This weekend 2500 members of “Obamaworld” gather in Chicago to mark the 15th anniversary of his big win. I wasn’t invited; but I was there.
You could always tell when somebody important was visiting the Sun-Times editorial board because they’d set out a tray of cookies and little bottles of spring water. These were visible to the newsroom through the boardroom’s glass wall. Hardened political journalist that I am, one day in 2008 I saw the tray and thought, “Ooo, cookies.”
The VIP wouldn’t miss a cookie or two. I slid in and was just loading a couple into a napkin when there was a commotion in the hall. I tried to flee but was blocked by Barack Obama and his entourage coming in.
What to do? I took a seat at the table, so I was there as Obama explained away a deal he had done with fixer Tony Rezko, one of the countless hurdles he had to clear to get from where he was to where he was going.Opinion
When I heard that 2,500 members of what has been dubbed “Obamaworld” are meeting in Chicago this weekend to celebrate this past moment of triumph — Election Night in Grant Park — I didn’t pout, wondering where my invite was. Like my presence at that meeting, the media just happened to be there, already, when he showed up, although we certainly played a key role in Obama’s success.
Somewhere in the boxes of clips and files that have ended up in my basement is a yellow legal pad with “BARACK OBAMA” scrawled across the top.
