About 100 people gathered on the sidewalk around the Mayflower Hotel in downtown D.C. this evening to catch a glimpse of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama was scheduled to make a statement to the press at the hotel after leaving a meeting about the economic bailout package at the White House. Obama had met with President Bush, Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and congressional leaders. Neither McCain nor Obama made an immediate statement after leaving the meeting.

The spectators who gathered weren’t able to get a good look at Obama — he entered a black SUV surrounded by his small motorcade in the alley adjacent to the hotel’s parking lot. But the group shouted cheers of support for the candidate as the vehicle pulled out on to 17th Street and headed south.

Traffic was somewhat disrupted as secret service officers tried to keep people on the sidewalk and out of the street. The crowd quickly dissipated after Obama drove away.