Results tagged “presidentobama”

According to CNN's politicalticker blog, President Obama will meet this week with Officer James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. over a beer to discuss the false home invasion arrest fiasco in Boston from last week. The beers chosen by each man? Budweiser for Obama, Blue Moon for Crowley, and undetermined for Gates (Gates may not even drink beer, as it turns out). Maybe Bud is Obama’s beer of choice, but being the president, it's probably safe to say that he had to pick 1) an American beer and 2) something most people have tried. Remember what happened when he told Iowa voters what arugula cost at the store? Right.

President Obama is starting bilateral talks with China here in Washington today, which means residents can expect to be inconvenienced in one way or another for the next two days by the roughly 150 Chinese dignitaries currently in town. Expect additional motorcades and intermittent, temporary road closures in the vicinity of the Ronald Reagan Building and the White House. DDOT says minor delays due to closures should be expected on both inbound and outbound 14th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues until at least 6 p.m. Drivers intending to head southbound out of the city on 14th Street this evening are advised to use the 9th Street tunnel instead, while those heading into the city should use 12th Street or 7th Street.

Appropriate, not appropriate, legal, not legal; it seems like everyone is all atwitter about the proposal to christen the newly renovated park at 14th and Girard Streets NW as "Barack Hussein Obama Park". All the usual suspects -- Jim Graham, Gary Imhoff, neighborhood leaders, the Columbia Heights listserv, and so forth -- are involved, in what is surely a fantastic story to share with your out-of-town friends if you feel like showing off just how silly local politics can get around here.

On Tuesday, the Post's D.C. Wire blog reported that Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham's proposal to name the recently renovated park at 14th and Girard Streets NW "Barack Hussein Obama Park," wasn't allowed under D.C. law, which prohibits the city from naming things after people who are still alive. Not so, according to Graham. He wrote in an email to constituents today:

While the Washington Post accurately quoted law, it did not accurately state the legal situation. For years, the Council has been naming "public spaces" after living persons. The Council in the last year "renamed" roadways to honor Kathy Hughes and Chuck Brown. One of my first acts as a Councilmember in 1999 was to successfully sponsor a bill naming the alley next to Ben's Chili Bowl "Ben Ali Way" to honor the restaurant's founders. All these folks are happily still with us! There are other examples.

Continue reading "Graham Disputes Legal Barriers to 'Obama Park' Name"

The recently renovated community park at 14th and Girard Streets NW now has a potential name: Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham introduced a resolution today to rename the park "Barack Hussein Obama Park," D.C. Wire reports. If the resolution is passed, the park, which features a basketball court, year-round chess tables and an interactive water jet play fountain in the summer, would be the very first official anything to be named after President Obama in the District of Columbia.

Coup in Honduras? Check. Michael Jackson? Check. Health care reform? Check. The D.C. license plate? Wait; this again?

A White House spokesperson has issued a statement repudiating a report from Time magazine published online today that said President Obama had decided to make the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David his primary place of worship, in order to facilitate more privacy. "The President and First Family continue to look for a church home. They have enjoyed worshipping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is best for their family," is the word from Deputy White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki (via the Christian Science Monitor).

The Post's Reliable Source reported yesterday that WTOP Political Analyst and longtime voting rights agitator Mark Plotkin cornered Obama advisor David Axelrod at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner last Friday and pressed for the president to put the "Taxation Without Representation" tags on the presidential limousine. Axelrod didn't seem to think much of the personal appeal, telling Plotkin, "That's your thing." Plotkin also found RNC Chair Michael Steele and followed up on the former Maryland Lt. Governor's promise to put the protest plates on his car.

The White House released this statement from President Obama late last night: "Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in Northeast Washington D.C. today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to save lives. My staff has been in touch with Mayor Fenty's office and will continue to monitor the situation."

President Obama has a way with words. Unlike the somewhat elementary formulations of his predecessor, Obama has tackled a number of complex issues -- torture and Guantanamo Bay, relations with the Muslim world -- in recent speeches. He is keenly aware of the power his words hold, and he doesn't act like the American people are children lacking the capacity to understand and digest tough issues. It's time he stepped up and used his oratory for the sake of District voting rights.

Comedienne Wanda Sykes returned to Washington this weekend to deliver the ever-fraught White House Correspondents Dinner host's comedy routine. Sykes grew up in the D.C. area, and famously worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency before launching her stand-up career.

Hot hot Arlington burger joint Ray's Hell Burger got even hotter today after President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stopped in for lunch around 12:30 p.m.

If you haven't spied it on newsstands yet, Washingtonian magazine's newest issue features a black cover with a rather grainy image of a shirtless President Obama superimposed over it. It looks really, really crappy from a design perspective, and the photo is recycled from last year, but it'll probably sell out anyway just for the novelty factor, which is no doubt what the magazine's editors had in mind.

Well, we knew this was a possibility, but still, what a disappointment for all the folks who are headed to Monday's Nationals home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Washington Times is reporting that President Obama is going to decline the Nats invite to throw out the first pitch at the stadium of the season, due to his busy schedule. USA Today's sports blog picked up the story too, noting that Obama also had to turn down a chance to toss out the first pitch at a White Sox game while he was in Europe.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama escorted former President George Bush and Laura Bush to a Marine Corps helicopter after the swearing in ceremony. The Bushes turned and waved back, and the Obamas, along with Vice President Joseph Biden and Jill Biden, waved to the departing helicopter. The Bushes were flown to Andrews Air Force base and then boarded a plane to Dallas.