Bush greets Pa. college Republicans in prime time

Nearly 250 young Pennsylvania Republicans were in for a treat on Tuesday afternoon. While they were playing in a friendly softball game in North Middleton Township, President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) showed up to join their barbecue.

Bush and McCain made the stop in the small Central Pennsylvania town about 125 miles west of Philadelphia, spending nearly two hours at the event.

During the festivities, Bush even made an appearance on live television via video feed, introducing the first lady for her speech at the Republican National Convention in New York City.

The Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans, a statewide group that is chaired by Wharton senior David Copley, organized the event after receiving cryptic messages from the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign staff.

Originally, they were not told that Bush would be in attendance, but rather that they would be shown live on the floor of the convention via video feed.

Having an opportunity to rub elbows with the president was certainly an unexpected bonus for many of those who have dedicated so much of their time to his re-election.

"It was amazing, absolutely surreal," said College sophomore Danielle Vasilescu, who, along with Copley, sat just a few feet from Bush as the group watched the first lady's speech on a medium-sized Jumbotron set up on the field.

For the festivities, Bush dropped his customary jacket and tie in favor of a more casual collared shirt.

While he was on the video feed on prime time national television, the game of softball was in full swing behind him.

Television viewers nationwide could see that the players in the game were each wearing No. 43, in honor of Bush being the nation's 43rd president.

During the barbecue, which was closed to the press, the president mingled with the crowd and posed for pictures, in addition to throwing some horseshoes and taking a few cracks with the baseball bat.

Those in attendance said Bush was lighthearted and joking throughout the event, and only took time away from the crowd to introduce his wife as she took the stage in New York to deliver her speech.

Vasilescu was struck by the president's approachability and social ease among the event's attendees.

"He was a normal guy that you could really relate to and have really intelligent conversation with," she said. "The way he spoke was totally different" than how he sounds on television.

Bush was also at ease on the playing field. Facing a nervous pitcher in the softball game, the president cranked a hit that, according to Copley, "would have been a home run if he had run around the bases."

McCain would have taken the bat, but said that his lingering arm injuries from the Vietnam War would prevent it.

Bush has made over 30 stops in Pennsylvania since becoming president, and the state's 21 electoral votes are widely regarded as being up for grabs in the upcoming election. The most recent polls show Bush with a slight lead, though most analysts say it is a statistical dead heat.

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