I was on a flight to Seattle, and lo and behold, Barack Obama and his security team came on the flight. Turns out, Barack was my seat mate in the First Class cabin. We chatted and talked like we had been old friends forever. Of course it helped I also hailed from Chicago, so we discussed places we liked to frequent when visiting our fair city. Most of all, I remember we both made each other laugh during the flight. I told him I was pretty sure he needed to study some briefs or whatever, and that I didn’t want to interrupt. He said he did have about 15-minutes of “study,” but he could do that when he got to his hotel. So we just conversed about “this and that” and had a few chuckles along the way. I left with the impression our country was in really, really good hands. Hail to the Chief!

From a Republican businesswoman in Washington state, in February of 2009.

The dreamer describes herself as follows: “I’m a single woman and own my own thriving business. I have been a self-employed business owner over 25-years. While I voted for John McCain, in my heart of hearts, I always felt Barack would be the better president. I’m also a sucker for the underdog. When I voted in Seattle on election day, the presidency was pretty much called by the time I went to cast my vote. I pondered. I figured I’ll vote for the underdog–the guy who ISN’T going to win. I actually was starting to feel sorry for McCain. I always liked McCain’s policies for entrepreneurs like myself—so it wasn’t all out of pity that I voted for him. But my admiration shined for Barack. I was so proud to see him accept the nomination in Grant Park–where I used to live across the street for over 10-years! I cried. I wished I was back in Chicago!”