Can We All Shut The Hell Up About This Now?

Seriously, this is the last I want to hear of it.

Admit It. You'd Hit It

Obama acid!

Obama is a Nerd and John Hodgeman is Hilarious

Ninja Obama

Yeah, pretty impressive but can he snatch them out of the air like my boyfriend can? That I'd like to see.

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Meet Bo

We finally have that new puppy in the White House that Obama has been promising his girls since the night he won the election. He is a six month old Portuguese Water Dog and he is really cute. They named him after Bo Diddley and he is a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy who has had a number of dogs from the same lineage.

I hope that the Secret Service have fun walking him every day. And I hope that he doesn't take a liking to pooping in Michelle's new garden. But knowing puppies, that's exactly what he'll do.

Harold and Kumar go to The White House

Okay, only one of them does. Who knew that Kal Penn was such a Washington insider? He worked on Obama's campaign and now he will be the the assistant director in the public liason's office in The White House. He's leaving his job on 'House' and heading to Capital Hill. Can you imagine Bush hiring someone who has become a stoner icon? Not to mention the baby oil scene in Van Wilder, oy. This is refreshing to me, especially on an April morning when there is snow on the ground. I just love it when people think outside of the box.

Obama Nominates Dan Rooney as Ambassador to Ireland

Wow. I know that he raised a lot of money for President Obama and helped him take the state away from McCain but I had no idea he gave that much. Here are the life-long Republicans credentials, as I found them on Deadspin:

Dan Rooney is the recent recipient of the American Ireland Fund’s Lifetime Achievement Award and honorary Commander of the British Empire for contributions to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, has played an integral role in the Irish peace process since the early 1970s. In 1976, Rooney co-founded the American Ireland Fund, an organization which to date has raised over $300 million for peace and education programs in Ireland. Rooney founded the annual prize for Irish Literature in 1987 and co-founded the Ireland Institution of Pittsburgh in 1989. In 1993, the “Rooney Fellowship” was created to honor his generosity and charitable works. Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the winners of Super Bowl XLIII, Rooney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He has been the recipient of various awards in relation to his work within the community and for his involvement with the National Football League over the last 26 years, including: the Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year in 1972 and 2001, the Maxwell Football Club Reds Bagwell Award in 1999, and, in 2008, the YWCA Racial Justice Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor presented by the National Ethnic Coalition. Rooney also led the sports world’s efforts to include diversity beyond the field and into the front office through the “Rooney Rule.”

Yum, Yum, Yummy Beer

Our president attended last night's Wizards game and enjoyed a frosty cold one, courtside. On the one hand, he brought good luck to The Wizards because they won, but he is a Chicago boy, so beating the Bulls must have been bittersweet. Anyway, it's nice that he makes time to enjoy himself and isn't afraid to drink in public. When was the last time you saw that? I know that Dubya was a recovering alcoholic, I don't remember seeing Clinton drink, only eat and smoke cigars, and did Bush senior tipple? I'm pretty sure that he did. Nixon drank, Ford drank (not as much as his wife, but we all know that), Johnson drank, Kennedy drank and I think that Reagan only did so sparingly.

I would think that with a high stress job you would need some kind of outlet, some way to unwind. Someone needs to write a book on how people in lofty positions keep their head screwed on properly, and not some mamby pamby Redbook/Parade magazine fluff, get Christopher Hitchens or P.J.O'Rourke to write it.

If any of you know of a book like this that has already been written, I would sure like to know about it.

Obama's Girls Have a New Puppy on the Way

They have selected a Portuguese Water dog, a breed first suggested to them by senator Ted Kennedy who has fallen in love with the hypoallergenic puppies that have been a part of his family for years. The girls want to name him Frank or Moose but Michelle isn't happy with those names. I like Frank, like FDR or Benjamin Franklin. I think it's perfect and the breed is cute, lovable and full of energy. They'll pick him up after Spring break and I can't wait to see him.

The wait is almost over! I am a sucker because I've been waiting for this ever since he said that the girls earned a new puppy after being so good on the campaign trail.

Dogs are proven stress relievers and they are going to need it. He has a hard road ahead of him, as do all of us. But here's the thing: Let's hope that all the copycats that decide that they can't live without the same dog that the First Family has adopted, actually take care of the dog, love it and don't get rid of it when the shine has worn off.

Michelle Obama on the Cover of Vogue

I've been hearing all these rumors that Vogue is in the shitter and that most women's magazines have lost enormous amounts of advertising. I, for one think they should get their heads out of their asses and stop putting celebrities on the covers. Harper's Bazaar is not People Magazine. If you want info on Kate Hudson or Nicole Kidman there are reams of it in USweekly and OK magazine, not to mention the internet.

So Anna Wintour wakes up one day in a cold sweat from yet another nightmare of losing her job or gaining five pounds and has an epiphany. I'll put the new First Lady on the cover! (Strangely enough, Hillary Clinton was the first to do the honors back in 1998. I would have thought Jackie Kennedy in the 60s.) The article centers on how her life is going to change in the White House and how she will remain a hands on mother to Sasha and Malia. And the dress on the cover is by Jason Wu, the same designer who is responsible for her Inaugural gown.

I like the photo, I like that she put a black person on the cover who isn't named Naomi Campbell, but it's time to start giving the models a break and put them back on the cover where they belong. Not some airbrushed photograph of Jennifer Aniston so she can promote her latest turd of a movie. Give me beauty or give me death!

And that's all I have to say about that.

How Can We Lose?

Rooneys give Obama game ball from AFC Championship
Steelers say they have a fan in the White House
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers say they have a new fan in the White House and the new president also has one of the team's most recent prized collectibles, a game ball from their victory in the AFC championship game Sunday.
Dan Rooney and his son Jim personally delivered the football to Barack Obama Monday night in Washington, D.C.
The two Rooneys, who campaigned heavily for Obama in Pennsylvania and three surrounding states for several months before the election, attended the black-tie dinner at the Washington Hilton that Obama held for Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate he defeated in November. The Obama campaign invited the Rooneys.
The 44th president, on the eve of his inauguration, spoke at the dinner about McCain before he left for another dinner he held for Colin Powell. Obama met with Dan and Jim Rooney in a separate room at the Hilton, where he received the game ball.
"He's a Bears fan first, he admits that,'' Dan Rooney said yesterday at the Steelers UPMC training center. "But he's a Steelers' fan. He's said it, and all his staff, they're rooting for us [in the Super Bowl]."
Also in attendance was former Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris.
While Dan Rooney knew the Kennedys and was particularly close with Bobby Kennedy, he said he's never been as close with a president as he is to Obama, whom he calls a friend.
First published on January 20, 2009 at 5:22 pm

Your Daily Cuteness

The scary thing is that kids do learn by example so we will have to undo the last eight years and the lessons it has taught our children.

What are the Proper Words For the Swearing In of the President?

For those of you who were wondering, here it is from Article II, Section I of the Constitution;
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Justice Roberts placed the word "faithfully" in the wrong place and that is why Obama paused, to allow Roberts to correct himself. Obama did jump the gun in the first line, and that is why most of us assumed he screwed up the next part.

Buh Bye, Loser.

Hello, future.

Joseph E. Lowery's Benediction

This veteran civil rights activist and minister sure knows how to deliver, particularly at the end.

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White House Website Already Updated

There will be a White House blog, as well, another first for this administration.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

"A New Era of Responsibility"

The inaugural ceremonies today took a little longer than usual, due to the huge crowds and the even more massive security concerns of the day, but it was worth the wait. We had the procession of past presidents and their wives, 5 in all, and who got the best response from the crowd? The Clintons. The worst reception was for Dan Quayle and of course, Dubya.

The band started playing as loudly as they could to try to drown out the chants of "hey, hey, hey, goodbye," and "no more Bush." After that, silence.

I must say that Michelle Obama looked gorgeous in the citris spring green sparkly outfit created for her by Isabel Toledo, and the girls, Malia and Sasha were so cute and self-possessed for their age. It can't be easy to be a kid sitting in the cold without fidgeting. We next saw a shot of Obama walking down the hallway to come out onto the podium. He looked like he was gathering himself and putting that mask of calm on, when you know he either wanted to cry, or dance a jig. And when he finally took the oath, he stumbled a few time in his eagerness which only served to make him more human in my eyes. (Now I am hearing that Obama was only trying to correct Roberts, who screwed up the first lines of the oath.)

We had the Benediction by Rick Warren next which he ended with The Lord's Prayer. He did better than I expected, stressing the fact that we needed to have "new clarity in our aims." And, oh Aretha. That voice. She did a beautiful job with "My Country 'Tis of Thee." The John Williams "original" piece he wrote especially for the inauguration was not original at all. The plagiarist ended this "original" piece with an arrangement of "When the Saints Come Marching In." And is it my imagination or does Justice John Roberts Jr. look astoundingly like Dan Quayle?

I liked Obama's speech, it was exactly what we all expected, about how we need to "pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the rebuilding of America." There were a few digs that were unmistakably directed at Bush concerning how we as a nation "are ready to lead once more," and how we will be viewed in a world where people will "judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

It was a truly historic moment and I hope that the schools around the country allowed their students to watch it in their classrooms, where they can finally beleive that racism may one day be a thing of the past, that they can acheive anything and that "Our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness." Amen to that.

(I apologize if I messed up any quotes, I don't know shorthand and was writing this on the fly.)

Work Stops Today at 11:25

For those of us lucky enough to work from home or have a television nearby, the inauguration swearing-in begins at 11:30, followed by Obama's address to the nation. The parade is at 3:45 and those of you without tickets, good luck. There are at least 2 million people in D.C. as I write this and more still to come. Obama is not in the parade, by the way, he will be watching from the White House. Speaking of which, it sure is nice to look at a building in our nation's capital and not be filled with loathing, for a change.

Obama's Whistle Stop Train Trip

This brings back memories of watching old news reels where Roosevelt or Truman would be smiling and waving from the back of the last train car, campaigning across the nation in the most efficient way available at the time. Only this time the campaign is over and we are about to have our first black president. I loved watching the videos on CNN of all the people smiling, crying and waving as our next president waved and smiled back. It was a nice gift to all the supporters on the east coast, and another way of showing how connected he is to the people who got him elected. What a breath of fresh air! Someone in power who talks to people and not down to them. Someone who cares about people's concerns and not just fattening the wallets of the 'good old boy' club. I hope that Barack enjoys these last couple of days before he is inaugurated. I hope he gets tipsy, smokes a doobie with the press corp, has some wild hanky panky with his wife and takes a long deep cleansing breath before thing become very serious very quickly. He has a long, hard road ahead of him, as do most of the rest of us. Good luck and God protect us all.

Obama and Spiderman

Better reserve your copies in advance because this issue is going to get gobbled up quickly by both comic book geeks and Obama memorabilia collectors. It comes out on January 14th and will cost $3.99. In 2010 it will be worth a hundred times that, so get yours! I'm giving you free investment advice, people!