Obama cheered by thousands in Boise
<p>President Barack Obama walks on the tarmac with Boise Mayor David Bieter after arriving on Air Force One, Wednesday at Gowen Field Air National Guard Base in Boise , Idaho, en route to Boise State University where he will discuss the themes in his State of the Union address. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)</p>
Idaho's politics may run red, but the city of Boise is one of the Gem State's few Democratic strongholds — and it showed Wednesday when thousands of people in a Boise State University building erupted into cheers as President Barack Obama took the stage for his first post-State of the Union speech.
Obama was greeted in Boise by families of deployed military members and Lt. Gov. Brad Little before traveling by motorcade to the university, where more than 6,000 filled the Caven-Williams Sports Complex.
All tickets to the event — distributed among students, faculty, lawmakers and general attendees — were snatched up within an hour on Monday. Some were listed early Wednesday for sale on Craigslist at $100 or more. A group of students nominated by faculty were seated behind the podium and a student introduced the president.
Obama began his speech by recognizing Bella Williams, 13, who wrote him a letter last year.
"I bet you're thinking, 'Wow, what's it like in Boise, Idaho?'" Williams wrote in the letter, Obama said. "So she invited me to come visit."
Obama said also came to promote unity, a theme from his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
"I ended my speech last night with something that I talked about in Boston over a decade ago: That there is not a liberal America or a conservative America but a United States of America," he said to cheers.
Outside the arena, some people demonstrated to support Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Boise who is jailed in Iran for preaching Christianity. They wore neon yellow "Save Saeed" T-shirts and held signs. Abedini's wife, Naghmeh Abedini, and two children were expected to meet with Obama.
Abedini has been held in Iran for two years.