Coffee and doughnuts with Barack Obama

I met US president-elect Barack Hussein Obama last year when his tightly cropped hair was still quite black, and he was still some distance away from being a “great candidate” that he later turned out to be. That didn’t mean Obama was not a star when I met him.

His eloquence and campaign to fight Washington insiders and lobbyists, who shanghaied policies to their advantage, were striking a chord with many people who were disgusted with President George W Bush, his deputy Dick Cheney and their militaristic ways. Obama represented change and looked it.

Meeting Obama turned out to be easier then I had anticipated. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my handler, Joan Gibbons, also a native of Chicago, was well-versed with the ways of Washington and the junior senator of Illinois. I told her that I was keen to meet Obama. She pushed a few numbers on her mobile phone and said, “You are lucky. He is in Washington tomorrow and we can meet him tomorrow morning briefly.” I was ecstatic. I never expected to meet him during my short stay in the US capital.

Early morning we left for the heavily guarded US Senate building where Obama was to meet his constituents over coffee and doughnuts. Security was extremely tight and two identification cards were required to enter the building. Gibbons phone calls had worked and there was someone to chaperone us to the Senate hall where Obama was to show up. The place was full of bright-eyed and eager summer interns who were at the reception desk to ensure that there was plenty of coffee and doughnuts for those waiting for Obama. I was told by my chaperone that I would get to meet him after his interaction with his constituents was over.

Little later, Obama and his senior senator, Dick Durbin strode into the hall. Physically, they were a study in contrasts. Obama was lean and tall to diminutive and tubby Dick Durbin. Looking very handsome in a smart dark suit, he picked up the mike like a rock star and began talking to his largely white audience. I turned around and looked at the interns and the audience. A sense of anticipation seemed visible on their faces. He talked about the Iraq mess and how the war veterans were being treated shabbily. Bush administration’s opaqueness and how it was subverting democratic institutions.

Obama was persuasive with his eloquence and displayed quality of a good teacher when he simplified complex foreign policy issues for his simple-minded audience.

Senator Durbin, a seasoned campaigner, was also at hand to chip in with his bit. At times he gave an impression that he was the manager of a valuable prize fighter. Obama was extremely deferential to his senior colleague, allowing him to express his views.

When the meeting ended and the two got down to meeting people, Joan caught our chaperone’s eye, who immediately signalled that I come forward and meet Obama. Durbin took me to the tall and stately Obama. Since he was standing, I was afraid he would not be able to hear me. Durbin briefed him about me and we got down to talking. I conveyed to him the excitement his candidature had created in India and other parts of Asia. He checked out about my magazine, Hardnews. We talked about the support Hillary was getting from Indians, especially from people of Punjab. I found Obama very patient and respectful to what I was telling him. Little later, he told me to look in some direction. I asked him why. “That’s where the photographer is. Let’s get a picture,” he replied. He asked me to check with his staff for a longer meeting. I told him I was leaving next morning.

Was I convinced that Big O would win the presidential race? Absolutely yes! Check with my wife — she keeps all the records of my predictions — just to prove that I was wrong.
 
Sanjay Kapoor is editor of the Delhi-based Hardnews magazine