Senator Hillary Clinton was in Sioux Falls today stumping for the June 3rd Primary.  She landed at the airport, gave a speech that was about 45 minutes long, and then hopped on a plane bound for Oregon.  We had quite a few reporters and photographers at the airport covering the story.  Fiance Thom and one of those reporters even got to meet with Senator Clinton for a one-on-one interview.  Meantime, my co-anchor Brian and I covered the event from the news desk back at the station. Don't get me wrong, I love anchoring, and it fulfills a lifelong dream for me.  But for a little while today, I was missing the opportunity to be rubbing elbows with politcians during campaign season.

My first job as a reporter was at KMEG TV in Sioux City.  The first summer I worked there happened to be just months before the 2000 Iowa Caucuses.  I was lucky, as a cub reporter, to be able to interview almost all of the presidential candidates as they made their way through Iowa.  I remember calling my mom and telling her that I interviewed then-Governor George W. Bush, and that one of his Texas Rangers actually carried my tri-pod for me as I tried to one-man-band my way through the event.  A few weeks later I was inside an Iowa farmer's barn hearing former Vice President Al Gore talk about why he should lead our country.  I was thinking about those moments today, and how fun it must be for some of our younger reporters to get the chance to hear Senator Clinton talk. 

Whether you're a supporter of a particular candidate or not, few journalists would deny the exhilarating feeling of what it's like being in the presence of those vying to be the next President of the United States. Even watching the events unfold from the news desk was exciting. It's just not quite like being there.