I recieved a cryptic call yesterday from the woman who headed the Triangle for Obama group yesterday saying that if I wanted to help volunteer at an event featuring Obama tomorrow, show up at 1201 Edwards Mill Rd at 8:00 pm that evening.  I would also need to be available for most of the day today.

I went to the meeting and Obama's advance team was there telling us that Obama was going to be giving his first official speech of the general election today and he was going to be kicking off a 2-week cycle of speeches featuring the economy in North Carolina.  North Carolina has not voted Democratic since Jimmy Carter in 1976 but due to Obama's strong showing in the primaries, they hoped to make NC "blue" this year.

There were 3 cardinal rules:  1.  No running; 2.  No Yelling; and 3) No talking to the press.  After awhile, they split us into teams:  ushers, line folks, voter registration, and press.  I volunteered to assist the press.  Later, we met with the press liason who briefed us further.  The event was divided into three groups:  the attendees, the press, and the Senator.  Our job was to make sure the three groups remained independent.  Furthermore, there was local press and the traveling press corps.  Those groups also were to remain separate.  We were briefed on the security procedures and assigned areas within the press zone to be covered.  I was picked to work the main riser area -- the areas where all the television crews would be so that the speech could be covered by the major networks. 

I was able to bring my 10-year-old son who is a big Obama fan.  He even got to miss a day of school -- making him an even BIGGER obama fan.  We arrived at around 9:30 a.m. and it was already 100 degrees outside.  We waited for about 40 minutes out in the sun while the secret service swept the building with bomb-sniffing dogs one last time.  Soon we were let in -- the volunteers went through security first.  We had to place our bags in a pile so that the dogs could sniff them.  However, this was also true of all the press as well. 

We were inside the building and at our "post" for about 2 hours prior to Senator Obama's arrival.  My son was regretting not having brought anything to read and I let him use my cell phone to play solitare.  I couple of reporters approached us -- apprently they were interested in what my son might have to say about this event -- the invitation-only crowd did not include many children.  I politefully declined since we were volunteers and again, cardinal rule number 3 was "though shalt not talk to the press". 

Soon there was a bustle of activity as a bus brought in the traveling press corps.  They had to move quickly because they only had a few minutes to set up their cameras and to get into position before Senator Obama took the stage. 

Soon cheers went through the crowd and everyone started raising their cell phones to try to capture something... what they were trying to capture -- no one knew.  My son and I decided to stay back in the press area and positioned ourselves on the main riser alongside the national and local camera crews -- definitely among the best seats in the house. 

Governer Mike Easely was the first to come on stage.  Having endorsed Hillary Clinton during the primary, this would have been the first meeting between Obama and Easely since the NC primary in May.  Gov. Easely received a standing ovation when he announced to the crowd that he may have been late boarding the train (referring to his endorsement of Clinton) but he would much rather be on the caboose of the Obama wagon instead of leading the way for McCain. 

Easely introduced Obama and the two greeted each other with a fist bump and it was obvious that there were no hard feelings.  Obama started out by expressing his gratitude and admiration for Hillary Clinton and her historic run.  He also introduced John and Elizabeth Edwards as well as Governers from Montana and West Virginia -- the irony of the latter was interesting since Obama had received such a drubbing in West Virginia. 

After the speech, my son and I rushed up to the front where the "rope line" was being conducted -- not so much a "rope line" as Obama making a loop in front of the stage to shake hands.  We almost got close enough to shake his hand.  However, the secret service next to Obama was kind enough to take our copy of Obama's book backstage so that Obama could autograph it for us. 

It was an interesting atmosphere while we waited several minutes for our book to be returned.  Some of the secret service were posing for pictures with attendees -- nearly celebrities in their own right.  I was impressed and surprised at how personable and friendly the SS detail was despite their grim "men in black" persona.  "Backstage" was separated by blue curtains and at one point, I tried to peak through the crack into the back.  The secret service politely but firmly told me that that wasn't acceptable.  As one of them told me "there are good times to be curious and bad times ... this is a bad time."

Soon they brought out the book and my son and I left.  Overall, the event was like a Wagnerian Opera -- moments of greatness interspersed amongst hours of relative boredom.  However, we both felt like we had come as close to history as one can come and both left very excited.

I just hope my boss doesn't see me on the news because since I called in sick this morning so I could attend.  But it was worth it!