Where do I even start?
It's a quest that for me began years ago.

I came to Channel 10 in 2002 - 2 years into President George W. Bush's first term in Washington.  In most starting jobs in the TV business, you'd be lucky to cover an exciting city council meeting, or maybe every now and again you'll get a legitimate big story.  Big, maybe, but nothing the likes of what you experience when working as a journalist in a market the President considers home.

It comes with its perks.

My first brush with the President wasn't much, but it was memorable for me.
At the time, I couldn't understand why one of our more veteran reporters didn't want the assignment of standing outside at the TSTC airport awaiting the touchdown of Air Force One.

Even going through the security checks and seeing the snipers everywhere was a rush. Plus, the President might just decide to come over and give an impromptu interview with the few of us braving the elements to see him. Or, so I thought.

The President didn't do that on the first trip TSTC I covered, and after a couple more assignments of the same, I realized a personal conversation with him just might not ever happen.

We'd always get a wave, and then...he was gone.

Fast-forward 7 years.
I just returned Monday from a one-on-one sit down interview with President Bush as well as the First Lady at the White House.
It's something that, for me, was years in the making. I put countless requests into the White House for an interview with the President. Every response was the same. No. I knew it was a long shot, but I was determined to give it my best, and when watching him leave office, I wanted to know I had done everything possible to have the opportunity.

In the last couple of months, I'm certain I bugged the Press Office to death.  I spent days trying to locate people I knew from my time in Central Texas that might have a personal tie to the President or his Press Office and ask them to put in a word for me.  They did, but each time the "handlers" called...they reminded me of the President's busy schedule and the economic crisis he was dealing with.  Plus, if the President had time to interview, I'm not sure a Waco, Texas reporter was top on the list.

I got what I thought was my final rejection just a few days before getting an invitation. In fact, I'd been told to try again once he left office and returned to Texas, though I'd be starting from scratch, because those I knew by name in the Press Office would likely not be with the President once his term ended.

Everything changed the morning of Monday, January the 5th.
It was early, very early...and with one eye open I looked over to my ringing phone to see the numbers 202 shown on the caller ID. From all my previous conversations with them, I KNEW that was the White House calling.

"Hello."

"Julie. You're coming to the White House to interview the President!"

That's the first thing the President's assistant said on the other end of the phone and everything after that was pretty much a blur. In fact, I had to call her back to have details repeated to me that I must have been too excited to process.

From there, it was a whirlwind.  We booked a last minute flight to DC, and then began planning for how we, as a station, wanted to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.  I was told I had 7 minutes with the President.  Considering that, we quickly decided to narrow the focus of our questions to those all about Central Texas.  The national press has spent plenty of time talking about his accomplishments and disappointments, the economy, his dismal approval ratings, and the war.  We wanted to make sure our time was spent talking all about Central Texas and to get answers to the questions hopefully you've at one point asked yourself.

Within days of departing, the White House called back.  Mrs. Bush also wanted to attend. We were being granted 7 minutes one-on-one with her as well.

By Saturday, my husband and I were packing up and driving to DFW to fly out for DC.  He came along to help document the trip with a hand-held camera we brought.  The White House was very strict on rules for the interview, and no photographer was allowed to come with me.  The technical group from the White House handled all the logistics and camera work.  We did, however, get an invite for my husband to attend the interview the day before we left.

(Check out Julie's Interviews with the president and first lady)

We arrived in DC late Saturday night.
We spent Sunday walking miles and observing all the preparations underway for the inauguration of Barack Obama. When looking at the stage being built at the capital where Obama will be sworn in, I remember stopping to think how neat it is, I wasn't getting to be part of both presidencies.
 
Sunday night, my husband and I met Bill Adams, a Chilton native and now professor at George Washington University, for dinner at "The Palm" restaurant. The eatery is a steakhouse that's been a favorite among politicians and DC wheelers and dealers for decades.  Bill recognized many well-known politicians in the crowd that included Jim Brady, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was shot and permanently disabled in an assassination attempt on Reagan.

I'm not sure I slept a lot Sunday night. What I am sure of is that I had four wake-up alarms set to go off that morning...both of our cell phones, an alarm clock already in the hotel room on max volume, and a wake-up call from the front desk.  Looking back, I probably didn't need any of them.

Monday morning I got up early enough to go work out in the hotel's gym. I didn't exactly pack the proper clothes for it, but nonetheless, I needed a good wake-up, even if that meant hitting the cardio machine in my pj's.  It was a surreal experience as I watched the President's final news conference from the gym, knowing in only a few hours, he'd be sitting right across the room from me.

After the workout, I returned to the room, showered, dressed and spent a last bit of my time going over my questions and notes.

We were to arrive in the press briefing room by noon, and were to allow 20 minutes to get through security at the gate. We left for the 5-mile cab ride by 11:15. I thought we'd not only be on time, but early.

What I didn't factor in, was that many roads around the White House were already closed off, as President elect Obama and his family stayed in a nearby hotel.  We ended up getting out of the cab a bit early, knowing we could walk faster than drive.

We arrived to the Northwest Gate of the White house by 11:45.
Perfect timing.

When checking in, security gave me a press badge. They asked my husband if he, too, was press and when saying no, they handed him a badge that said "appointment." We thought that was funny...like he had some kind of private business appointment at the White House. Oh well, he looked important if only for a short time.

We were first escorted to the "James S. Brady Press Briefing Room", a room part of the West Wing, named after the man we had seen just the night before.   I looked around the room and marveled at how small it was.  From watching the President's final press conference just hours before, it looked so much bigger. 

There were three other Texas journalists along for an interview, and within 15 minutes, we were all moved from the briefing room to the China Room.  The China room was full of so much history. It was designated by Mrs. Woodrow Wilson in 1917 to display the growing collection of White House china, and it includes china from Washington to George and Laura Bush.  I snapped a few pictures of Lincoln's and Grant's China. It's hard to fathom those items being preserved in history for so long.

Next to the China Room was the diplomatic reception room.  It's an oval room that serves as a point of entry to the White House for a visiting head of a state and it was between us and the Map Room, where the interviews took place.

The interviews worked like this.
Both took place in the same room. The First Lady was first. She would conduct all four interviews in a row, before the President would then have his turn. Of our Texas group, I was first to go for both interviews.  I think it worked to my advantage, because I was there when both the President and the First Lady entered the room and took the time to get ready and mic up. That gave me additional time to sit and chat before the cameras were rolling.

I was escorted to the Map room, seated and put on my microphone before the First Lady entered the room, but I didn't wait long. I couldn't have sat longer than to notice a waiter drop off a glass of water at my side before in she walked. She was warm. Very warm.  It's not just something you see on television.

We were given a chance to say hello and chitchat for a minute before cameras rolled.  The photographers were not allowed to record until we were able to have a minute in private. And when I saw private, I mean as private as it can be, with 10 technical people around plus White House staffers and secret service.

I felt comfortable with the First Lady from the get-go.  She made it easy to talk and that put me at ease.  We started off talking about her home in Dallas and why she chose it.  We then talked about Baylor's bid for the library and how much consideration she really gave it, considering her close ties to SMU. She was gracious in answering everything from her feelings on Cindy Sheehan's protest in Crawford, to why she considers Central Texas home.  I can see why she has remained such a popular First Lady.

After a quick picture with Mrs. Bush, I was taken back to the China Room, while the other three reporters conducted their interviews with the First Lady.  It didn't feel like I waited long, before it was time for the President. I'll admit, I felt a little more nervous about our encounter, just not knowing what to expect or how long winded he might be. My main stress came from the tight time restraint I had, and if the President went 3 minutes on two questions, I was coming home without a lot of information.

A Grand Entrance
Well, the President broke the ice by making a grand entrance into the Map Room and yelling at me across the way saying "YO!"  It wasn't exactly what I had envisioned of the first words we'd exchange, but it did break the ice.  The President talked with me several minutes before going on camera.  We talked about several friends we had in common, from some of his staff in Central Texas, to his longtime friends in Dallas, and even my husband's uncle, Kent Hance.  Kent was the only person to ever beat George W. Bush in an election.

When the cameras began to roll, we started off by talking about the ranch.  It was easy to see it's something the President loves and loves to talk about. He could have easily taken all my time with that, but fortunately he gave me good sound, and we were able to move on.  We then talked of issues like Fort Hood, Cindy Sheehan's protest in Crawford and his plans for the future of the ranch.  A few times during my interview, the President responded that no one had ever asked him a particular question or he'd never thought about it. That's what our station was looking for! Things Central Texans want to know that the national media doesn't and wouldn't have spent time asking the last eight years.

The President was candid in his answers and never really hesitated for a thought.  It occurred to me during the interview how many times he'd done this very thing before. I had watched him take hardballs earlier that very morning from the media one after another. Talking Texas was simple.

Following our interview, my husband was able to come in to meet the President. He spent several minutes talking with him about their family ties and baseball. We brought a picture of my husband's grandfather, Sid Hudson, for the President to see pictured alongside Ted Williams. Sid played in the big leagues in the 40's and 50's, and was the first pitching coach when the Washington Senators moved to Arlington and became the Texas Rangers - a team the President obviously has a vested interested in.  After several minutes of conversation off camera, we left the room, expecting our time with the First Couple to be over.  When walking down the hall to go back to the China Room, Mrs. Bush called out and stopped us. She wanted to make sure we got a private tour of the White House before we left...which she arranged and we did. 

We toured the state floor of the White House, some of which we'd seen during a media Christmas party a few years ago, and other parts, which were new to us.  That was neat. Just seeing the amount of staff up there cleaning and the security in every room is pretty incredible.

Parting Thoughts
There was only one thing during the trip I really wanted to catch a glimpse of, but didn't; Barney the White House dog.

It didn't help that while in my interview with the President, my husband saw Barney, along with the President's daughter, Barbara.  I guess you can always tell the President is near, when his dog and daughter are in the same hall with you.

All in all, it was an experience I'll never forget.  Who would have ever thought my career in Waco would have taken me all the way to private meeting with the President in Washington.

I hope you enjoy the Texas talk we brought home FOR YOU, all the way from the White House.

P.S. - I brought back lots of pictures from my trip and posted them all to an album on YouCast.