Barack Obama

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

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Berlusconi Under Fire for Obama 'Suntanned' Joke

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi is in a bit of a pickle after calling Barack Obama “handsome, young, and suntanned,” the London Times reports. Political opponents in Italy called on the gaffe-prone prime minister to apologize. “To say that the US president is young, good looking, and suntanned will sound...

Gay Bishop, Obama Discuss Dangers of Being 'First'

Obama camp sought out Robinson three times

(Newser) - Barack Obama had three private conversations with the Episcopal Church’s only openly gay bishop during the campaign to discuss what it meant to be "first," the Times of London reports. “The first words out of his mouth were: ‘Well you’re certainly causing a lot...

NYC's 'Elite' Happy for Reinforcements: McInerney

Obama added middle-class whites in winning coalition, author writes

(Newser) - New York celebrated Tuesday night, cheers ringing through Manhattan. “The last time a stranger hugged me on the street was September 11, 2001,” author Jay McInerney writes in the Independent, hailing the broadened coalition that made Barack Obama’s victory possible. “This moment feels like the obverse...

Ridicule of BBC Host Makes Vidal a YouTube Hit

Author 'knows too much' to be on TV

(Newser) - Gore Vidal is a YouTube sensation thanks to his election-night interview by David Dimbleby of the BBC, whom the famously contentious American author mocked mercilessly, the Telegraph reports. Vidal started by saying that he didn’t expect Barack Obama to win so easily, because the Republican Party is desperate to...

Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post
 Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post 
Nov 6, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post

Decision paves the way for another former Secretary, Lawrence Summers

(Newser) - Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, a top economic adviser to Barack Obama during the campaign, will not reprise that Cabinet role in the new administration, Bloomberg reports. “I've spoken with him and told him I'm not interested in going back into government,” Rubin said today. His denial boosts...

Obama Owes Her Big Time
Obama Owes Her Big Time
Nov 6, 2008 2:07 PM CST

Obama Owes Her Big Time

Winfrey's endorsement gave candidate huge boost, especially during primaries

(Newser) - As an early backer of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey may have made the difference in the close primary contest against Hillary Clinton, Jake Tapper writes for ABC’s Nightline. One statistician estimates Winfrey—whose choices for her book club, for example, have an astronomical impact on book sales—delivered between...

Emanuel Agrees to Become Obama's Chief of Staff

House GOP leader Boehner critical of choice

(Newser) - Rahm Emanuel will be Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, CNN reports. The Democratic congressman accepted Obama’s offer this afternoon, aides said. Emanuel, whose aggressive, take-no-prisoners political style has earned him the nickname “Rahmbo,” has been close to his fellow Chicagoan since Obama arrived in...

Bush, Obama Will Sit Down Monday

Transition moving quickly between president, successor

(Newser) - President George W. Bush will meet with Barack Obama early next week to discuss plans for transition, the Washington Post reports. Obama received his first intelligence briefing this morning, and key staffers have been given expedited security clearances. “We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a...

Election Predictors Who Got It Wrong

Many pundits ruled out Obama victory early

(Newser) - With the election over, what's more fun than calling out all those whose predictions were off—way off. Der Spiegel lists some highlights:
  • "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win." Hillary Clinton, on Barack Obama
  • "We'll win Florida." Rudy Giuliani
  • "Virginians are really getting fired
...

He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!
He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!
OPINION
Nov 6, 2008 12:37 PM CST

He's Not Just Black, He's Skinny!

Colson Whitehead on the improbable triumph of a thin man

(Newser) - “Yesterday morning, I woke up to a new world,” writes Colson Whitehead in the New York Times. “America had elected a Skinny Black Guy president. I never thought I’d see the day.” Whitehead says the racial barrier is nothing compared to the marginalization beanpoles like...

Longtime Obama Aide Gibbs to Be Named Press Secretary

Strategist was frequent grinning surrogate on news shows

(Newser) - Barack Obama intends to name senior aide Robert Gibbs as White House press secretary, a top Democratic official tells Politico. Gibbs was a senior communications strategist for Obama, and distinguished himself as a cheery TV surrogate throughout the campaign. The post hasn’t officially been offered or accepted, but journalists...

Plouffe: the Other Big Winner in the Obama Victory

Campaign manager's unswerving strategy praised; administration role uncertain

(Newser) - Barack Obama, in his victory speech Tuesday, called campaign manager David Plouffe the effort’s “unsung hero,” and his steady strategy is earning praise from Democrats, Republicans, and academics, the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal reports. Plouffe, 41, said he’s not planning on a White House post,...

Internet Army Could Power Obama Presidency

President-elect intends to use grassroots to his advantage

(Newser) - Barack Obama hadn’t even given his victory speech when the message went out to supporters: “We have a lot to do,” the email read. “I’ll be in touch.” Obama won’t disband his digitally organized army of volunteers, McClatchy reports. Joe Trippi, who designed...

The Obama Coalition Is Center, Not Left

Unique winning coalition isn't going anywhere

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s win is no fluke, writes Lanny Davis in the Wall Street Journal, and it's not the result a leftist realignment. The candidate painstakingly built a coalition of left, right, and center—what Davis, a former special counsel to President Clinton, calls the New Majority Center, and he...

In Paris, President Envy: 'There Is No French Obama'

Country's egalitarian tradition takes a hit

(Newser) - Sacre bleu! With Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential race, the French, who’ve long prided themselves on a tradition of egalitarianism, are being forced to take a closer look at themselves—and they’re not happy with what they see, the Wall Street Journal reports. “This...

Ladies First in Shaping Obama
 Ladies First in Shaping Obama 
ANALYSIS
Nov 6, 2008 10:09 AM CST

Ladies First in Shaping Obama

Obama's "modern masculinity" won over Hillary supporters

(Newser) - If behind every strong man is a strong woman, then Barack Obama has a veritable female army at his back, Janice Turner writes in the Times of London. But despite the powerful feminine influence in his life, one of his primary challenges was to win Hillary supporters, who saw him...

Influential Blacks Eye Fresh Opportunities

Obama backers stand to gain status in wake of historic victory

(Newser) - A circle of black power brokers who helped Barack Obama in his rise to the White House are ready to see their influence grow under his administration, Wall Street Journal reports. The close-knit group of fundraisers, execs, and Harvard grads believe their presidential connections will pay major dividends in the...

Obama the 'Unofficial' Winner in N. Carolina

Old Confederacy state a historic win for black president

(Newser) - In North Carolina, they're calling Barack Obama the "unofficial" victor, the News & Observer reports, after the state elections director said late yesterday that provisional ballots not yet counted are unlikely to overturn the president-elect's lead. Obama leads John McCain by 13,746 votes, with 40,000 uncounted,...

Obama Gets First Taste of Commander-in-Chief Role

Gets first national security briefing, assembles staff

(Newser) - Barack Obama receives his first top-secret national intelligence briefing today, and with it his first taste of life as commander-in-chief, reports Time. Already international concerns are vying for Obama’s attention—Hamid Karzai is demanding the president-elect reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s PM wants him to end...

Dowd: Bring in Obama's Cleaning Crew
 Dowd: Bring in 
 Obama's Cleaning Crew 
OPINION
Nov 6, 2008 8:11 AM CST

Dowd: Bring in Obama's Cleaning Crew

Obama can restore the capital's brilliance, writes Times columnist

(Newser) - For Maureen Dowd, the election of Barack Obama means more than just an end to the Bush years; it's a chance for Washington itself to regain its moral standing. Outside the White House on election night—"there was no U-Haul in the driveway"—the New York Times columnist...

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