President Clinton's Visit to Bonn
also known as "the day I shook the President's hand"
June 20, 1999: President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Bonn to present the Stimson Memorial Church as a gift to the City of Bonn. This was a welcome answer to our prayers, as we have been trying to raise money to buy the building or find a way to remain a church after the Embassy leaves. In one week, everything that we had worked for over a year came together - and so quickly! This German article from Express on June 19th explains the situation well and details the preparations for the church (or you can read my English translation - but remember that I did it quickly at 2 a.m. :-) ).
I was invited to see him along with 1300 other people (I was #319). I was very excited and didn't sleep well the night before. This was a big day. Our Senior Pastor had his last day and we had a potluck for him - and it was my 4th anniversary here in Bonn. Yes, I landed on June 20, 1995 and the rest is history.
I saw German Chancellor Helmut Kohl a few months ago - and now I had the chance to see my own president (who I voted for and still admire - despite the Lewinsky thing)! What a thrill to actually be so close to the stage - and then be one of the first to shake his hand!!! Apparently Hillary was about 5 people down from where I was standing, but I wasn't aware of it and didn't see her through the crowds.
I did a bit of surfing today and found more articles about the visit. The General Anzeiger, Express, and dpa (German Press Agency - the official newsfeed) are in German, but I have also translated the General Anzeiger, dpa and Express articles into English. The US Embassy has transcripts of the speeches made by Bärbel Dieckmann, the Lord Mayor of Bonn, and President Clinton. Ambassador Kornblum also gave a moving welcome, and the congregations of the Stimson Memorial Chapel thank him from the bottom of their hearts for the role he played in organizing this gift. It would have never happened without him.
I will never forget this day for as long as I live. I will be posting more photos as soon as I get my film developed. I used a digital camera to take these pictures (except the first photo, which is an AP close-up) and can hardly wait to see what my camera with a zoom lens will be able to produce. I took a total of 29 pictures - 22 with my regular camera and 7 with the digital camera my boss lent me. President Clinton has a fantastic handshake!
June 22, 1999: Several of you have written that you don't share my enthusiasm for the President. Please excuse me while I get up on my soap box for a second... OK, I can understand how some people feel about Clinton, but it was an absolute honor to be invited to meet him. It isn't every day that one gets to meet the President of the United States. I don't expect politicians to be perfect. In fact, I would rather they have some faults, because then they seem more human. And the more effective a spokesman. I would rather my politicians be as back-handed as the rest who are running the other countries. A friend recently sent me an e-mail asking who I would prefer to run my country. I don't remember the choices exactly, but I think I had the choice between an alcoholic who took frequent naps, a chain smoker who had affairs or a vegetarian who led a clean and religious life. The alcoholic was Winston Churchill, the chain smoker Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the vegetarian was Adolf Hitler. I am not saying that Clinton wasn't wrong to lie to the court and try to cover it up, but don't we all attempt to cover up our mistakes if given the chance? I feel that the man was unfairly put through the wringer, and the public had absolutely no right to delve so deeply into his private life. After all, how do you all feel about J.F.K.? I'll just say one word - Marilyn. The media has gotten out of control these days. I just hope they never set their sights on you or your family. Because the media never gives anyone a fair chance anymore. Just ask Princess Diana.