I got off the flight from West Palm Beach and walked quickly to Gate C9 at Reagan Airport in Washington DC to catch the flight to Manchester, NH. As I was walking I realized I had been in this airport before, and that I had taken a flight from this gate before, so there was no reason to rush. As I approached the gate, I saw Senator John McCain to my right. He seemed to be looking for someone or something. As I was just about level with him, I found myself saying, "Senator."
He looked up at me. He was shorter than me, and smaller than I thought he would be.
"I read Faith of Our Fathers, your biography."
He nodded. I thought to myself that he was aware of the fact that he had written the book. His grandfather had been an Admiral in WW II and his father had been an Admiral during the Vietnam War. John Mcain was an Annapolis graduate (near the bottom of his class!), a pilot, and a prisoner of war for 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton. He had been tortured and required significant surgery when he returned home to repair broken bones. He was a genuine American hero, and the most famous person I had ever met.
"I thought the book was great." I said. He looked me straight in the eye and we shook hands. I couldn't get over that he looked just like he did on TV. I just couldn't believe I had just met him.
As it turned out, he was on the same flight I was, to Manchester, NH, whose primary he won in 2004. I had just heard on the news that there had been significant resignations from his campaign; most of his top staff had left, and he was just about out of money. Still, I thought it a shame that while he would make a great president, he had little chance of winning the Republican nomination.
