One of the great things about being a journalist is that we go to interesting places and cover unique events. While there are some stories that can be the same even when they're different, such as fires, covering different stories everyday makes our work fun.

I've covered several presidential visits over the course of my TV career, but it never gets old. Yes, these visits are usually quick (President Bush was only in KC for three hours on Thursday), and they are extremely choreographed for the best possible media coverage of the Chief Executive, but they are fascinating to see firsthand nonetheless.

First of all, the sheer number of people involved, even for a short visit, is amazing. There are dozens and dozens of security and other staff members, and that doesn't even include the pre-planning. Security officers are in place hours before the president lands and roads are blocked off for his trip from the airport to his destination. There's a whole group of people who work with the media as well. If you're going to cover the president's visit, you have to sign up for a media pass in advance. When I arrived at the downtown airport Thursday morning to cover the president's arrival on Air Force One, I had to wait for a staff member with the official "media list" before I was allowed on the runway. Of course, we can't videotape the president from just anywhere. The president's handlers set up a specific place for the media, which we can't stray away from.

If you've never seen Air Force One in person, it is a sight to behold. You can't really get a true picture of how big this plane is on TV. To give you an idea: the inside of the plane has 4,000 square feet. Also, it can land even on shorter runways which is fascinating to watch. You can't help but marvel at the way this huge aircraft comes to a stop so quickly after it drops out of the sky.

Speaking of quickly, everything during a president's visit tends to be quick. There was a group of politicians and dignitaries waiting for the president to walk off Air Force One at the airport in KC. He shook hands and talked with each one of them briefly, then moved on to the next event: a very short award ceremony. He presented Susan Hoskins with the President's Volunteer Service Award. He gave her a medal, talked with her as they posed for a picture, and then he was off to Lee's Summit in the presidential limo. He only spent a few minutes with Susan, but she certainly didn't mind. She called her time with the leader of the free world "an honor."

As you can imagine, the president's schedule is tight and he was running late as we waited for him to return to the airport. A group of students from Pembroke Hill was gathered near Air Force One this time, hoping to get a quick handshake and hello. But they only got a wave from the top of the airplane's boarding stairs as President Bush went straight from the limo onto the plane. Unfortunately for the excited students, there was no extra time for them on this day.

Sometimes the President can be viewed strictly through a political lens and it's easy to forget the role he plays not only in our country, but around the globe as the leader of the world's only superpower. It's impressive to be there to see what it takes for one man to make a short stop in the heartland.