Keith Boykin
Special assistant to the president for news analysis
Age at the time: 28

Originally published Jan. 13, 2001

I wasn't really as excited about the inauguration as I was about going into the White House. I went shortly after noon on Inauguration Day, January 20. There weren't many people in the White House at that time, because all the Bush people had cleared out, and the Clinton folks hadn't come in yet because they were at the Inauguration. A group of people, myself included, just wanted to go to the White House and see what that was all about.

I remember going in and getting my security credentials and my badge and just walking around through the West Wing. I had an enormous sense of connectedness to the whole political system. It was really unreal. It was surreal, that's what it was. I felt like I couldn't believe I worked on this campaign, and now, here I am walking around the White House. I felt like somebody was going to stop me and say, "What are you doing here?" It felt very, very odd.

There were no rules or regulations set up, on the first day at least, so I walked right into the Oval Office. It was just open. I couldn't believe it. Every moment, I felt like someone was going to tap me on the shoulder, or I was going to wake up from this dream. It was unbelievable for me, because I had worked on six previous political campaigns, and no campaign I had ever worked for had ever won. Not only had this one won, but it won the highest office. I came back later, and I was so excited I called all my family and friends and said, "Hey, guess what? I'm calling from the White House."

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