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U.S. President Barack Obama visits a Northern Virginia Home Depot to discuss home improvements and energy savings in Alexandria, Virginia December 15, 2009.

When President Obama spoke to troops at Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base last month, the unit there parked a shiny new F-22 fighter plane in the hangar. But according to multiple sources, White House aides demanded the plane be changed to an older F-15 fighter because they didn't want Obama speaking in front of the F-22, a controversial program he fought hard to end. "White House aides actually made them remove the F-22-said they would not allow POTUS to be pictured with the F-22 in any way, shape, or form," one source close to the unit relayed. Stephen Lee, a...

We’re sure the folks at Golf Digest thought they had a great cover when they put together the January, 2010 issue. After all getting the President and Tiger on the same cover of a golfing magazine is like a hole in one. But that was before the Tiger cheating scandals exploded nationally. Now the headline “10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger” is probably making editors at the mag cringe.

"Members of the Health Access protest group stage a crime scene-like 'body pile-up' as part of their campaign against what they say is the poor state of US Healthcare in Los Angeles"

Does President Obama "uses" the military for photo-ops? President Obama will tell us his comments fit the mood of the crowd, but when I first heard Obama’s comments in South Korea stating hundreds of troops in uniform was a good photo op, my eyes rolled. Our American forces are not a political tool to be used by politicians in constant campaign mode as a photo op. Couldn’t he just thank the troops and say he was humbled by their work effort and thank them for coming out to greet him? Nope. From today’s Washington Times…

House Democrats blocked the public from attending the unveiling ceremony of their health-care bill Thursday morning, allowing only pre-approved visitors whose names appeared on lists to enter the event at the West side of the Capitol. The audience at the crowded press conference included Hill staffers, union workers, health care providers and students, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who thanked them for attending.

In Norway they may think that President Barack Obama has a great knack for peace, but around here his forte seems to be stirring up strife. New Orleans is mad because Obama's visit tomorrow will be little more than a whistlestop. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is mad because New Orleans gets all the attention, such as it is, while the lingering effects of Katrina over there are ignored. And from southwest Louisiana comes the cry, "What about Rita, Gustav and Ike? The president really needs to take a look at Cameron Parish." Obama is also being denounced for an apparent...

President Barack Obama plans to observe the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks with a visit to the Pentagon ... ... White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday. But Obama has no plans to visit New York City on the eighth year since the World Trade Center was destroyed. "I believe he will go to the Pentagon that day, and go to the memorial there and speak after that," Gibbs said in his morning gaggle. "But we have not announced more details than that." Asked after the gaggle if the president has any plans to visit New...

The Air Force tracked online messaging service Twitter, video-sharing site YouTube and various blogs to assess the huge public backlash to the Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty this spring, according to the documents. And while the attempts at damage control failed - "No positive spin is possible," one PowerPoint chart reads - the episode opens a window into the tactics for operating in a boundless digital news cycle. (snip) According to the Air Force One documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, a unit called the Combat Information Cell at Tyndall Air Force Base in...

President Obama is so busy these days dealing with pressing foreign policy issues like Iran and North Korea, that he can't seem to tell his right from his left. After holding a bilateral meeting in the Oval office with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the two leaders walked out to the Rose Garden podiums. That's when the left-right two-step happened. Mr. Obama took his place behind the right podium, leaving President Lee a bit confused. He smiled as Obama realized the mistake and switched to the left podium. That oops moment alone wouldn't have deserved a write-up, but for the...

Today POTUS, or PrezBO as I like to call him, paid his first visit in the Middle East this week to Saudi Arabia. This video from a bit of him on the "Welcome Line" with King Abdullah CLEARLY shows that few there want to acknowledge him on that line. Watch in slow motion that Barack clearly extends his hands several times, yet nobody accepts his hand. He finally does get a response from the last ma More..n in this brief clip. I've recorded it in slow motion so you can clearly see that he gets no love from the first...

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a Middle Task Force Meeting at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Vice President Joe Biden poses for a picture with patrons of the M&D Cafe in Denver on Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Messiah did not hold a prayer meeting at the White House this year.He says he "Prays Alone" all the while he "Preys Publicly" on our wallets and family life.

US President Barack Obama will visit the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany on a trip to Europe in June, following in the wartime tracks of his great uncle, press reports said Wednesday. A spokesman for the German government said that Obama "is possibly planning a longer trip to Europe this summer with several different stops," but that Berlin had received no confirmation yet. The Bild and Thueringer Allgemeine Zeitung dailies reported that Obama would visit the eastern city of Dresden and Buchenwald.

Just reported. No link yet. Fox and Friends saying that the photos of Air Force One terrorizing New Yorkers are not going to be released according to the Air Force. Can't find a report on it yet to link to.

On the morning of September 12, 2001, we were united in grief. People all over the world – especially Americans – were all New Yorkers. Today it appears we can never be accused of being elephants with long memories. The by-now infamous White House plane photo flap is a telling example. Have we become so desensitized that a scant eight years after 3,000 Americans were wantonly murdered we have become a nation of amnesiacs? Have we forgotten the horror of that day? Who delegated and approved the insensitive stunt of flying an aircraft low to the ground over Ground Zero,...

"So we're not gonna see the fruits of this cruel joke?" said Frank Antonelli, 39, one of the Wall Street traders spooked by last week's flyover.

* 3-hour trip on Air Force One: $300,000 * Military jet escort: $30,000 * Pictures generated from panicking the largest American city: Classified. The White House has decided to keep the pictures from the Scare Force One classified, which given the circumstances, seems like an odd decision: Watch video at link.

Come on, who's surprised? The White House-engineered photo-op of low-flying Air Force aircraft that caused terror in New York City this week epitomizes the Age of Obama. What better way to mark 100 days in office than with an appalling exercise in pointless taxpayer-funded stagecraft? The superficiality, the unseriousness, the hubris, the obliviousness to post-Sept. 11 realities: They were trademarks of the Obama campaign, and they are the tattoos on his governance. He never leaves home without his teleprompter. All the Obama world's a stage. Or a world ready to be staged. So is it any wonder he would staff...

WH bans all future photo-shoot flyovers with AF1 backup plane WH official tells Fox these flights have been banned but would not confirm a Wall Street Journal report that a planned flyover on May 5-6 in Washington, with the US Capitol as a backdrop, had been scrubbed.

White House Deflects Questions on NYC Plane Incident Susan Davis reports on the White House. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs offered little clarity on this morning’s incident in New York City in which Air Force One—escorted by a military jet—flew over Manhattan this morning for a photo op, prompting evacuations and other concerns. The president was not on board. (For more on the incident, read this Wall Street Journal story.) New York City police said the flight was authorized by the Federal Aviation Authority. The Air Force is directing media inquiries to the White House. But asked at the podium...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says it doesn't have any information about the Boeing 747's flying photo op over lower Manhattan that sent Manhattan into a panic. The plane is a version of the 747 that's called Air Force One when the president is aboard. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that he doesn't have time to keep track of the planes used as Air Force One. He says he didn't have any information about why the presidential aircraft and its Air Force fighter jet escort were flying near the Statue of Liberty. The Federal Aviation Administration and...

FAA says low-flying plane over Staten Island is 'pre-planned' flight to take photos by Staten Island Advance Monday April 27, 2009, 10:03 AM A plane, that appears to be a commercial jet tailed by fighter jets, is a "pre-planned" military flight taking photos of the Statue of Liberty, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Reports indicate it may be Air Force One. "It is pre-planned, pre-coordinated with everyone involved," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. "It's a military flight over New York to take photos." Peters, who stressed it is not an emergency, said the flight is circling the Statue of...

Amidst all of the American flags and presidential seals, there was something missing when President Barack Obama gave an economic speech at Georgetown University this week -- Jesus. The White House asked Georgetown to cover a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name in Gaston Hall, which Obama used for his speech, according to CNSNews.com. The gold "IHS" monogram inscribed on a pediment in the hall was covered over by a piece of black-painted plywood, and remained covered over the next day, CNSNews.com reported. The Washington Times' Belief Blog asked the university about the presidential request: Julie Bataille from the university's press office...

So says MacsMind (via Flopping Aces via Minority Report via Jeff Emanuel at RedState). MacsMind's post is in response to an all-too-predictable gusher delivered by Democratic operative disguised as Associated Press reporter Jennifer Loven on April 7 (bold is mine): Cheered wildly by U.S. troops, President Barack Obama flew unannounced into Iraq on Tuesday and promptly declared it was time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country" after America's commitment of six years and thousands of lives. "You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country," the president said as he made a...

The paparazzi saved Halle Berry's life!!! Or at least her car.As you can clearly see, Halle started to pump diesel gas into her Lexus SUV -- but the paps stopped her before any damage was done. In her defense, diesel gas is better for the environment and provides better fuel economy.

Return to the Article March 05, 2009 Obama's slap in the face of our ally Severn Call It's in the Odyssey, the rather sacred act of giving a gift as a host. The UK Daily Mail reports that when President Obama and UK Prime Minister Brown exchanged gifts: ... despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation, President Obama handed over nothing more thought-provoking than 25 classic American films on DVD. For his part, the visitor ... gave Barack Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet - once called HMS...

HONOLULU -- A tribute service for President-elect Barack Obama's grandmother has been scheduled for the public to attend. The service to honor Madelyn Dunham will be held on Friday at 5 p.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

"Doesn't really surprise me that they don't seem to hear the slip up there...they don't pay attention to much or they wouldn't be supporting a shady guy like Barry, who is far from democrat - he is a socialist (that's COMMUNIST for you illiterates out there) taking a ride on the (very naive) democratic ticket. God help us." jennifer846

Photo Ops in Politics by: Irene Warren, September 29, 2008 Big-name news celebrities shared center stage at the Brookings Institution recently to host an exclusive presentation with Kiku Adatto, author of Picture Perfect: Life in the Age of the Photo Op, as they explored photo expressions and addressed the problems with photo ops in politics, William A. Galston, with the Brookings Institution, explained. “The event is part of the Governing Ideas series,” Galston noted, “it is intended to broaden the discussion of governance issues through forums on timely and relevant books on history, culture, legal norms and practices, and also...

Democrats use a fake Republican from Grant County to introduce Barack Obama You may remember Barney Smith from Fairmount, Indiana. He spoke at the Democrat National Convention Thursday night and was one of the people who introduced Barack Obama. He will be remembered for the line "I want a president who cares more about Barney Smith than they do about Smith Barney." A great well-written line that many people remember. On Thursday night in Denver, when he introduced Barack Obama, he claimed to be a "lifelong" Republican. But it looks like the Democrats lied about his affiliation, or at minimum...

From the runway to the Oval Office, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE for Tyra Banks. Bazaar casts her as First Lady while she reflects on being a model citizen and the politics of fashion.

LANDSTUHL, Germany – Although news outlets have reported charges that Sen. Barack Obama canceled his trip to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany because the media weren’t allowed to cover the event, U.S. European Command officials say plans were in place to allow limited press coverage. All media, including local press and the more than 40 journalists accompanying the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on his eight-day international trip last week, would have been able to photograph the Illinois senator entering and leaving the hospital, said Air Force Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. European Command spokesman. Defense Department public affairs...

(IsraelNN.com) Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign seems to have purposely leaked the contents of the note that he placed in the Kotel, web magazine Israel Insider wrote Tuesday. While Israel's Hebrew newspaper Maariv came under fire for publishing the note, "it now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the 'private' prayer, with its 'modest' supplication to the Lord, out to the public, buffing his Christian credentials and showing his "humility," the web magazine said.

TERMED a "learning" trip, Sen. Barack Obama's eight- day tour of eight nations in the Middle East and Europe turned out to be little more than a series of photo ops to enhance his international credentials. snip"He was not interested in what we had to say." In private, though, Iraqi officials admit that Obama's analysis is "way off the mark." Without the surge, the Sunni tribes wouldn't have switched sides to help flush out al Qaeda. "He gave us the impression that the last thing he wanted was for Iraq to look anything like a success for the United States,"...

A 22-year-old woman was killed after she was hit by a car while trying to take pictures of a three-vehicle accident on LBJ Freeway early Sunday. April Sterling of Dallas and her friend were heading west on the freeway near Plano Road when they stopped so she could take pictures of the accident that occurred about 7:45 a.m., Dallas police Sgt. Gil Cerda said.Ms. Sterling wanted to get closer to the accident scene so she ran into the HOV lane, where a vehicle traveling west struck her, throwing her into the eastbound lanes of the freeway. She was taken to...

<p>Woops, an errant email advisory sent to House Democratic members by Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office had some unique suggested talking points for the upcoming "Read Across America" day. Basically, it said, just tell the kids and their teachers: blah, blah, blah.</p> <p>"Blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah."</p>

When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis. The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for — namely, that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner. "I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well," she declared as she stood alone at the microphone. Little more than three hours later, just in time for the...

Welcome to the internet, mainstream media! (NNC) - When CNN and YouTube decided to pair up and merge the mediums of television and internet, neither companies quite expected to get all the baggage that comes with user-submitted, online-oriented content. This time, that baggage came in the form of a hidden online secret image, lovingly labeled “GOATSE,” based on the original website *Link removed By poster, Search it out if you're that much of a freak*. “GOATSE” refers to an image that began circulating the internet and infiltrating innocent users’ internet explorer windows as early as January 2000. But what makes...

Green Helmet Guy, the “rescue worker” who posed for photo ops with children’s bodies in Qana, is interviewed by Al Jazeera in Arabic, in a video clip at YouTube: UPDATE at 8/2/06 8:48:14 am: Watch in the background at around the 1:20 mark, as rescue workers carrying a stretcher pause and set it on the ground, to allow photographers to get in position and take pictures.

The news wire services are circling the wagons around their propaganda photos from Qana: News agencies stand by Lebanon photos.8/1/06 3:02:32 pm:If the wire services truly want to settle the timing issue, all they need to do is release the actual timestamps from when the photographs were taken. Digital cameras automatically record this information in the photograph itself, so it would be a simple matter for the wires to provide it.Will they? Or are we simply supposed to take their word for it?UPDATE at 8/1/06 4:30:31 pm:For me, by the way, the timing issue is actually not the most damning...

Brinkley, a professor at New Orleans' own Tulane University who accompanied Penn on his voyage through the under-water city, was among the first to denounce the report. "There was never a leak," he said in the Daily News. On Larry King Live, Penn concurred: "The boat never sank." According to Brinkley, the boat did take on water--because it was "overloaded" with storm survivors. According to Penn, his "entourage" consisted of "a couple of friends." (The actor's camp denied the existence of the "personal photographer.

Ye shall find him under a big star: (OK, that one’s a stretch, but I’m working on a theme…) Crucified with two common criminals by his side: (Stretch #2) (Well, since this photo was taken in Zaprudervision, it might be a JFK thing,but that’s the same as God to the liberal mindset.)

Kerry has made a GREAT DEAL of photo op's doing incredible "youthful and hip" sports during this campaign: windsurfing, snowboarding, skiing, sail-windboarding, bicycling (several times: road bikes as well as mountain bikes....) He's now over 60 (Did you now he served in Vietnam in '69-'70 as a 22-24 year-old?) Has he EVER done any such sports before in public, or in private? Any previous "surfing" expeditions? Have any previous photo's ever been presented or recorded about these "life-style" sports PRIOR to this campaign?