...Pure, Agonizingly Tedious, Joy...

Finding ways to explain my debate experience has proven difficult. Friends and family watched it live on TV. They read about it in the papers and saw pictures of it in the Internet. But for those who did not experience it first hand, there can be no true understanding. They could not smell the gasoline from the generators, hear the speeches, taste the food, or feel the excitement.

In many ways, I feel extremely privileged. For one week, I worked for CBS News. I know, I was only a runner and I wasn't able to fully contribute to the production. But for that one brief week, I could understand the excitement of contributing to something bigger than myself...bigger than Oxford...bigger than the state. Some days my work was tedious...very tedious. I spent more hours in Office Depot as a runner than I normally do as a part-time employee. However, I would run all over Mississippi if I were able to experience the debate again.

I could go one for weeks about the different things I was able to see. The media came from all over the world. I accidentally bumped into the Governor. I was able to see the amount of energy and money it takes to cover a debate. I saw Katie Couric fuss about chairs. I saw more in one day than I have in an entire year.

Forget about the fact that the debate was boring. Forget about the fact that McCain almost tore out the soul of Mississippi. Forget about the fact that someone gave credentials to people without background checks (and yes...I'm still a bit sore about that). I know that as a journalist, I should discuss what impact the debate will have on the election. But right now I don't care. I just feel lucky to have participated in the first presidential debate at Ole Miss. Maybe the next time Ole Miss hosts a debate, I'll be the one covering it.