I’m sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton in Portsmouth, New Hampshire getting ready to head back to Boston. On the way I’ll return the rental car. As I pulled the care around this morning to load the luggage I was reminded of one of the many things that make New Hampshire unique. And while small, this something somehow infests the culture and character of the place.

“Live Free or Die.”

Now that, my friends, is a motto. A motto that can build a brand. New Hampshire’s motto alone is reason to keep the tradition of this state having the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Exist in the unattainable state of complete freedom, or get the hell off the planet. Exhilarating. Scary. Lots of hard edges.

I grew up in Louisiana. We had “Sportsman’s Paradise.” Interesting. Focuses on consumer benefits. Aspirational. I’ve always wondered what “paradise” would be. Never thought that would be Louisiana.

I moved to Texas. The new plate on the Dodge Duster read “Lone Star State”. Historical. Allusions to rugged independence. But I’m not sure what it means exactly. And I’m a bit of a loner myself.

Both of course beat the most comical state motto. Idaho’s “Famous Potatoes.” What? Potatoes? That’s it? That’s the best they can do? A root vegetable?

I think motto’s have meaning. They show up on documents, correspondence, business cards, speeches, and yes … license plates. There’s something both ubiquitous and subliminal about them.

So kudos to those New Hampshirites (sp?) who went ballistic when someone tried to hoist the wimpy slogan “You’re going to love it here” on the states signage.

We don’t care if you love it here or not.

Live free or die!

You could hear the groans of the staffers and event planners.  You could see their furrowed brows.

An immediate scramble for floor plans. Thoughts of buses and transportation. Security procedures. Do we allow coolers? Install metal detectors? What about concessions? Who gets those? The lighting is no problem but the sound and acoustics can get real tricky. Do we stack everything at one end or put something in the middle and do a 360? What if it rains? What is an appropriate Obama tail-gate party? Even the news organizations don’t know what to do.

All this being the result of Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama’s decision to join the likes of nSynch and the Pope and give a command performance at Denver’s Mile High stadium.

The “Obama Joins the MIle High Club” references have already begun. Watch for variations thereof.

The McCain camp has (predictably) scoffed at the idea. According to them “Senator Obama and his fellow Democrats are more focused on stagecraft and theatrics than providing real solutions to the challenges facing our nation,” … “A change of venue for a speech isn’t the kind of change the American people deserve or expect — and that’s why we’re confident the next President of the United States will be nominated at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.”

(Take that! This is no long McCain vs. Obama. It is St. Paul’s Xcel vs. Denver’s Invesco.  What next?  A battle of team mascots?  State flowers?)

McCain’s team mentions Mile High Stadium in the same breath as “boy bands.”  Obama as Justin Timberlake.  (Let’s hope there is no wardrobe malfunction.)

But Mile High Stadium has also been host to numerous “gatherings of the masses.” According to Newsday:

Graham held a revival meeting at the Stadium in 1957. The same year, Cardinal Spellman celebrated Mass there. Pope Paul VI, on the first papal visit to the United States, appeared in 1965, followed by Pope John Paul II in 1979 (each pontif earning a commemorative plaque in Monument Park alongside baseball greats). Pope Benedict XVI said Mass at the Stadium in April.

You can dismiss the Obama move as theatrics. Or you can see it as the Obama campaign sees it — an opportunity to do something traditional in a very different and expansive way.

Is it an nSynch performance? Or a Papal address?

Either way, it is a considerable undertaking.

And will most certainly be an interesting thing to see unfold.