Posted on 03/17/2010 3:00:27 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
Grinning happily at the camera, this is Barry Soetoro, the cherubic little boy who went on to become America's first black president.
The charming images taken at a child's birthday party in Jakarta 40 years ago were released as Indonesia prepares to welcome Barack Obama back to the country for the first time since he became president.
The Asia-Pacific tour will also take in Australia and Guam and has been described as an 'extremely important trip' involving 'important partners', a White House spokesman said.
Regional security is expected to be a major focus of the visit.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Obama's former teacher Israella Pareira, described the neighbourhood's reaction to the youngster's arrival.
She said: 'His mother was white, his father was Indonesian, and here was a black, chubby boy with curly hair. It was a big question mark for us.' But if the neighbours were initially curious, it didn't take long for them to accept Mr Obama, his American mother and Indonesian stepfather.
They now speak with pride and affection about the child who stayed for just four years but who left a big impression, before going on to make an even bigger mark in history. The forthcoming visit will also highlight Mr Obama's multicultural upbringing, his early exposure to Islam and his lasting family connections to Indonesia, a mostly Muslim, Southeast Asian nation of some 230 million people.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Just following a pattern pioneered by a Republican. Remember President Leslie King?
Good call, great tune!
Since we're being precise.
How about He’s Kenya’s first half black president of The United States
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Actually he is Kenya’s first half WHITE president of the US.
But the plot thickens....
If, as the ‘teacher states’, his parents were white and Indonesian, wouldn’t he be considered Asian rather than African?
Or at the very least she should have referred to the father as Step Father?????
Or maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t know WTF she is talking about?
I think this photo could have originally been of three little boys playing with a dog. Body language.
Gerald Ford’s parents also separated and his real father was not named Ford.
These photoshopped you think?
http://www.dancewithshadows.com/celebrity/barack-obama-photo-gallery-and-profile/
actually even as an adult there is a definate resemblance to Belafonte.(when he’s smiling)
Day-O!
0PHOTOSHOPPED.
I think you’re downplaying things. This trip is actually super seriously incredibly mega-fantastically vitally uber-epic extremely totally wonderfully ginormously important.
Let’s put things in their proper context. We are talking the Messiah here.
And the kid's leg under Barry looks odd, too. Shadows look mostly plausible, though.
They must of blanked out the “allahu akbar” that was written on the wall.
Why does the kid on the right look like he’s crying?
New Ben &Jerry flavor?
Mmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmmmmm,Mmmmmmmmmm.
ping
That’s not Obama. That’s a young Harry Belafonte.
LOL. I posted mine before I went down the thread far enough to see yours.
LOL!!
Maybe a little Jeremiah Wright or William Ayers would add a touch.
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