President Obama

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

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Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever
Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever
Analysis
Jan 20, 2009 8:42 AM CST

Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever

44 enjoys rare mix of crisis, popularity, and an office at its peak

(Newser) - Barack Obama enters office today with a realistic shot of becoming one of the most powerful presidents in history, writes Barton Gellman in the Washington Post. Historians and officials in the outgoing and incoming administrations agree the presidency is already at or near an apex of power, and Obama’s...

Inaugural Crowds Strain DC Transport

Commuters trapped inside station for more than 30 minutes

(Newser) - Washington’s public-transportation system is stretched to breaking today as crowds arriving on the Metro and commuter trains choke the exits at L’Enfant Plaza, the main disembarkation point for the National Mall. At 8:15am, a medical emergency forced officials to slow crowds leaving the station, and packed platforms...

Aretha: World Will Be Dancing in the Streets

Diva fired up to give Obama R-E-S-P-E-C-T at biggest gig of her life

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin is psyched to sing to the biggest audience of her life in Washington today, she tells the Times of London. When she thinks of Obama she thinks of "jubilation all over the world," the Queen of Soul says. "Dancing in Africa, dancing in London, dancing...

Bush Leaves Customary Oval Office Note for Obama

Continuing a tradition begun by Reagan, Bush pens encouragement to his successor

(Newser) - Continuing a White House ritual begun by Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush left a note in the Oval Office for President-elect Barack Obama, wishing him well as he takes the reins of the executive branch. The White House declined to provide specific details of the message, saying only that Bush...

Obamas Head to Church
 Obamas Head to Church 
UPDATED
Jan 20, 2009 8:24 AM CST

Obamas Head to Church

Prez-elect follows presidential tradition

(Newser) - As massive crowds swarmed the National Mall to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as president, the man at the center of the maelstrom began the day with his wife at a private service at St. John’s Episcopal Church across the street from the White House, a tradition for those about...

America Is Now Truly the Land of Lincoln: Durbin

Obama's election makes the dream of the Founding Fathers more real than ever

(Newser) - Abraham Lincoln's dream of extending the liberty set out by the Founding Fathers to all Americans comes one step closer to reality with Barack Obama's inauguration today, Sen. Dick Durbin writes in the Hill. Obama's election represents a “new summit” in America's long struggle to be "one nation,...

Protestants Hold Inauguration Monopoly
Protestants Hold Inauguration Monopoly
ANALYSIS
Jan 20, 2009 7:42 AM CST

Protestants Hold Inauguration Monopoly

Priests, rabbis have been missing from ceremony for 20 years

(Newser) - Barack Obama's swearing-in will be the sixth straight inauguration where rabbis and Catholic priests will be absent from the dais, reports Time. For decades it was traditional to have Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish representatives at the ceremony, but Billy Graham’s invocation (and benediction) at George Bush’s 1989 inauguration...

Eager Crowds Swarm Before Dawn
 Eager Crowds 
 Swarm Before Dawn 
INAUGURATION SLIDESHOW
Jan 20, 2009 7:04 AM CST

Eager Crowds Swarm Before Dawn

Rush hour at 4:30am; thousands flood mall

(Newser) - As late night became early morning in Washington, eager crowds were already forming outside Metro stops, the Washington Post reports. By 4:30am, some trains were reminiscent of rush hour; by 5:30, the line outside one station was 2 miles long. Meanwhile, thousands poured into the Mall, bundled into...

Former Rivals Cozy Up on Inaugural Eve

Obama hails McCain as 'national hero'

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain buried the hatchet last night at a dinner honoring the Arizona senator, whom Obama called an "American hero." The president-elect praised McCain's bipartisan record and added, "John is not known to bite his tongue and if I'm screwing up, he's going...

Houseguests Descend for DC Slumber Party

Couch space at a premium as friends and family flock to capital

(Newser) - Thousands of homes across the nation’s capital are jam-packed with out-of-town guests who've arrived to witness history, the Los Angeles Times reports. Guest bedrooms, sofas, and dorm room floors have been turned over to friends and family. "Every surface space, every comforter, every drop of hot water is...

Obama Poised to Swiftly Reverse Bush Abortion Policy

Rule bans federal funding of organizations that provide abortion counseling

(Newser) - Barack Obama will likely revoke a controversial Bush administration rule on abortion within days of taking office, sources tell CNN. The policy, dubbed the "global gag rule" by critics, denies all US funding to family-planning services around the world that promote abortion or make any mention of abortion while...

Little Rock Desegregation Heroes Mark New Era

Former students who helped pave way for Obama presidency to attend inauguration

(Newser) - Five decades ago, nine teenagers walked into their new high school through screaming mobs who spat at them and shouted racist abuse. They were the first black students to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and became known as the Little Rock Nine. Seven of them will attend...

A Surgeon's Case for Universal Health Care

If every other industrialization nation and Massachusetts can do it, so can the feds

(Newser) - If Americans are smart, they'll learn from other nations—and Massachusetts—in building a system of universal health care, writes surgeon Atul Gawande in The New Yorker. The rise of health reform "is surprising and instructive" in nations like the UK and France, which made controversial changes after...

Obama Methodical, Risk-Averse on Green

Golfing buddies impressed with Obama's sang-froid

(Newser) - Barack Obama, an avid golfer who usually shoots in the mid-90s and avoids short cuts, took up the sport when wife Michelle worried about basketball injuries. Obama’s golfing buddies describe his game for Golf Digest:
  • Competitive: “He was a beginner, and sometimes he had to take the whupping.
...

9/11 Accused Admit Guilt at Tribunal

(Newser) - Two suspected Sept. 11 planners calmly declared their guilt today at what could be the final military tribunal session at Guantanamo Bay, the Miami Herald reports. "We are proud of 9/11," said Ramzi bin al Shibh, who announced his plan to plead guilty, the AP reports. Another...

Paterson 'Certain' to Pick Kennedy: Also-Rans

NY governor playing 'mind games' with media in delaying announcement

(Newser) - Her rivals for Hillary Clinton’s senate seat believe Caroline Kennedy is “certain” to succeed her, sources close to several contenders tell the New York Post. Gov. David Paterson thinks dissing Kennedy at this point would “greatly embarrass” and “entirely humiliate” her and her family—and potentially...

Obama Team Won't Promote Him as Racial Pioneer

Obama team focuses on message of unity, not historic status

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inauguration as the first black president tomorrow will make history, but don't expect him to dwell on that point, Politico reports. The president-elect's team is weaving a narrative not about a racial milestone, but about unity—just look at the diversity of yesterday's We Are One festivities.

In Free Inaugural Doughnuts, Abortion Foes See Ploy

In hailing Americans' 'freedom of choice,' Krispy Kreme really promotes abortion

(Newser) - Krispy Kreme stores will honor Barack Obama’s inauguration and Americans’ “freedom of choice” with free doughnuts tomorrow, to the dismay of at least one anti-abortion group, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Celebration of ‘freedom of choice’ is a tacit endorsement of abortion rights on demand,” the...

Obama Junk Is Recession-Proof
 Obama Junk Is 
 Recession-Proof 
OPINION
Jan 19, 2009 2:06 PM CST

Obama Junk Is Recession-Proof

(Newser) - Say what you want about the economy—“like for example, it blows”—but one business is booming: Crap with Barack Obama on it. From votive candles to toilet paper to “victory plates,” you can find the president-elect’s mug on just about anything these days, writes...

Mitchell Considered for Mideast Post

Former senator's portfolio could take chunk out of Clinton's at State

(Newser) - Former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a 2000 commission examining Middle Eastern violence, is being considered as special envoy to the region by the Obama administration, the New York Times reports. The appointment of such a high-profile negotiator would signal Obama’s seriousness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but could deprive...

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