Chixe

I'd be respectful no matter what; I'm a fool around "celebrities". However, I'd probably watch every action and criticize the man to everyone within hearing range. I can't stand Bush as a president the way that I might be able to stand him as a person, and having the two mix in one room and one strange moment might be enough to cause me to do something stupid :/

I don't want to seem like I'm downplaying what is bound to be a great experience for you but remember the direction of interest here. You're more interested to be meeting them than they are to meet you.

The same goes for all meetings with people that don't have a specific interest in you, be they celebrities or politicians.

What I'm saying is: I wouldn't bring up anything too heavy. They'll likely think "oh it's another one of these people" and make a getaway.

By all means make a joke, be friendly and enjoy the experience but I wouldn't put too much hope in swinging opinions or having an in-depth debate over political issues.

Also remember that if you do cock it up, you've not lost that much*, so by all means ignore what I say and roll into the party with some hard-hitting interview questions =)

*Unless you pull out a gun, then you could lose a lot more than an opportunity to chat

"I wanna go pee."

Biscuitrat, yeah, I'm quite sure that I would have acted differently seeing Bush as opposed to the president of my country.

Oli, you´re definitely not downplaying anything. And it was a great experience, thank you :) Obviously they are busy and spend most of their days meeting people more interested in meeting them then the other way around. But that was also one of the reasons I took care in thinking about how to act.

To answer my own questions, I was polite and respectful, obviously. And I chose a specific issue related to what I do for a living and the future prospects of my country (high-tech industry growth). I figured that a man with a "birds eye" view of the happenings in a country would be very well suited to realize where things are headed.

My main concern was to try and get a personal opinion, rather than a politically correct answer — obviously politicians can't say whatever they want "officially", so I was afraid that I'd get a pre-cooked answer. I didn't and the whole experience worked out great.

Upon meeting anyone of importance, the trick is to treat them as if they are less important to you than the state of your fingernails. Don't go as far as to ignore them completely but make sure they realise how little they mean to you.

We dont have a president, but we have an annoying prime minister with an annoying voice. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSYRKm35-DQ)

Personally, a kick to the janglies would be my method of greeting and farewell.