Touching the President in Panama


Touching the President in Panama

(3 votes)

Written by Matt Landau

Thursday, October 09 2008

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My friend Ryan was about six when he met then President Bill Clinton jogging one morning in Marta's Vineyard. The President's personal security team had sequestered Ryan's parents off to the side, given him a brief pat down, and allowed him to shake Clinton's hand, the same hand that would later feel up Monica Lewinsky.

Seeing as though Martha's Vineyard is primarily a vacation town, the President, trying to be cute and chatty, asked Ryan where he lived. "Right there," Ryan said, pointing to the hotel he checked into the previous night. "I live in that room right there." The President chuckled as did his secret service team in sweat suits, then carried on their way leaving Ryan alone to ask his parents, "who was that man?"

The chances of coming in direct contact with the President of the United States are about as good as becoming his personal trainer: you either have to be really athletic, really lucky, really important, or some combination of the three. In Panama though, it is with great pleasure that such opportunities are accessible to the everyday Jose.

There is a certain allure to things we're told we can't have. When we were younger for example, we were told we couldn't have sugarcoated cereal: now it's all we eat. In college, we were told not to sleep in female dorms: we did it with a passion. And for my life as I've known it, coming in contact with the President of a country has always been a forbidden fruit that, once not necessarily forbidden anymore, is addictive like a drug. Similar to a teenager drinking liquor for the first time, I don't make it a goal to touch the president because I necessarily like the feeling, I do it because, for the first time in my life, I can.

Touch #1: The first time I touched the President of the Republic of Panama was in front of his office in Casco Viejo. At the time, I had no idea who he was, instead choosing to shake his hand because everyone else was and he appeared to be famous. Anyone can shake the President's hand or take a photo if they catch him at the right time leaving the White House in Casco Viejo. I never got so much as a wink from Governor Christie Whitman.

Touch #2: In Mostaza restaurant, I was able to brush by the president's chair on my way to the bathroom. While it wasn't the most formal or obvious contact, perhaps the sort of thing announcers might ask to see a replay on, I do vividly remember feeling his black jacket and thinking that I wanted it.

Touch #3: This is what might qualify as a half or partial touch. I was driving and got unknowingly surrounded by the presidential motorcade on Avenida Balboa. The car with the president pulled up beside me while in motion and Martin Torrijos had his window down. He waved to me and I waved back. Not a touch per se, but extremely intimate. I feel like we had our moment.

Touch #4: The President was walking into the Intercontinental Miramar Hotel as I was waiting for the elevator to close and meet a friend on the 17th floor. The President and his posse used the same elevator as me and only me (meaning I was the only non-credential person in the lift). I said Hi to him and that I liked his new policy on immigration. I don't think he heard me. Granted, I was sort of cornered off by the security guards but I managed to wiggle my finger between them and get a complete touch. Yes!

While I have come in close contact with the President of Panama only three and a half times, it's three and a half times more than I've ever come close to the President of the USA. Maybe it's because fewer people want to kill the President here that makes him more accessible, I don't know. But do enjoy your time in Panama: there's no telling when that certain opportunity may arise and brushing shoulders with royalty is yours for the taking.

Note: While this is situated in the "Things to do in Panama" section, don't plan your vacation around it or you'll be dissappointed.
Image: lh6.ggpht.com/_QPtTbjf6uJc/SGZLF4iISiI/AAAAAAAAAfA/fdX0-JeS10A/3_Carla87_Presidente.jpg

Comments (4)

tupapi: ...

I guess you men "per se" not "per say"

per se (sometimes misspelled "per say" or "persay") is:

A Latin phrase used in English arguments for "by itself" or "by themselves"
It also is used in law:

Illegal per se, the legal usage of "per se" in criminal and anti-trust law
Negligence per se, legal use in tort law

October 09, 2008

Mateo: huh?

Tupapi I have no idea what you're talking about...

October 09, 2008

LuceMDiffundo: ...

He almost made you Secretary of Defense, too, right, because he almost didnt touch you three times. Martha's Vineyard is an Island with six towns on it. He did not touch Monica Lewinsky with his hand, he used a cigar. He touched her in the no-no with it (not by just driving by either).

October 10, 2008

Luis: kind of creepy

I think this whole "touching the president" is kind of creepy. I would prefer and article about talking to him, he is quite an accessible man and normally in panama you get in touch with almost everyone at least once a year. we are just that little.

October 10, 2008

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