Before you ask....

No, unfortunately, I was not able to see President Bush last night and I'm a bit bummed out because of it. The man was literally in my "back yard" so to speak, but I was not able to break away from my desk to be able to get there in time. How close was I? Think of it this way, you're at work and you get a phone call saying the President is right down the road at a neighbor's house, and you can't see him because you have a staff meeting to go to or because you can't get through traffic in time. That's what it was like last night. By the time I did break away from my desk they had locked down the palace and wouldn't let anyone in because he was getting ready to leave. Some people I work with were able to see so I did get some first hand reports of it.

The funny thing was that when I did get back to my room, I turned on Fox News and they were showing "video tape taken only moments ago" of the President as he was saying farewell to the troops. Well, I could have thrown a rock from where I stood to where my Commander in Chief had been only "moments ago".

Even though I didn't see him, it still means a lot to me (and most of us) that he took the time to come over here. I think some people don't understand what it means to a soldier to have a President that genuinely cares about us and takes opportunities to boost our morale. Not one who is just looking for "photo ops". With this man, you can tell that he is being sincere.

All is well here.