Imagine spending eleven hours in a school bus? Not a moving bus, a parked one.
Last week I photographed President Obama's campaign rally in New Hampshire.
It happened on a city common. Buses were parked in tight lines along the edge of the area.
Nobody got transported by these buses. The sole purpose of these buses was security.
They blocked the line of sight between the president and anyone outside the event. They
acted as a deterrent to the unauthorized entry of vehicles. I'm no expert on these matters,
but I'll surmise that these buses would act as a buffer in case of an explosion.
I walked by the driver (in the photo) during the late afternoon. She was tired and bored.
The job required her to remain on or near the bus except for trips to the bathroom. She arrived on site at 7:30 AM. She anticipated leaving at 6:30 PM.
During the president's appearance, she was not allowed to open the windows facing the
common.
I recall a story about vice president Harry Truman in 1945. He got an urgent message to
go to the White House. He and his driver got in a car and drove there. No security protected
him en route. No motorcade cleared the way. He waited in traffic like anyone else.
When Truman got to the White House, he was informed that President Roosevelt had
passed away. So it was not vice president Truman who had driven over, it had been
President Truman, even though he hadn't realize it.
Why has the world become so dangerous that bus barricades must surround our president? Can we ever go back to an age of innocence, when it was safe for a president to hop into a car and drive somewhere on his own?
I believe it's possible, but not anytime soon.
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