I found it hard to believe I was just sitting here wasting time when with just a modicum of effort I could be a witness to today's biggest news story. Living as I do a handful of metres from the Presidential route and a reasonable walk to the Hill I set out. And immediately came accross a bevy of police. I mean within a hundred metre radius of my house there must have been fourteen cops. I soon found out that it was virtually impossible for me to get to the Hill. With Obama scheduled to drive by in just a half-hour nobody was allowed to walk across Colonel By Drive. It was suggested I wait with the others where Main Street meets the canal. I'll admit I was a bit plussed about having my movements as a citizen restricted just because a car was eventually going to drive by, but I joined the fifty or so others waiting patiently for their glimpses of the man. As I waited I noticed that the street was uncharacteristically lined with flags, half Canadian and half American. It looks pretty nice actually. I hope they leave half of them up there after the visit. I also noticed cop cars and OC Transpo buses marked CHARTER in abundance in pretty much every direction. I boggles my mind to think how much this visit must cost. Just as I was considering walking home and watching it on tv, the guy beside me got a message that the motorcade was on it's way. We heard the helicopters first, and soon we could see one fairly high up above Colonel By Drive. Then came a pair of Ottawa Police cars, and another pair, then another. In all I think about 14 local cop cars went by at thirty second intervals. Then the all black mysterious looking vehicles paraded by; weird shaped vans and small buses and SUV's and RV's, all black as night and all with expensive looking diodes and radars and cameras sticking out of them. Then came the official Presidential limos, with a second, Rambo-like helicopter hovering about fifty feet above them. There were four limos, each with the flags on the front fenders and each with a single black man in the back waving to the crowd through darkened windows. That's right folks, it was Barack and the Fauxbamas. Of course, it's quite possible that none of them were the real President. Regardless, the limos were followed bay another barrage of jet-black vehicles of officialdom. I'd say there were about forty or fifty vehicles in all, plus the two helicopters. Frankly, it was pretty impressive. Especially the chopper that hovered close to the limos. That's totally only-in-the-movies stuff, and that's the kinda stuff I dig. So of course I heard no speech and I quite possibly didn't even see the President, but really, for the three minutes I had to walk from my front door, and for a guy who tries to make a point of checking out unique events whenever possible, it was well worth it.
