UNH students head to Portsmouth to witness President Obama's speech

Less than 24 hours removed from his nationally-televised speech at the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama was in Portsmouth making an appeal to voters for re-election, just two months from the election.

Several University of New Hampshire students jumped on the chance to witness a current president within close driving range of Durham, waiting hours in line before being let into Strawberry Banke Museum where they waited for the president under a cloudless sky.

Students Bryan Bickford and Molly Simon, who live a block from the museum, were in line by 7:30 a.m. to obtain good seats.

Simon, a junior pre-veterinary medicine major holding an Obama sign, said the wait was well worth it.

“How many times do you get to see your commander in chief speaking?” she said. “Just live in person and in your own backyard. He was great.”

At the Friday event, Obama touched on a number of issues, focusing primarily on the middle class and what he would do in his second term to work on creating jobs, education opportunities and cutting back on America’s dependency for foreign oil.

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