Few events will rouse a college student out of bed before 7 a.m. on a Friday morning, but the prospect of seeing President Bush in the flesh was enough to make a bleary-eyed group of students assemble in the gray, windy dawn outside Memorial Union Friday.
The students, most of whom are members of the UW-Madison College Republicans, boarded a bus outside the Union to see the president speak before a campaign fundraiser in Milwaukee.
UW-Madison freshman Josh Little said he got up early because he was excited to see Bush.
\Any opportunity to see the leader of the free world is a great opportunity whether you agree with him or not,"" he said.
Madison is considered a liberal haven, but those traveling to support Bush said they are not deterred by the campus' reputation. They spent part of the ride making anti-Howard Dean posters for Dean's visit to Madison Sunday.
Despite heavy traffic and long lines, the group made it to Milwaukee in time to join nearly 2,000 other audience members who came to see the president at the Milwaukee's Midwest Express Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Bush entered the auditorium to a standing ovation. Many attendees continued to cheer for the president, who looked relaxed and confident as he addressed the state of America's economy and the strength of the United States.
At times he would pound on the podium and lean further into the microphone to drive some of his points home, especially when he spoke of the recent war with Iraq.
""[Saddam Hussein] is no more and the world is a better place because of it,"" he said emphatically to the crowd, who erupted into hurrahs.
Bush spoke of his administration's tax relief plan. He said the justification behind the tax refund was to increase the amount of money in the economy.
""When somebody has more in their pocket , they are more likely to have more demand for a good or service,"" he said.
But money, according to Bush, is not what keeps U.S. citizens strong. He said the nation has been tested since Sept. 11 and the strength of the citizens comes from how much they care.
""There is a community all across America. When somebody hurts, someone in the community is willing to stand up and say 'I love you,'"" he said.
Bush was humorous at times. When he began a sentence ""I have analyzed,"" he stopped and restated ""My staff has analyzed..."" The audience members began to laugh when the president looked straight at them, grinned and said, ""I delegate.""
His candor appealed to UW-Madison freshman Kevin Gerads, who came on the bus with the other College Republicans.
""He seems like a great guy,"" Gerads said with a huge grin. ""He's a person; he's not a politician.""
As he waited among the crowd for the president to leave the building so they could leave the room and get back on the bus, Gerads said he was going to find a one-hour photo place later that day to develop his pictures of Bush.
""I would have got up at like 4 a.m. and waited in line,"" he said. ""It was worth missing class, I think.\
