11/11 Dream - Hail to the Chief

11/11 dream - POTUS

Part I - i've worked hard at my office, and at the end of the day I go to a woman who is an office admin or travel agent type of person. she puts together a 'thank you' package - it's kind of like a bonus. it turns out to be a 5 day trip to anyplace in the continental US that I'd like to go - all meals, transportation, and spending cash is included. I just need to keep my reciepts to be reimbursed. so i pick up this really cool bonus packaage, and am heading out of the office. since it's late, everyone is gone, including the woman now. the problem now is that this bonus expires in a few weeks, and i really don't have time to disappear for 5 days.

Part II - i've gone up into a suite at a nice hotel - it's several floors up and i take the elevator to get there. inside the suite are a bunch of people, all assistants to President Clinton. I'm jusst a low level staffer apparently, so i stand off in the corner. the president and his higher level staff are sitting around a crowded table. then the oppoistion party comes in and sits down at the table. apparently this is an investigation meeting by the opposition against Clinton to interrogate him for something he's done wrong or that they did not like.

Part III - I'm going back up the elevator in the hotel, but this time i have baxtor with me on a leash and a female companion (not sure if she's my mother, sister, or who). as i go into the same suite, i instruct baxtor to sit in the main sitting area of the suite. the same people as before are there, but this time it's clear that i'm the new president elect, and that Clinton is the outgoing president. this time i'm to meet the same people as before, but for more of an introduction session. Clinton and his staff are still sitting at the table, and i'm going to remain standing while other people come in. I'm nervous and feel awkward and not entirely in my skin as president. And so the opposition party starts to come in. some people ignore me, but most walk by and shake my hand and introduce themselves. as the introduction go on, i start to feel more comfortable in this role. We finally sit down at the table - the opposition party is gone now - it's just my staff with me, and we're planning out how we're going to run this administration. different staff are responsible for different parts, such as health care and other things. my mandate to them is that we find one major pieces of the old administration - i don't really care which one, as long as it's relatively major - and keep its plan. the reason it to show that we can work with everyone and that this is not going to be politics as usual. even though we're working with the old administration, we're still going to be in charge though. my staffers are skeptical of this, especially the one guy who won't get to creatte a policy decision because we're going to re-use the old one.

Now i'm walking down the street in the city, by myself. i'm pretty much unrecognized. i walk up to a side street where there are a number of 'regular' people milling about. eventually a game of ball starts up in the street, and i join in. I'm having a blast, and am settling in to my role as president. eventually some of my staff finally catch up with me, and we head off.

now i'm walking down the middle of the street like i own the place. we're going to a resturant that is below ground, and as i'm heading down the steps, i put a cell phone call through to my staff and instruct them to be completely unpolitical in our administration. i will definately not play dirty, and i will take any blame that is mine to take for any problem that comes up. but we will be agressive in making things better. i'm not shooting for reelection in 4 years - if the people like what i'm doing and want to reelect me, then great, but i'm not going to compromise myself and this administration just to win reelection. i have to be firm with my staff to make them understand this, and some of them are disappointed, because they were more into the politics of governing rather than the governing itself.