Barack Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

Stories 3061 - 3080 | << Prev   Next >>

Obama Speeches Teach English, Hope to Japanese

Dem's speeches good for language-learners, more inspiring than local pols'

(Newser) - The Japanese version of Amazon.com features an unlikely bestseller: the collected speeches of Barack Obama, with Japanese translation and accompanying CD, Reuters reports. Obama’s inspiring but straightforward rhetoric is perfect for teaching English in a country that hankers to learn the language. He “uses words such as...

Obama Attends Nat'l Prayer Service

(Newser) - Barack and Michelle Obama attended the traditional prayer service at the National Cathedral this morning, the AP reports, a custom dating back to the nation's first president. The newly-minted president sat in the front pew along with Joe and Jill Biden and Bill and Hillary Clinton for a rousing service,...

It's Straight to Work for No. 44
 It's Straight to Work for No. 44 

It's Straight to Work for No. 44

8:35 start later than Bush's usual kickoff, but Obama was out kinda late

(Newser) - Barack Obama kicked off day one as president by entering the Oval Office at 8:35am, later, notes the Christian Science Monitor, than his predecessor typically did—though perhaps not that late considering his night of parties stretched until 1am. Obama spent 10 minutes alone, reading a note in an...

Calm Down! 7 Reasons to Be Skeptical

 Calm Down! 
 7 Reasons to 
 Be Skeptical 
OPINION

Calm Down! 7 Reasons to Be Skeptical

Yep; here are some reasons for concern and skepticism about Obama

(Newser) - Yesterday’s inauguration was such a feel-good fest, and our problems are so dire, that everybody is on board with President Obama. Leave it to Politico’s Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris, then, to give us some reasons for skepticism:
  • The genius fallacy: The best and brightest screw up,
...

Noonan: A Solid, Sober Beginning
 Noonan: A Solid, 
 Sober Beginning 
OPINION

Noonan: A Solid, Sober Beginning

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s first speech as president was not “a joyous audacious document, not a call to arms,” writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, “but a reasoned statement by a Young Sobersides.” That’s not a criticism: Moderate and moderated, Obama’s address...

Lines, Arctic Temps... and a Miracle: Keillor

Writer savors the spirit of goodwill amid throng at inauguration

(Newser) - The lines were "the longest I have ever stood in," and the day was arctic, but there were no complaints to be heard from the jubilant throng in Washington yesterday, Garrison Keillor writes in Salon. "All kinds of people, the slim and sleek, the XXXLs, the heavily...

How Blago Celebrated Inauguration
How Blago Celebrated Inauguration

How Blago Celebrated Inauguration

Ill. guv played hooky from impeachment, got fingerprinted

(Newser) - Yesterday was special for a certain Illinois politician—and not just the one you’re thinking of. While Barack Obama was being sworn in, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was getting his fingerprints taken, reports the Chicago Tribune. Blagojevich also failed to enter a plea in his state Senate impeachment trial; he’...

Amid Clichés, Speech Showed True Insight

New president's speech emphasized how a bright future comes from old traditions

(Newser) - A conservative might have expected President Obama’s inaugural address to feature soaring language masking hackneyed ideas. Funny thing, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post: It was just the opposite. "It is simply mysterious how such tired language could sound appropriate to the ear of Obama the writer,...

Obama Was 10 Feet Tall and Bullet-Proof

Lightweight body armor made his inauguration duds 'bullet-resistant'

(Newser) - Barack Obama wasn't quite bullet-proof as he strode down Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday, but the new president was certainly "bullet-resistant," Slate explains. While the SWAT-team look might not be very presidential, several companies now manufacture lightweight protective clothing that can be worn under clothing or woven into shirts or...

Obama Team Warns: No Magic Wand for Banks

Geithner will testify without a plan, take time to get it right

(Newser) - While the world watched Barack Obama take the oath of office yesterday, on Wall Street shares in the big banks plummeted as much as 29% as the markets took the worst pounding in inaugural history. Yet when Tim Geithner appears before a Senate committee today, the incoming Treasury secretary will...

Writers Hail Message From a 'Prince'

Inaugural address praised as masterful use of language

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inaugural address showed a literary mastery of language, assorted authors tell the Los Angeles Times. The president's plain speaking and restraint is commended, along with his use of "we" instead of "I." Author Ted Wilmer hails the president's use of "tight language, short sentences...

Prez Orders Halt to Gitmo Trials

Prosecutors seeking 120-day delay while Obama sorts things out

(Newser) - Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors to seek a 120-day halt to legal proceedings at Guantanamo Bay—due to resume today—against five accused 9/11 conspirators, and another case against a Canadian defendant. Documents already filed said the request is made "in the interest of justice and at the direction...

Oprah's Take: 'It's Sacred'
 Oprah's Take: 'It's Sacred' 

Oprah's Take: 'It's Sacred'

(Newser) - The impact of today's inauguration was not lost on Oprah, a key early backer of Barack Obama. "It means everything," she told Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. "It means everything and more and everything. It's like no moment I ever expected to experience." Sweet found...

Winemakers Hope Obamas Help Rekindle Sales

Domestic producers expect Obamas will continue to drive sales

(Newser) - President Barack Obama’s affinity for wine is the toast of American winemakers, hopeful that after eight years of teetotalling rule, the new first family will boost domestic sales, Reuters reports. Obama reportedly has a 1,000-bottle cellar in his new $1.65 million Chicago home, drawing raves from oenophiles....

Kennedy Going Home Tomorrow
Kennedy
Going Home Tomorrow

Kennedy Going Home Tomorrow

Senator's seizure probably caused by fatigue, doctor says

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy continues to do well after today's seizure and will be released from the hospital tomorrow morning after a night of observation, the Boston Globe reports. His collapse was probably caused by “simple fatigue,” a doctor said. He is surrounded by family at a Washington hospital after...

Warren Prayed for All&mdash;but Invoked Jesus
Warren Prayed for All—but Invoked Jesus
analysis

Warren Prayed for All—but Invoked Jesus

Clever phrasing keeps his prayer from being controversial

(Newser) - Laden with pre-inaugural controversy, Rick Warren’s invocation today was “both inevitable and surprising,” writes Lisa Miller in Newsweek. “Inevitably,” he focused on being inclusive, alluding to Christian, Muslim, and Jewish rites; the "unkempt" pastor knows how to “strike an empathic, populist chord.”...

Europe Is Giddy for US: Can It Last?
 Europe Is  
 Giddy for US: 
 Can It Last?
analysis

Europe Is Giddy for US: Can It Last?

French expect America to 'find its path' again

(Newser) - In France, the magic of Barack Obama’s inauguration is “a bit like the liberation after World War II,” says one French analyst. This particular sentiment “may have hit the hyperbolic stratosphere,” writes Elizabeth Bryant in the Washington Times, but it reflects a groundswell. “Fundamentally,...

Obama Speech Bodes Well for the Constitution
Obama Speech Bodes Well for the Constitution
OPINION

Obama Speech Bodes Well for the Constitution

Inaugural address may hint at a more respectful administration

(Newser) - All presidents swear to uphold the Constitution when they take the oath of office, but John Nichols is pleased that Obama went further than that in his inaugural address today, he writes for the Nation. Invoking Ben Franklin, Obama rejected “as false the choice between our safety and ideals,...

Bush Twins Offer Tips to Obama Girls

'Remember who your dad really is'

(Newser) - As they enter the White House, Malia and Sasha Obama can benefit from advice from two who know exactly what they’re going through: Jenna and Barbara Bush, who penned an open letter to the Obama girls in the Wall Street Journal. The twins offer advice on where to go...

Thousands With Tickets Turned Away From Mall

(Newser) - While some fought to escape the Mall after the inauguration, thousands of frustrated ticketholders were barred from entering to see the swearing in of President Barack Obama, the Washington Post reports. “It is irresponsible to issue all of these tickets and not let the people in,” one Californian...

Stories 3061 - 3080 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser