Oh, my throbbing ovaries! President Obama played peek-a-boo with pint-sized Maeve Beliveau, the daughter of a staffer. So much cuter than him playing chicken with Iran, isn’t it? [White House Flickr]
Most Americans look to Barack Obama for change. So now, you can look to him when you’re changing your clothes. This cheeky website, Obama-Weather.com, shows you how to dress for the day according to illustrations of the Prez. Foggy and a bit chilly? He’s prepared in a parka and jeans. For wet days, a raincoat and an umbrella, depending on if there are light or heavy showers. When the weather’s nice, Mr. President gets decked out in a bright t-shirt and leather jacket.
OK ... so where’s the Michelle version, please? [Obama-Weather.com]
Born: August 4, 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii
Best Known As:
President Barack Obama’s first name means blessed by God in Arabic. He was born to a white mother and African father and has admitted it was a struggle growing up dealing with his multi-racial heritage. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he became the first African-American President of the Harvard Law Review, which gained a lot of media attention. It ended up leading to a book deal about race relations. He taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. He then served three terms in the Illinois State Senate from 1997-2004, before being elected junior U.S. Senator of Illinois in 2005. He was the fifth African-American Senator is U.S. history. In November 2008 he was elected the first African-American President of the United States and was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. President Obama is an avid sports fan and loves playing basketball. He has a beer named after him in Kenya, where his father is from. In 2006, he won a Grammy for “Best Spoken Word” for the CD version of his autobiography Dreams From My Father.
If you’re anything like me, you’re jealous of Michelle Obama. Those clothes. Those cutie-pie kids. That husband. That Glamour cover. And that address! But in an eye-opening New York Times Magazine cover story on the Obama marriage, Michelle is candid about their relationship’s ups and (surprising number of) downs. All political marriages are, by definition, unconventional. But to hear Michelle tell it, she has often felt like a single mother with Barack traveling all the time as a Senator.
“This was sort of the eye-opener to me, that marriage is hard. But going into it, no one ever tells you that. They just tell you, ‘Do you love him? What’s the dress look like?’ It’s unfair to the institution of marriage, and it’s unfair for young people who are trying to build something, to project this perfection that doesn’t exist.”
The official Obama family portrait was posted on the White House photostream and OMG the first family is so gorgeous. Annie Leibovitz did good. But where’s Bo?
Yesterday was the Marriage Equality March in Washington, D.C. as gay rights activists came out in droves to demand the right to get legally married in the United States. Many celebs were on hand, including Lady Gaga, who gave the speech above. Props for the Judy Garland joke, G! [Los Angeles Times]
In other gay rights news, at a human rights dinner this weekend, President Obama vowed to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the 16-year-old policy which bans gays from serving in the military if they are openly gay. About. Effing. Time. [Wall Street Journal]
People were shocked when President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace prize today for his initiatives to reduce nuclear weapons, reduce conflict in the Muslim world, and promote worldwide diplomacy. Why so shocking, since these are Nobel-worthy causes? Because Obama had only been in office for two weeks before the February 1 Nobel nomination deadline. The Nobel Committee doesn’t seem to think it’s a problem. They attribute a change in global mood to Obama’s calls for peace and cooperation, even though his initiatives have not yet had the time “to bear fruit.” So what do you think? Does he deserve the award? [MSNBC]
After the jump, see how Obama stacks up to the other presidents that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
I’m not sure what this stimulates more—my ovaries or my already raging crush on the Prez. [via The Feminista Files]
“I don’t actually go that way, though I notice a lot of people think I do. But umm, you know what, if I’m-a do it, I’m going for [Barack] Obama. If I got with him, I could run the country. If I was that way, Obama, I’d be gunning for you brother! I’d be the one in control. That’s if I was that way. Who you gonna go for? Will Smith? Somebody pretty like that? Not to say Obama’s not pretty. But I’d go straight for Obama because you got power then. You could run red lights and just wild out. And I’d have Michelle [Obama] hold the camera!”
—Tyson Beckford answering this question: “If you had to spend the night with a man, who would it be and why?” [Black Voices]
“... the first black — but actually multiracial — president. I mean, to be honest with you, he’s a multiracial president.”
— Ann Curry on “Today” this morning speaking about President Obama and showing off her knowledge of U.S. politics. When is someone going to make her a host of her own show already? [Clip here]
Lately, the politicos have been hitting President Obama with a lot of criticism, and it seems everyone would like to tell our president what to do: “Don’t eat junk food. Junk food makes you fat”; “I know you want to save the earth, but people don’t want to clean”; “You should not smoke when you are president! Because you will die by smoking, and then you will not be president!”
Well, at least, that’s what America’s kids have to say to him, and they do so every day by sending thousands of letters to the White House. Kids’ Letters to President Obama, edited by Bill Adler, compiles 200 of some of the more hilarious notes. Read some selections on McSweeney’s, like our favorite so far:
“Dear President Obama,
I want to tell you hi. Do you work with Santa Claus? Can I meet you in your house? Can I say bye to you after I meet you? And then can I meet you again? And then again after that?Sergio Magana, age 5
San Francisco”
Cracking up yet? [$15, Barnes & Noble]
Chris Andersen’s biography of the Obamas, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, comes out today, and in it he dishes on a lot more than the first couple’s date night. According to Andersen, women are constantly rubbing up against Barack, slipping him their digits, and whispering suggestive comments in his ear. “On more than one occasion, Barack tried not to look startled when some random woman in the crowd would grasp him firmly by the derriere—and sometimes try to hold on,” writes Andersen. After one rally on the campaign trail, Barack supposedly said, “Jesus, I wish they’d stop grabbing my ass.”
Last night Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to take on the “Late Show With David Letterman” when he made an appearance on the late-night talk show and discussed Afghanistan, the economy, health care, and heart-shaped potatoes. The President made the day of a woman from Missouri named Mary Apple when he asked to take a look at the wrinkled heart-shaped potato she brought to the show. The woman threw the potato up to Letterman and he handed it to Obama who said, “Well, thank you so much for sharing.” While Obama said the potato was the “main reason” he was there, Letterman’s Top Ten list gave several other possible reasons Obama agreed to do the show, including: “Wanted to congratulate Dave on the big Emmy win.” (Letterman lost the Emmy to Jon Stewart for the seventh year in a row).
Personal aside: Letterman films his show in my neighborhood, just two blocks from my apartment, and yesterday afternoon I met up with my husband, who was on his way home from work, and we were lucky enough to catch President Obama leaving the studio after his interview! It was a thrill to see all cops rev their engines in the front of the motorcade and then see the President himself drive past, but the best part of all is that Obama actually looked right at us, like us, personally, and smiled and waved! And I even have a video clip to prove it! Let’s face it: The heart-shaped potato may have been one draw, but I think the President really agreed to do “Letterman” so he could wave “hi” to me!
A new book says Michelle Obama advised Barack Obama to use “Yes, we can!” as a campaign slogan, even though the president apparently hated his chief advisor David Alexrod’s catchphrase. According to Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, by Christopher Anderson, the president dissed the now-famous slogan, calling it “childish” and “corny,” and insisted, “I don’t like it.” Barack then ordered his staff to think up a better slogan, but Michelle assured her hubby, “It will work. Trust me.” Smart lady! Anderson also says that Michelle put the kibosh picking on Hillary Clinton as a vice presidential candidate and urged her husband to pick Joe Biden as a running mate instead. “Do you really want Bill and Hillary just down the hall from you in the White House? Could you live with that?”, she allegedly told Barack. (Guess he couldn’t.) We always knew Michelle was one of the president’s greatest assets! [Times of London]
If you don’t know who Reggie Love is, get with the program, girls. Generally speaking, he’s President Obama‘s right-hand man, otherwise known as a “body man,” the president’s special assistant and aide. He grew up in North Carolina, went to Duke, where he played on the basketball team, and came to Capitol Hill on an internship in 2006. Now, he’s regularly at Obama’s side, attending to the Big Man’s every need, whether that’s keeping him on schedule or shooting some hoops (I imagine he lets Barry win at least some of the time). But what Love does best is look good doing it. Thankfully, it’s never too late for a “Summer of Love” slideshow.
Tea Baggers (heh) may be rallying against Obama‘s tax proposals, but perhaps they don’t know that Mr. President is a Tea Bagger (haha) himself. Thanks to a German design company called Donkey Products, you can now dunk political figures affixed to sachets to flavor your afternoon cup. The line comes in three collections: DemocraTea, depicting world leaders, StripTea with naughty strippers, or RoyalTea with Tony Blair and the Queen herself. RoyalTea, we’d imagine, would contain an English brew, but we’re curious as to what the others would be. Guesses for Vladimir Putin’s flavor? [Gizmodo.com]
With a full fledged debate raging over Obama’s health care plan, we’ve started to get pretty confused about what’s what. Everyone has an opinion and facts are flying everywhere. Meanwhile, myths, half-truths and complete lies (hello, “death panels”) are making the rounds, too. So we’re going to break it down for all of you out there who’ve got better things to do than listen to a bunch of white dudes talk politics.
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