Obama Visits Ottawa

[Aylmer]

And his smile could illuminate a room!

[harls]

I think he looks more like Tiger Woods, or a cross between Tiger and Will.

[Richard Eade]

Then there are the practical issues about his visit.

I chatted with OPP Officers and they were regular, ON-DUTY, officers who were re-assigned to this detail. Ottawa's police officers were all called in from their days off (at increased pay). Ottawa police offers got a glossy booklet detailing the visit with times, descriptions, etc.; while the OPP had photocopied sheets with their schedules. The booklet was to be a souvenier for the officers. The Ottawa Officers were provided lunch. As one officer put it "Oh, yeah, really big bucks."

OC Transpo, despite having difficulty ramping up full bus service any faster than April 6, was able to supply 10-12 buses in the days before the visit, and 23 buses on the day of the visit, to move around officers, media, etc.. Their justification was that those buses were being removed from service for maintenance so none of the 'advertised' bus routes were affected. Many Councillors were not amused. If more buses were actually road-worthy, they wanted them used in service.

All of the officers I talked to were pleased with the sedate crowds. They were described as "Ottawa-like" and "Canadian". The only 'protest' banned talked about was "Free Congo", which the particular officer said he actually agreed with, but doubted that it was really something Obama could control.

I suppose that all of the precautions need to be taken, but I still think they are over-kill for Ottawa. As one officer put it when I mentioned the closed Wellington, "It's like Canada Day, with no crowds." He was right. There seemed to me to be only a few hundred people around Parliment Hill when Obama left. (There seemed to me that, at the risk of being not politically correct, there was a high percentage of blacks in the crowd.) I'm glad he felt comfortable enough to do some quick shopping. I think it speaks well of Ottawa.

[Ottawade]

Maybe nobody told security that, unlike Bush, people actually like Obama

[333fun555]

Originally Posted by Ottawade

Maybe nobody told security that, unlike Bush, people actually like Obama

[DecoyOctopus]

Originally Posted by Ottawade

I'm partially caught up in the hype too

I wouldn't say that I am caught up in the Obama hype nor am I an Democrat/Liberal or Obama supporter but if he can somehow turn around America's economy then great! As an employee of a Software Development company in Kanata whose sales have dropped since we do the majority of sales in the US I'm all for Obama instilling confidence in some way shape or form.