Obama speaks in Jacksonville...

... but I'm definitely not there to hear it! Here's a tip for future politico planners: If you're going to hold a historic event in a city of 1 million on a Saturday afternoon and make it free to the public, it MIGHT be a good idea to book a venue that holds more than 10,000 people. I stood in line for an hour and half down at Metro Park this afternoon only to be turned away at the gates along with at least another 100,000 disappointed ralliers (though there could very well have been more people than that, considering the enormity of the lines and the crowds!).

There were a few different lines leading into the Park that stretched like this... farther than the eye could see.

Lots of signage on the way in!

And lots of vendors hawking everything from t-shirts to buttons to hot-dogs. These guys were kind of funny... their sales pitch was, "Obama shirts! $10 a piece or two for $15, cuz we like y'all so much."

Opposition was in the air... literally. Two McCain airplanes continuously buzzed overhead pulling anti-BO banners.
I almost felt more disappointed for the kids who didn't make it inside the gates than anyone else.

I took off at 3 p.m., but THOUSANDS of people opted to stay behind and hopefully hear some of the speech from the streets and sidewalks outside the park.