Bumped into Robert Bork (a Reagan supreme court rejectee) while leaving Powells Books in Portland OR. I not so subtly tried to crane my neck about to see what he had bought, and he not so subtly appeared disturbed by my efforts and turned to block my way while scurrying off down the sidewalk. 
My list is pretty humble compared to most.
Doug Racine: Former Lt. Governor of VT. It was at a luncheon for all the Scouts in VT that attaiend their Eagle Rank that year. It was suppossed to be Govenor Dean, but he had some thing to go take care of.
Bernie Sanders: Current US Representative (and almost certainly soon-to-be senator) for VT. It was my enior yeah in HS, and the University of Vbermont had their annual scincey-math competition thing for high schoolers. Our team got to the finals, and we got to meet him and talked about out project. We didn’t win…but we did win the much less hyped and not nearly as popular Rube Goldberg competition in the spring.
I was breifly introduced to Dick Gephardt at a fundraiser.
I’ve met California Treasurer Phil Angelides (D) a few times. He’s running against Arnold for Governor.
Other than that, a handful of state assemblymembers and senators from local districts.
What kind of jokes did you share with Scalia? I’m having trouble imagining this scenario. I can’t imagine walking up to Scalia in baggage and saying, “Knock Knock.”
GargoyleWB reminds me… I interviewed former Judge Robert Bork for my local paper, two years after the Senate didn’t confirm him as a Supreme. Seemed a bit curmudgeonly at the time (I wonder why?).
bouv reminds me… I met Howard Dean at a fundraiser while he was still lieutenant governor of Vermont. He used to stay at my in-laws’ house when he was in Brattleboro.
I’ve “met” some judges before, but it’s nothing I really want to dredge up…
I’ve “met” some judges before, but it’s nothing I really want to dredge up…
Who let the hamsters into the catnip?
Scalia – it’s tough to get without the context. Justice Scalia typically grows a beard each winter (actually, I think he may have stopped now) and shaves it in the spring. Well, in the Spring of '97, he didn’t shave it. It was a major topic of conversation in the gossip pages of the Post and Washingtonian Magazine, and the overwhelming consensus was that he should get rid of it. So I happened to be on a plane with him at that time, and while we were waiting for our bags, I sidled up to him, leaned in, and said “Personally, I like the beard.” He chuckled, got a big smile on his face, and said “You like the beard, huh? That’s great, because my wife hates it, so I need to find as many people as possible who like it if I want to keep it.” We made small talk for another two seconds before my bags came and I took my leave.
I also know his son Gene a little (he’s a partner at my firm), who is a riot.
–Cliffy
Norm Coleman - MN senator. Came into the gas station I worked at and bought a candy bar. Was in a hurry and very short with me. This was back in 97ish? when he was running for govenor.
Paul Wellstone - former MN senator. Met him at the capital during a rally. His daughter Marcia was my spanish teacher in high school.
Jesse Ventura and his wife on separate occasions - former MN Govenor. He was giving some meeting at my college. His wife came to my work to talk with our mentally disabled employees.
Betty McCollum - MN Representative. She was in downtown St.Paul plugging for votes. Very nice and had quite a long conversation until I realized who she was.
Bruce Vento - former MN Representative. Met him way back in 93? at a friends party.
Victoria Rinehardt - Ramsey County Commissioner. She’s a good friends mother who is married to…
James Patrick Barone - Assistant District Attorney (this an elected positon?). They were great people. Really cared about their jobs and such. Victoria’s son and I were close friends in high school and our group of friends use to always hang out at their house. God they must of had an enormous food bill from back in those days.
Ben Stein’s more of an entertainment … wig, but he was in politics and I met him after a speech. Ditto for Al Franken. Nothing very personal about it, it’s not like I ran into them on the street.
In 2003, I was in Dallas for Christmas, and saw Ross Perot at a Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert. I wouldn’t have known what to say to him, so I stayed away.
It’s mostly been in connection with my job at the Smithsonian
Al Gore - I met him at a reception at the Smithsonian once when he was Veep
President Ernesto Perez Balladares of Panama - I met him when he toured one of our facilities here in Panama once
Vice President Ricardo Arias Calderon of Panama - I had lunch with him when he visited the Smithsonian in Washington once.
Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D - North Dakota) was a childhood friend of my stepmother, and on a bit of a family reunion in DC a few years back, he invited some of us to the Capitol for lunch in the Congressional Dining room (I had some of the traditional bean soup). Unfortunately, he could only stay for about 20 minutes because a vote was called.
I am atypical, as I’ve probably been introduced to a speaker or Senate prez in every state in the NE USA. Of current American governors, Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Jim Douglas of Vermont and Aníbal Acevedo of Puerto Rico would recognize who I am. I have done the meet-greet-move-on with George W back when he was Guv of Texas, Howard Dean as Dem Chairman, Jack Kemp before he ran for VP, and Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont; sat in on a meeting with Don Young of Alaska (In his office. Nice stuffed bear, dude) and ditto with former Dominican Republic Prez Hipólito Mejía back when he was still a candidate.
The thing about Charlie is that he’s so approachable. I met him when he came to speak to a management class at TSTC, where I was a medical records student. During a break, he was just standing there with his aide, so I started talking to the aide (we both knew my mother), and Charlie jumped in, because he knows my mother, too. We just stood around talking.
pravnik, next time I go to Texas, we’re gonna have to meet.
Robin
Tom Corbett, the PA attourney general. He goes to church with my parents (well, I used to), and his wife was my troop leader when I was in Girl Scouts. In '88, he came to visit our troop and talk to us about politics. My parents still see them in church. They’re nice people-his wife is really sweet.
His daughter was kind of bossy, though. But then, so were most of the girls whose mothers were troop leaders.
John Howard, the Australian PM. I met him several years ago when he was out for his early morning walk. He stopped and chatted for a couple of minutes.
I think I’m going to win the prize here, for the poster who is going back in time the farthest. I was five years old, sitting on my fathers shoulders, an election whistle-stop in New York.
We were along side train tracks, surrounded by hundreds of people, hoping for just a glance at a famous man. As luck would have it, the rear of the train stopped not two feet from where we stood. The man reached down and began shaking all the upthrust hands.
Cameras were snapping, people were cheering, and ltfire shook the hand of Harry Truman.
My mother, age 93, has the picture on her wall. 
MA Congressman Barney Frank. He was eating alone in a restaurant in St Paul after having spoken to a gay journalists’ convention I was attending in IIRC 1994. Had he been with someone my tablemates and I probably wouldn’t have gone over but since he was alone we did.
My own member of Congress, Tammy Baldwin, I interviewed a number of times back when she was my state legislator. 1993-1995.
I met Paul Simon (the late Illinois senator) at an Earth Day event while in college, and met Carol Moseley Braun (another Illinois senator) during her first senate campaign.
Met President Ford when I was 10 years old, two days before the 1976 election where he was voted out of office.
I hae semi-regular (every six months or so) meetings with Congressman Steve LaTourette (R; Ohio) as part of my job.
Yes, several, but they’re all New Democrat bigwigs; I suppose for me that’s cheating. But as long as we’re counting, I was in a protest with the entire 2001 NDP caucus, attended Montreal Pride and St-Jean-Baptiste with Jack Layton, gladhanded with Alexa McDonough, counterprotested Fred Phelps with Svend Robinson, and attended a round table with Libby Davies.
Other than that, not much, although I did yell at Jacques Parizeau once.
Oh! And when I was a little kid, Gary Doer was one of my dad’s football buddies. He removed a leech from my foot when fishing once.