By MIKE SIMONS Staff Photographer on Mar 25, 2012, at 4:00 AM Updated on 3/23 at 11:49 AM
I don't care what time you go to bed; when your alarm goes off at 2 a.m., you haven't gotten enough sleep.
It hurts when you wake up that early. Early mornings and long days are pretty typical when you are covering the president.
I have covered Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. And no matter how early the wakeup call, or how you feel about a particular president's politics, you can't help but be impressed when the speaker says the words, "Ladies and gentleman the President of the United States." I have never heard it without getting chills.
The amount of work that goes into a visit like this is stunning, from the traveling journalists to the president's advance team and the security personnel that conduct sweep after sweep to make sure the 11-and-a-half-minute speech is safe for the president.
After speaking, President Obama walks up to the front row and starts shaking hands. One person after another reacts in sheer amazement as they speak to the most powerful person in the world. For just a minute, it is easy to forget how polarizing one person can be.
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
