One of the things on my List To Do In Life list (doesn't everyone have one) is to see a current president in person. I don't necessarily have to meet him (or her), to shake his hand or anything - just be in the same room or arena or something with him.

The First former president I saw in person was Gerald Ford. It was my senior year at Notre Dame and as we stood in the bleachers before the game, my friend Jamie asked, "Who are those guys in suits on the sidelines? They look like Secret Service or something."

"I think they are," I said, pointing to a bald guy amid them. "Look, that's Gerald Ford."

"That's not Gerald Ford," Jamie said. "No way."

Then Tony comes over.

"Tony," Jamie said. "Who's that guy down there, with the guys in all the suits."

"It's Gerald Ford," Tony said.

Sure enough, it was Gerald Ford. The guy played football at that other school (Michigan) and for some reason, Notre Dame -- not even in the Big Ten -- decided to honor him with some award or something.

So Gerry was the first. I think he pardoned Gerry Faust while he was on campus too.

The second was Jimmy Carter, and I already wrote about that toward the end of my Atlanta trip, so you can read it there.

But my first opportunity to see a real, live, sitting president will come in May. With our current leader, just as I feared.

George W. Bush will be the commencement speaker at my sister's graduation from Notre Dame this year. I mean, I love the school, but that's what you get with a conservative Catholic college. I just hope Dubya has the speech written out before and doesn't have to come up with anything of the top of his head -- we could be there for days.

"And as you ... uh ... go off into the ... uh ... future, remember that ... uh ... to work in the efforts of bipartisanshipfullness." I'm going to count all the new words I learn from his speech.

Go Iri -- uh.