By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Vice President Dick Cheney held a roundtable discussion at Hopper's Family Restaurant, 9675 Old U.S. 31, in Berrien Springs Friday.
The visit was the first of three Michigan stops for the vice president. Cheney also visited Kalamazoo before heading to his last stop in Grand Rapids.
Jo Ann Flock, founder of the Niles Republican Headquarters, got the chance to meet and speak with the vice president and his wife, Lynne, during their visit. She described the experience as "extraordinary."
Flock was surprised by how Cheney and his wife carried themselves.
Flock said she was surprised that the vice president and president would both visit the area. President George W. Bush visited Niles in May.
The setting was very intimate, Flock said. There were about 30 people in the restaurant with many more outside, she said.
Cheney and his wife sat at a large, round table with a dozen or so people, Flock said.
The questions were pre-selected and asked by people chosen before the discussion took place.
Cheney listened as much as he spoke to people during his visit, Flock said.
When asked if there was anything that surprised her about Cheney, she said he came up a little short of her expectations – literally.
Flock said the pair were very easy to talk to. "They're very personable," she said.
Before the roundtable discussion, Flock shared sentiments on being a grandmother with Mrs. Cheney.
After meeting Cheney, Flock is confident Bush and Cheney have the right agenda for the country.