How Do You Queue? (John Edwards at Pace University)

I arrived at Pace University a little after 11 a.m. to claim my seat at John Edwards' policy address, which had been advertised as beginning at 11:30 a.m. This was the view from my place in the line I joined outside of the Schimmel Auditorium.

I took copious notes on the process of lining up and entering the building, but I'll skip ahead to say that I made it in. Not only in, mind you, but to an unreserved front row seat.

The feeling was palpably different from the Barack Obama appearance that I attended in Manhattan, as well as the near-miss in Brooklyn. Those were fundraisers and this was a policy address, but I don't think that explains it all. Since there's more to this idea than the logistical details, I'm going to let the experience sit for a day, before saying too much more.

I'm now absolutely convinced that gaining a broader perspective on the Democratic field through first-hand experience can only be good for any serious Barack Obama supporter. I'd compare it to the insight offered by a first trip abroad, which is to say that only by leaving things that are familiar to you can you really understand them as they are. You return to where you started with both new expectations about what's possible and a clearer picture of what you value at home.

That's the best summary I can offer of my day. Just as there are concepts worth examining in the security-related policy initiatives that Edwards unveiled today, so too are there ideas to be discerned in the movement of the crowd and the energy in the room. After a night of sleep, I'll have more to say about it.