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Mixed reviews for Obama's redecorated 'man cave'
Irish Times ^ | Sep 11, 2010 | LARA MARLOWE

Posted on 09/10/2010 7:40:38 PM PDT by fightinJAG

IT IS probably the most iconic room on the planet, the centre of world power and presumably the place where a US leader could push the nuclear button.

In the old days, US presidents kept the Oval Office pretty much as they found it. Franklin D Roosevelt’s curtains stayed on through the Eisenhower administration. Eisenhower marred the wooden parquet floor with his golf cleats. [snip]

In a high point of my first year in Washington, I briefly entered the inner sanctum on St Patrick’s Day. About a dozen journalists were brought in at the end of Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s meeting with Barack Obama. Nearly six months later, I can’t remember what the Irish and American leaders said, but I have an indelible memory of Bo, the White House dog, gambolling on the lawn outside.

I stood with my colleagues behind the sofa, almost within arm’s reach of the Leader of the Free World. The atmosphere was one of jovial bonhomie. There wasn’t a scrap of paper on the Resolute Desk, which was built of oak timbers from the HMS Resolute and given by Queen Victoria to Rutherford B Hayes in 1880. The office was much smaller than I’d expected.

The office was redecorated while Barack Obama was on holiday in August. When he gave his “this is not a victory” speech on Iraq on August 31st, Americans glimpsed the new interior for the first time. The Washington Post and the New York Times devoted two pages each to the refit, complete with comparative photographs of the Clinton, Bush and Obama decors, and assessments from the nation’s top designers and political pundits.

George W Bush, whose favourite footwear was cowboy boots, chose Frederic Remington’s bronze Bronco Buster as his signature sculpture. Obama replaced it with

(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...


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1 posted on 09/10/2010 7:40:39 PM PDT by fightinJAG
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To: fightinJAG

The portraits of Che, Stalin and Lenin were covered for the press. The Karl Mark bust was explained away as a philosopher.


2 posted on 09/10/2010 7:46:23 PM PDT by BipolarBob (Even the earth is bipolar.)
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To: fightinJAG

That jacka## is no man.


3 posted on 09/10/2010 7:47:44 PM PDT by Borax Queen
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To: BipolarBob

I’m sure you’re completely right!


4 posted on 09/10/2010 7:48:15 PM PDT by Borax Queen
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To: fightinJAG

It appears to be a “Furniture Barn” style. Cheap, rugged and ugly.


5 posted on 09/10/2010 7:49:19 PM PDT by BunnySlippers
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To: fightinJAG

He is not a man.


6 posted on 09/10/2010 7:50:55 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
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To: fightinJAG

Not honest enough to have it decorated with whatever he likes on display. Says dishonest to me.


7 posted on 09/10/2010 7:51:34 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Recovering_Democrat

I, for one, cannot even imagine Barack Obama having anything that even comes close to a “man cave.”

I did hear Laura Bush talking about Dubya’s new man cave in their TX home.


8 posted on 09/10/2010 7:56:02 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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To: fightinJAG

Yup, a hotel conference room: think room that hotel manager has been threatened into “donating” as a trade for a community organizer not calling for a demonstration in the hotel parking lot accusing said manager of some racist policy.


9 posted on 09/10/2010 7:57:01 PM PDT by FourPeas (Pester not the geek, for the electrons are his friends.)
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To: fightinJAG

See my tagline...:)


10 posted on 09/10/2010 7:57:24 PM PDT by rlmorel (The New Oval office: If all you see is brown, you should probably pull your head out.)
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To: fightinJAG

Where is the fire pit in the floor?


11 posted on 09/10/2010 8:19:55 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: fightinJAG
Some reason I thought it would more resemble this from back home: Image and video hosting by TinyPic
12 posted on 09/10/2010 8:26:47 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: BipolarBob
I can see why a man of Obama's views would not want a real war hero's bust in his office, but it was inexplicable that, instead of simply putting Churchill's bust in a box in the attic, the Obamas went to the petulant length of actually sending this gift of great honor and friendship back to England.

Someone here on FR mused one day that it had to do with Obama's resentment learned from his father's views of England, being as Kenya was a colony of Britain.

Seems that thinking may have been right on track, as this article shows:

How Obama Thinks.

13 posted on 09/10/2010 8:28:25 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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To: fightinJAG
Obama's "man cave:...

*shudder*


14 posted on 09/10/2010 8:29:12 PM PDT by Caipirabob ( Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Cheetahcat

Ah, the “husband’s home country.”

What can be said?


15 posted on 09/10/2010 8:29:20 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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To: Caipirabob

Yikes!


16 posted on 09/10/2010 8:30:10 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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To: fightinJAG

Showing that his taste in completely in his mouth, the Oval Office looks like the lobby of a sleazy hotel . . . . . or a cheap whorehouse.

There’s ugly . . . . . and, then, there’s this monstrosity!!


17 posted on 09/10/2010 8:32:38 PM PDT by DustyMoment (Go green - recycle Congress in 2010!!)
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To: Cheetahcat; All

18 posted on 09/10/2010 8:34:31 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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To: fightinJAG

“Seems that thinking may have been right on track, as this article shows:

How Obama Thinks.”

Nice article thank you.


19 posted on 09/10/2010 8:37:00 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: DustyMoment
From here:

“They don’t like nothing about Barack Obama,” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) told the audience, rattling off opposition to both his policies but also criticism of the redecoration of the Oval Office, the first couple’s outings and questions about the president’s place of birth.

I don't care who you are, that's funny.

20 posted on 09/10/2010 8:40:16 PM PDT by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
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