Epilogue

Mission Accomplished.

But like the original "Mission Accomplished" slogan, this did not mean that we were completely done. We still had to get back to Manchester, and we were starving. We got Katie Sullivan's attention before we left Salem HS, and she gave us simple directions. Actually, what made the directions simple was my increasing familiarity with the New Hampshire highways and byways. I was starting to figure this place out, just in time to leave tomorrow.

On the way back, we decided on dinner at the Red Arrow diner one more time. It had a history as mandatory stop for primary candidates, and it had a menu we could both agree on at prices I could justify. We ate and talked politics. Marra was an Edwards supporter at this point. His pledges to help feed and educate everyone in the world during his administration hit home for her. I told her to start looking for tax shelters off shore as soon as possible once Edwards was elected. Not sure she understood that joke, but maybe someday.

I was still undecided. I told her that I had eliminated some candidates so far, however. Kucinich was out. I could not see myself ever voting for either Thompson or Giuliani. Before the trip, I had soured on Richardson. Hunter and Tancredo were never considered, and Paul, while entertaining, is not an option, unless we plan on closing the country permanently. I was leaving Edwards, Obama, Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Romney, and McCain on the table. The trip, I told her, would influence my final decision, but the hands-on experiences we had here couldn't be the sole factor for me. Choosing a leader requires more reflection, and I, unlike the residents of the state, had more time to sort through all this information.

The owner of the Red Arrow recognized us from our previous visit, and that made for a nice end to the official portion of the New Hampshire 2007 journey. We were in Manchester, New Hampshire during presidential primary season being recognized by the locals. And my oldest daughter was living history with me. As the whole trip unfolded, though, I was beginning to think that perhaps this trip was really just about our history together as father-daughter. And this was destined to be a big chapter.

The next morning, we packed up quickly and left the Radisson at approximately 9 AM. We were ready to go. The ride home was thankfully uneventful. We miraculously missed the traffic in NYC, Baltimore and Washington, arriving back in Chantilly before 6 PM that evening, still in daylight. The odometer showed 1,371 miles traveled.

We had seen some of the giants of electoral politics battling for the highest elected office in the world, but a comment from Marra as we neared our house brought it all back to reality for me. We drove past dozens of signs for all of the local politicians, vying for school board, commissioner, sheriff, delegate, state senate. Election Day 2007 was only 3 weeks away. Marra asked an innocent question. "Daddy, which one of these candidates will you vote for?"

I was embarrassed to say that I did not know. The truth is that I did not know in many cases which were Democrats and which were Republicans. I did not now which were pro-growth and which were anti-tax. I did not know which represented corporate interests, and which represented their church agendas. I was ignorant of the local political scene, and for that I was ashamed. At that moment I vowed to myself to learn more about the candidates and issues facing my local community. It was time to think globally and act locally, as it were. And it was time to set a better example for my daughter than just chasing political stars around like rock groupies. It was time to be involved.

The trip to New Hampshire with Marra was supposed to be about finding a leader we could support in 2008. We learned about several, and were impressed by many. I hope what Marra found in New Hampshire was that her father was a leader by example, and that I would be a greater influence on her life than any President ever could (except maybe Ron Paul). I will always strive to be that leader she can believe in. I hope I've earned her vote. She's got mine.

JS