Obama Snubs Clinton at State of the Union

Xi Jinping, China's next president, to meet with Obama

(NEWSER) - The man slated to be China's next president began his US tour today, meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office before having lunch with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Biden will serve as Xi Jinping's host in Washington, the New York Times reports. Other stops on the agenda: a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and a high-level trip to the Pentagon, where he'll get an honor guard salute and meet with Leon Panetta and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. More»

Pundits see president's speech as a populist offensive

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered a feisty, populist State of the Union address last night ( excerpts here , pictures here ), and naturally pundits are dissecting and grading it today. Here's what they're saying:

• "Obama had a simple message for Republicans: Game on," writes Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post . What on the surface was a typical post-partisan Obama speech was actually full of populist challenges to Republicans. "This is Obama version 2.0: Harder, more cynical but perhaps also more effective."

Maybe not, writes Linton Weeks

(NEWSER) - The State of the Union used to be "a monumental moment—surrounded on each side by a few days of national reflection," a time when the president could address important topics in "a relatively quiet and slowly whirring world," writes Linton Weeks at NPR . Not so anymore. Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, Twitter, and the like, "Everybody knows all the time what President Obama thinks about everything … And everyone knows what everyone else thinks about the president—and the state of the union." In this day and age, "has the State of the Union address become obsolete?" More»

Debbie Bosanek will sit in Michelle Obama's box

(NEWSER) - At tonight's State of the Union address, Warren Buffett's secretary will have a seat in Michelle Obama's box, the Washington Post reports. Debbie Bosanek is the inspiration for President Obama's "Buffett rule," a call for the rich to pay a higher tax rate; Buffett famously claimed that he pays a lower tax rate than Bosanek , despite his wealth. Bosanek's presence will help the president make a case for the rule, which he says will in turn boost spending and create jobs. Also attending tonight's address: Gabrielle Giffords, in one of her last acts as a congresswoman, CBS News reports. More»

Tim Thomas skips out on White House visit

(NEWSER) - All-star goalie Tim Thomas skipped out on a visit to the White House with the rest of his Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins yesterday, snubbing President Obama's offer of congratulations because he's not happy with the size of the federal government. "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People," he wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and the Bruins website . "This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government." More»