Barack Obama
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President Barack Obama has written a letter on fatherhood for Parade magazine. It's really touching!

I also really enjoy how accessible and candid Mr. President is. He just puts it all out there. It's never easy to share your most intimate thoughts with anyone, let alone the world. But Barack's daughters inspire him that much. Here's an excerpt of what Barack Obama wrote in this Sunday's Parade magazine issue.

As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father’s Day—our first in the White House—with a deep sense of gratitude.

I observe this Father’s Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters’ lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life. My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told.

And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood. Continue Reading...

Barack Obama spoke with Newsweek about his daughters Sasha and Malia Obama and how they're adjusting to their new digs and gigs. Heh.

Barack says that Michelle Obama has done a great job with the girls and they're "happy and normal." Barack also likes being President, cause he knows his daughters will be protected when they go out on dates.

"And dating I think will be an issue because I have men with guns surrounding them at all times," he said, laughing, "which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it."

"The nice thing is that, partly because of temperament, partly because of Michelle Obama's unbelievable parenting skills, I've just got some happy, normal kids. And all that stuff that's going on around them, they just kind of miss. We have not seen any effects, any fishbowl effects, yet on them."

Barack has nothing to worry about. First of all, the girls won't have many boys to choose from simply because everyone will be too intimidated. Second, you best treat the President's daughters right unless you wanna deal with the reprucussions, whatever those may be. It's doubtful that any idiot would wanna find out.

Fergie croaked out the National Anthem for the Obamas Easter egg hunt at the White House. I hate to take it there - but Fergie was trying to sound black and she sounds awful.

She is a soulful powerhouse but she sounds like she's reaching. She's all kinds of pitchy and me thinks that this was painful to listen to. Fergie Ferg also desperately needs to do something with that animal she's walking around with on her head. Tame the beast.

The White House's traditional Easter Egg Roll is expected to draw a crowd of nearly 30,000. Festivities kicked off this morning with hundreds of kids hunting for eggs on the South Lawn.

Fergie will make attendees' ears bleed again as she performs a free concert with Ziggy Marley, Steve Songs, Imagination Movers, Jessica Jarrell and more. Celebrities are also scheduled to appear and Michelle will be reading passages from children's tales on the storytime stage.

In Barack Obama's acceptance speech, he announced that daughters Sasha and Malia will be getting a dog.

Unaware of the months of the persistent inquiries that were to follow, Barack and Michelle Obama have had many suggestions on what kind of dog they should choose and have been bombarded with inquiries about the dog's arrival. Now the first family is finally one step closer to resolving this crucial situation.

The Obamas have chosen a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog and they're naming him Bo.

The selection was top secret! Sasha and Malia picked the black and white pup and he's a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who owns several Portuguese water dogs himself.

"We couldn't be happier to see the joy that Bo is bringing to Malia and Sasha," Kennedy said in a statement. "We love our Portuguese water dogs and know that the girls _ and their parents _ will love theirs, too."

The dog is named Bo because Michelle Obama's father is nicknamed Diddley. The name for the dog was an apparent reference to the singer "Bo" Diddley.

I love the name. It just shows how down to earth the Obamas are. I was thinking they'd go for something more traditional like Charlie, but instead they've up and gone country!

President Barack Obama gives good bitch face and he can have major 'tude! I think it's sexy and I luvs it.

Barack Obama's very competitive, and debating via Q&A is what he's all about. I love watching him speak. I've never really said that and wholeheartedly meant it about a president in my lifetime. Gotta love it.

So CNN reporter Ed Henry asked Obama why he took days to come forward and comment after he heard about the AIG bonuses. Then Obama verbally dick slapped him.

The buzziest moment came about 35 minutes into the press conference when Ed Henry of CNN asked the President why he didn't spew outrage as soon as he learned about the AIG bonuses.

Why, Mr. Henry asked, did the president wait several days before speaking out? The president, with an icy stare, responded that he "likes to know what he's talking about" before he speaks. It was a pretty testy exchange that brought about nervous laughter from the other reporters and snarky responses from Twitterers. Boom! Next question.

Chip Reid asked a tough question about Obama's controversial budget. Reid asked if the budget, which will increase the debt to "$7 trillion over the next 10 years," is a case of passing problems onto the next generation.

Obama responded that investments need to be made to "meet our growth targets that put us on a pathway to growth." He then pointed out that the critics of his budget have yet to bring forth an alternative.

"He [Barack Obama] doesn't understand fashion. He's always asking, 'Is that new? I haven't seen that before,'" she says. "It's like, 'Why don't you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.'"

She says her husband typically tells her things like: "You didn't need any more shoes. The shoes you had on yesterday were fine. Why can't you just wear that for the rest of the presidency?"

On her love of French fries:

Fries "are my favorite food in the whole wide world. I could live on French fries."

She says her greasy food habit hasn't rubbed off on daughters, Sasha, 10, and Malia, 7. "You figure, 'Well, we ate fine all week, guys, let's go get this.' They're like, 'No, Mommy, we won't be eating there.' And I feel like, 'Darn, where are we going to go?'"

Michelle is too friggin' cute!

Us Weekly via the New York Times

I haven't watched Jay Leno in god knows how long, but I stayed up to watch Mr. Handsome President Man Barack Obama's appearance. He did well. Mr. Charismatic was a big hit but he made a joke about the Special Olympics, which is the only thing that many are focusing on. Natch.

I still think people should pick and choose their battles, but the man is the leader of the free world. Obama's gotta be extra careful about topics that are so sensitive to some people.

From the Huffington Post:

On his way back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to say he was sorry -- even before the taped program aired late Thursday night.

"He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population," Shriver said Friday on ABC's Good Morning America. "He, I think importantly, said he was ready to have some of our athletes over to the White House to bowl or to play basketball, or help him improve his score."

I kind of love it! I used to think that Michelle Obama was hard on the eyes, but she does photograph very, very well. She's been looking better these days and she looked hawt a few nights ago at the White House Stevie Wonder concert.

Also, I dunno why her hand is on that table. It's bothering me and I'm not so sure I'll be able to get any sleep tonight. I MUST know why she posed like that!!!! Are they trying to impose some kind of cover up? Was she crunk? Did she lose her balance and need some support, what? All I know is that the First Lady looks great.

Michelle Obama's first official portrait as first lady was released by the White House Friday.

She appears in a Michael Kors black shift dress and pearls in the photo, taken in the famed home's "Blue Room."

Obama is also featured on the March cover of Vogue.

She's the second first lady -- after Hillary Clinton -- to appear on the front of the magazine.

source

I know I'm a little late on this story, but better late than never. As An African-American, I'm outraged by the New York Post's blatant, disgusting racism. I am also not surprised. Racism will not vanish just because Barack Obama has been elected. Thank you, John Legend, for speaking out against it when you see it. That takes balls and intellect, something he has both of. I've already been exposed to the intellect, now show me what you workin' wit! Here goes it:

Dear Editor,

I'm trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really?

Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that's not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots.

If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can't imagine what possible justification you have for this.

I've read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It's about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it.

I'm personally boycotting your paper and won't do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I'm well aware of our country's history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don't need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place.

Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,

John Legend

Amy Grindhouse

I disagree fervently with the people on our side of the aisle who have caved and who say, 'Well, I hope he succeeds. We've got to give him a chance.' Why? ... I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.'

I'm actually glad that Rush said this. He's just inspiring Barack to do a great job! Nothing is more motivating than proving your haters wrong. Gobama!

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