Tuesday night I was surrounded by some of the most powerful people in America — President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
No, it wasn’t an erotic dream.
I was fortunate enough to attend the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol as a Scripps Howard News Service intern, and it was the defining moment in my journalism career thus far. I experienced more emotions than I have since I moved to Washington, D.C., four weeks ago. Mostly, the night was filled with nervous laughter.
Helicopters buzzed overhead as we walked toward the event and were met by four police officers on every corner. We were on Independence Avenue, and I couldn’t help but feel unnerved by the irony of the situation.
My anxiety about the security was laid to rest when we reached the press gallery, where we watched an instructional video on the Quick 2000 gas mask.
In theory, the Quick 2000 is designed to enable 20 minutes of breathing in the case of an emergency.
In practice, users of the mask must complete what seemed like 28 steps before they can breathe properly. The package even includes a rubber band for women to tie their hair above their necks before donning the mask.
The video concluded with the proper way to exit the building — at a rapid pace of 3 mph, which would carry the average walker three-fourths of a mile in 15 minutes.
Call me crazy, but I think it would take hundreds of State of the Union attendees more than 20 minutes to exit the building, let alone walk far enough away to avoid danger.
I definitely relaxed after witnessing everyone in the room snickering and poking fun at the Quick 2000.
My nervousness returned when we were permitted on the press balcony and watched the leaders of the free world enter the room. I was ecstatic to see all of Congress joined together for an event that happens only once every year.
Apparently, Congress, however, does not realize its power to dumbfound the typical American such as myself.
Of course, the Republican half of the chamber erupted in applause each time Bush spoke of something it supported, which was everything. The Democrats only applauded in support of topics such as AIDS treatment and anti-terrorism.
The Louisiana Senators — both Democrats — I was especially interested in. Sen. Mary Landrieu rarely appeared interested in the speech, while Sen. John Breaux attentively followed his copy of the president’s address with his finger and clapped at the end of almost every statement.
A few Congress members appeared to take notes, which I found admirable, even if they were just pretending.
And my favorite Congresswoman–Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. — chatted with Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., throughout the speech. Since we both are powerful women with strong opinions, I’m sure she was saying something important rather than gossiping.
One of the high points of the night was when the president gave Baton Rouge a shoutout. My fellow interns looked at me and smiled when Bush named the Healing Place Church as one of the nation’s drug addiction “recovery programs that do amazing work.”
Great. Louisiana finally was mentioned in a major presidential speech, and it was for helping drug addicts.
But I digress.
What was most shocking to me was hearing the president list all of Iraq’s hidden nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; I had no idea the extent of Saddam Hussein’s hatred against the United States and its allies.
I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Bush’s statement, “He clearly has much to hide.”
Uneasiness prevailed when the president spoke of sending members of the Armed Forces into war. I have several friends in the military, some already stationed overseas.
The thought of fighting, risking lives and mourning losses is something all Americans dread. But the speech made me realize war with Iraq wouldn’t be in vain.
All in all, I was impressed, mostly with the awe that went along with attending a State of the Union address.
Although I endured numerous security checkpoints and hours of standing around waiting, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.