President draws mixed reaction during visit

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By Craig Schneider

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As President Barack Obama swept through Atlanta on Monday -- speaking before a few thousand disabled vets and raising a half-million dollars from party faithful -- he drew warm praise as well as chilly skepticism.

Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com President Barack Obama arrives at Dobbins Air Reserve base Monday. The President visited Atlanta to give a speech at the Disabled American Veterans convention.

Phil Skinner, pskinner@ajc.com The convention was held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta.

Phil Skinner, pskinner@ajc.com The President is handed a baby while shaking hands after his speech.

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During the national convention of Disabled American Veterans, Marvin Vaughan wiped away tears as he reflected on his service in Vietnam and the president's remarks. Some 30 years have passed since Vaughan arrived home from that war and was greeted with people spitting on him, he said.

When Obama praised Vietnam veterans, the man who received a Purple Heart and who says he suffers from Agent Orange-related illness was deeply moved.

He felt as though the president had just welcomed him home. "I appreciate that," Vaughan said. He traveled from San Antonio to the Hyatt Regency Hotel for the convention.

Some veterans saw politics in Obama's remarks.

James Guglielmoni, a 41-year-old Army veteran, saw Obama's speech as posturing in an election year.

"I didn't take a whole lot away from it," said Guglielmoni, of San Francisco. "I saw a play for the re-election of a Democratic Senate."

Obama's first visit to Atlanta as president flew by in four hours. In political terms, it was striking to see who showed up and who didn't.

Gov. Sonny Perdue greeted the president as he exited Air Force One at Marietta's Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The two men glad-handed with big smiles, even though Perdue has led Georgia into a lawsuit opposing the president's federal health care overhaul.

Several of Georgia's Democratic dignitaries also welcomed the president, including U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. But Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes was nowhere to be seen, having taken the day to campaign elsewhere in the state. Some speculated that Barnes, hoping to win in a largely conservative state, would gain little from being seen with the Democratic president.

Scores of Atlantans lined the sidewalk and snapped pictures as the president's motorcade swept through the city en route to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where both the convention and a Democratic fundraiser were held.

After Obama's speech to the veterans, Clarence Sinkler of Marietta was among those who shook Obama's hand. Sinkler had served in Iraq as an Army chaplain and suffered injuries rooted in post traumatic stress disorder, a subject Obama addressed in his speech.

"The [federal Department of Veterans Affairs] has been giving us a hard time in claiming PTSD," Sinkler said. "If you look at me, you can't tell how close I came to dying over there."

Obama quickly moved from discussing war to filling the war chest at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. Some 200 people attended. Tickets started at $1,000, and some $500,000 was reportedly raised.

Reed introduced the president. In his remarks, Obama paid tribute to Lewis, a leader during the civil rights era, hailing him as "one of the genuine heroes of this country."

Staff writers Ernie Suggs and Steve Visser contributed to this article.