The White House II
On Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25, members of the ZACKlyRight family were hosted at the White House by the Assistant to the President of the United States and Staff Secretary. The Staff Secretary is a childhood friend of yours truly; we go back to 1974.
The Staff Secretary is responsible for the paper flow into and out of the Oval Office. The position reports directly to the President just as the Cabinet Secretaries, the Chief of Staff and the Vice President do. The Staff Secretary sits in on all meetings where prepared comments of the President are discussed. The Staff Secretary, or his Deputy, always accompanies the President if he is away from the White House for more than a day.
On Thursday morning, April 24, we were greeted at the Northwest Gate of the White House by the Staff Secretary and his Administrative Assistant (security/background checks having been previously conducted by the FBI). We were immediately escorted to the White House Mess, a formal dining room staffed by the United States Navy. As there is a Ward Room on a ship, a small dining room off the main dining room for the Captain’s use, so, too, there is a small dining room in the White House Mess. We lunched in the Ward Room with the Staff Secretary.
Concurrent with our lunch, Palestinian Authority President Abbas was meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office. As we dined, we were no more than 100 feet from this historic meeting (any “google” search will have news accounts of the meeting or please visit www.whitehouse.gov for the official account). Our lunch and the President’s meeting ended within 5 – 10 minutes of each other. As we were being escorted out of the White House, we were held up just before entering a reception area in the West Wing because President Abbas was also preparing to leave via the same door. US Marines, in dress blues, filled the reception area. We were waved through first.
Outside the White House a 10+ vehicle motorcade awaited President Abbas. We were escorted off the White House property but waited to see President Abbas’s motorcade leave. The security of this motorcade was impressive; there were no fewer than 4 Chevy Surburbans, each filled with security personnel toting machine guns held just below the window; two security personnel in jump seats in the back of each Suburban. Communictaion head-sets and sunglasses on everyone. Police cruisers and other sedans completed the motorcade. The motorcade whisked President Abbas away in a blur.
We were invited back to the White House at 6:45 pm for a private tour of the West Wing. The tour included a view of the Oval Office from two doorways. We met the President’s two Administrative Assistants and his “body man”, a 28 year-old young man who is the President’s personal aide.
We were allowed inside the Situation Room.
The West Wing tour ended in the Press Room, the only room in the West Wing where we were allowed to take pictures. There are pictures of me sitting in the assigned seats of the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal's correspondents.
We returned to the White House at 8:30 Friday morning. As we learned from the night before, if a US Marine guard, in dress blues, is stationed outside the West Wing, it is a sign the President is in the Oval. A US Marine was stationed outside the West Wing; we entered though the door the Marine was manning and he crisply opened the door for us. We were immediately led to the South Lawn of the White House to view the President’s brief comments regarding the forthcoming stimulus checks (again, a google search will provide for the news accounts of the event or www.whitehouse.gov). The Staff Secretary did not meet us upon our arrival because he was with the President in the Oval Office assisting with the President signing a proclamation recognizing Malaria Awareness Day and putting the finishing touches on his stimulus check remarks.
We were standing in the press area; the only “civilians” in the area (other guests were a good 30 yards behind us). We were 15 feet from the President when he made his remarks. Upon completion of his speech, the President made his way to Marine One, the Marine helicopter that ferries him to and from Andrews Air Force Base among other places.
Prior to the speech, we saw Marine One land on the South Lawn. It blows like a hurricane. Very exciting for kids (big and small!). When the President finished his speech and walked toward Marine One, he was joined by the First Lady, Laura Bush (I have great pictures of all of this). We saw Marine One depart with the President, the First Lady, a Marine carrying the “football” and other support personnel.
Making our way to enjoy the last event of our visit, a private tour of the East Wing, we saw the Vice President leave the White House (we were 20 feet away). As scary looking as the Abbas motorcade was, the Vice President’s was even scarier. The security was considerably more. The precision with which he is put into the car is something to behold. Those assigned to protect him, protect him. Those assigned to counter any assault are poised to do just that. He smiled at us and gave us a friendly wave . . . and he was gone.
It’s unbelievable, but a private East Wing tour that immediately followed was anti-climatic.
I learned many tidbits in over the course of my 24 hour visit but this is my favorite: the President and Lance Armstrong have a bet on who will achieve the lowest resting heart rate. I do not know the date of measurement nor the stakes, however.
On Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25, members of the ZACKlyRight family were hosted at the White House by the Assistant to the President of the United States and Staff Secretary. The Staff Secretary is a childhood friend of yours truly; we go back to 1974.
The Staff Secretary is responsible for the paper flow into and out of the Oval Office. The position reports directly to the President just as the Cabinet Secretaries, the Chief of Staff and the Vice President do. The Staff Secretary sits in on all meetings where prepared comments of the President are discussed. The Staff Secretary, or his Deputy, always accompanies the President if he is away from the White House for more than a day.
On Thursday morning, April 24, we were greeted at the Northwest Gate of the White House by the Staff Secretary and his Administrative Assistant (security/background checks having been previously conducted by the FBI). We were immediately escorted to the White House Mess, a formal dining room staffed by the United States Navy. As there is a Ward Room on a ship, a small dining room off the main dining room for the Captain’s use, so, too, there is a small dining room in the White House Mess. We lunched in the Ward Room with the Staff Secretary.
Concurrent with our lunch, Palestinian Authority President Abbas was meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office. As we dined, we were no more than 100 feet from this historic meeting (any “google” search will have news accounts of the meeting or please visit www.whitehouse.gov for the official account). Our lunch and the President’s meeting ended within 5 – 10 minutes of each other. As we were being escorted out of the White House, we were held up just before entering a reception area in the West Wing because President Abbas was also preparing to leave via the same door. US Marines, in dress blues, filled the reception area. We were waved through first.
Outside the White House a 10+ vehicle motorcade awaited President Abbas. We were escorted off the White House property but waited to see President Abbas’s motorcade leave. The security of this motorcade was impressive; there were no fewer than 4 Chevy Surburbans, each filled with security personnel toting machine guns held just below the window; two security personnel in jump seats in the back of each Suburban. Communictaion head-sets and sunglasses on everyone. Police cruisers and other sedans completed the motorcade. The motorcade whisked President Abbas away in a blur.
We were invited back to the White House at 6:45 pm for a private tour of the West Wing. The tour included a view of the Oval Office from two doorways. We met the President’s two Administrative Assistants and his “body man”, a 28 year-old young man who is the President’s personal aide.
We were allowed inside the Situation Room.
The West Wing tour ended in the Press Room, the only room in the West Wing where we were allowed to take pictures. There are pictures of me sitting in the assigned seats of the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal's correspondents.
We returned to the White House at 8:30 Friday morning. As we learned from the night before, if a US Marine guard, in dress blues, is stationed outside the West Wing, it is a sign the President is in the Oval. A US Marine was stationed outside the West Wing; we entered though the door the Marine was manning and he crisply opened the door for us. We were immediately led to the South Lawn of the White House to view the President’s brief comments regarding the forthcoming stimulus checks (again, a google search will provide for the news accounts of the event or www.whitehouse.gov). The Staff Secretary did not meet us upon our arrival because he was with the President in the Oval Office assisting with the President signing a proclamation recognizing Malaria Awareness Day and putting the finishing touches on his stimulus check remarks.
We were standing in the press area; the only “civilians” in the area (other guests were a good 30 yards behind us). We were 15 feet from the President when he made his remarks. Upon completion of his speech, the President made his way to Marine One, the Marine helicopter that ferries him to and from Andrews Air Force Base among other places.
Prior to the speech, we saw Marine One land on the South Lawn. It blows like a hurricane. Very exciting for kids (big and small!). When the President finished his speech and walked toward Marine One, he was joined by the First Lady, Laura Bush (I have great pictures of all of this). We saw Marine One depart with the President, the First Lady, a Marine carrying the “football” and other support personnel.
Making our way to enjoy the last event of our visit, a private tour of the East Wing, we saw the Vice President leave the White House (we were 20 feet away). As scary looking as the Abbas motorcade was, the Vice President’s was even scarier. The security was considerably more. The precision with which he is put into the car is something to behold. Those assigned to protect him, protect him. Those assigned to counter any assault are poised to do just that. He smiled at us and gave us a friendly wave . . . and he was gone.
It’s unbelievable, but a private East Wing tour that immediately followed was anti-climatic.
I learned many tidbits in over the course of my 24 hour visit but this is my favorite: the President and Lance Armstrong have a bet on who will achieve the lowest resting heart rate. I do not know the date of measurement nor the stakes, however.
posted by Zack at 5:51 PM
5 Comments:
wow! good for you and your family.
True Centrist,
Thank you.
And, where have you been?
April 27; 8:05 PM
i read often, but i don't contribute much anymore
I have serious doubts about our presidential security -- they let a nut job like you in the White House?
Just kidding, sounds like a phenomenal experience that kids both young and old will never forget.
Conscience,
In all honesty, there is one moment when one Secret Service Agent shared your concern.
While watching the President leave the podium and make his way to M1, I saw the First Lady come out of the White House at the opposite end of the press pen. The press pen I was in was 20' x 40' running long ways from the podium so the President was some 50' from the First Lady. Well, the back half of the pen was completely empty so I walked to the rope line and was only 10 feet from the First Lady. She passed, met the President and they continued together to M1. I turned 180 degrees to get back to my family and there was a Secret Service agent (suited) 2 feet behind me.
April 29; 6:08 pm
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