44 Secret Service: procedures not followed

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:18:41 -0500

By Michael D. Shear The Secret Service said Thursday that its procedures to ensure a tight bubble of security around the White House and the political leaders under the agency's care were not followed when an uninvited Virginia couple attended Tuesday night's state dinner. Officials are not providing any details about how the couple breached what is often considered the most secure facility in the world. "We're being intentionally vague on that," Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said Thursday morning. "All we are saying is that procedures we have in place weren't followed." Asked whether there is any early indication that new procedures should be put in place to secure the White House and protect the president, Donovan said the Secret Service believes the procedures are adequate --or would have been had they been followed. But he said that the review underway right now of the incident could offer new

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Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:18:41 -0500

After the pardon, Obamas give out turkeys

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:26:43 -0500

President Obama greets a boy as he gives away Thanksgiving Day food to District residents Wednesday at Martha's Table, a community-improvement organization for the underprivileged. (Reuters/Jason Reed) By Garance Franke-Ruta After very publicly pardoning a pampered turkey earlier in the day, President Obama took part in a decidedly lower-profile turkey and food give-away to some of the District of Columbia's less fortunate residents late Wednesday afternoon. Obama's family -- Michelle, Sasha and Malia; his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson; and his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, her husband, Konrad Ng and their two daughters, Suhaila and Savita -- joined him in motorcading up to the U Street neighborhood, where their appearance thrilled workers at Martha's Table, a charity that hosts educational programs and provides food and clothing for low-income youth and families. The group runs a food pantry, thrift store and teen mentoring program on 14th Street between V and W. It has

Dan Pfeiffer keeps his cool under pressure

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:06:40 -0500

By Michael D. Shear Dan Pfeiffer regularly trolls the West Wing, his list of to-do items -- a couple dozen long -- on a stiff White House-embossed index card in his pocket. At the end of every day, there's always a handful that he can't quite cross off. The soon-to-be White House communications director is never in one place for long. At one moment, he's feet up on someone else's desk in the press aides' pen, hands clasped behind his head. Then, leaned against a wall in David Axelrod's office down the hall from the Oval Office. Then quickly back to a meeting with press secretary Robert Gibbs, his index card whipped out once more. If Axelrod is the protector of Obama's message, and Gibbs is in charge of delivering it, Pfeiffer is the presidential operative tasked with making sure that someone is writing or broadcasting or blogging about it.

Noted: Biden gets his wish -- and a NYT magazine cover story

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:53:33 -0500

James Traub takes a look at Vice President Biden's foreign policy role and operation in the New York Times Magazine cover story "After Cheney," available online Wednesday, and reports that "on foreign policy, Biden has largely realized his wish to be the president's all-purpose adviser and sage."

Video report: Obama pardons 'Courage' the turkey

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:08:43 -0500

Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. "You know, there are certain days that remind me of why I ran for this office. And then there are moments like this, where I pardon a turkey and send it to Disneyland." --Barack Obama The full story by William Branigin can be read here. And don't miss Jason Horowitz's story of how the turkey traveled in style to the White House, staying overnight at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington.

How a lobbying campaign helped make Thanksgiving a national holiday

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:46:02 -0500

George Washington was the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday. (AP photo/painting by Gilbert Stuart) By Sarah Lovenheim Once upon a time, Americans gave thanks for the bounty of the land with celebrations that involved fasting, rather than feasting. Some presidents refused to issue Thanksgiving proclamations. And, if it weren't for the roughly two-decade lobbying crusade of a female Thanksgiving advocate, the annual ritual might never have gained its national sanction. A look at the past reveals how the holiday unfolded, and how various presidents -- particularly in selecting religious rhetoric -- have changed the tone. We all know the basic history: The first Thanksgiving, as we observe it today, was practiced in Plymouth, Mass, in 1621. Scholars now dispute that date because earlier festivals near Charles City, Va., and St. Augustine, Fla., also involved a day of thanksgiving to God. Over time, formal proclamations changed the informal

Obama on the passing of Abe Pollin

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:23:10 -0500

President Obama released a statement Wednesday saying he and Michelle "were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Abe Pollin - a giant in the world of professional sports and someone I was proud to call a friend." "Abe was a man who knew that being an owner wasn't just about winning championships, although his teams had plenty of success. It was about helping young athletes become good people as well as good players. And it was about being part of a community," Obama continued. "Abe believed in Washington, D.C. when many others didn't -- putting his own fortune on the line to help revitalize the city he loved. He was committed to the teams he guided, generous to those who needed it most, and as loyal to the people of D.C. as they were to him," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Irene, his

Midday Quiz: Thanksgiving trivia

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:30:45 -0500

Our political trivia question of the day (visit www.washingtonpost.com/politicaltrivia for more): On September 10, Vice President Biden predicted one initiative would be decided by Thanksgiving. What was it?: • Closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay • A health-care reform bill • A new strategy in Afghanistan • Trade policy with China on tire imports The answer to this question and more lives here.

White House releases more visitor logs

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:56:47 -0500

Updated 2:12 p.m. As part of its ongoing transparency efforts, the White House released a second wave of visitor logs Wednesday. The list included more than 1,600 names. The first round of names was released on Oct. 30.

Oprah and Obama, together again

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:28:47 -0500

By Garance Franke-Ruta The reigning queen of daytime talk, Oprah Winfrey, will tape an interview with President Obama in the White House next week, White House sources confirmed. Winfrey was an early and strong supporter of the president's, first campaigning for him in Iowa in the late fall of 2007 during the run-up to the caucuses and helping him draw a crowd of more than 18,000 to a campaign event in Des Moines. That same weekend, she helped draw more than 29,000 to an event with Obama in Columbia, S.C., in another critical primary state. Winfrey's endorsement of Obama was her first for a presidential candidate and gave him a boost with female voters in critical geographic areas, according to later research into the "Oprah effect," as he contended against rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Winfrey went on appear with California first lady Maria Shriver at an

Obama to attend Copenhagen UN climate change conference

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:51:55 -0500

Updated 10:06 a.m. By Michael D. Shear President Obama will travel to Copenhagen in December to help kick off the global climate talks despite the conference's failure to secure a binding worldwide treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An administration official said Obama will travel to the Danish capital Dec. 9, one day before he visits nearby Oslo to officially accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Continue reading»

White House video team readies Thanksgiving turkey-pardoning spoof

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:23:33 -0500

By Garance Franke-Ruta White House aides prepping for Wednesday's annual turkey pardoning released a humorous video preview in advance of the goofy ceremony, which is among the silliest rituals in which the president participates. Shot from the perspective of the pardoned turkey and featuring a voice-over by White House assistant press secretary Ben LaBolt, the film by White House videographer Arun Chaudhary features background music from the classic Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" -- with occasional turkey gobble sounds added at key moments. A new classic -- of a sort.

State dinner: the attendees list

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:09:17 -0500

The White House has released the list of expected attendees at tonight's State Dinner. Names of note, beyond the heads of state and their top aides and a number of Hollywood actors and actresses, include the movie moguls David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. The list also includes: Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, CBS's Katie Couric, SEIU president Andy Stern, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, friend of Oprah Gayle King, agent Ari Emanuel (brother of Rahm), presidential sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, author Deepak Chopra, writer Jhumpa Lahiri, gay rights activist Urvashi Vaid, economist Amartya Sen, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, the New York Times's Thomas Friedman and Jason DeParle and The Post's own Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Raju Narisetti. The full list: The President & First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative Mr. Sant Singh

Noted: State Department gets shelter mag makeover

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:26:23 -0500

Folio reports: "The Magazine Publishers of America announced today that the U.S. State Department has enlisted the magazine industry to help decorate 17 rooms for the holiday season at the U.S. State Department buildings in Washington, D.C." Participating titles include Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Mother Earth News, Natural Home, This Old House and Traditional Home. Of especial note, given the woes of the magazine industry: "The magazines are funding the makeovers themselves."

On tonight's menu: 'White House arugula'

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:40:25 -0500

Arugula. Updated 4:45 p.m. CBS has some of the first shots of the place settings and menu for tonight's White House state dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Sun Times's Lynn Sweet has the full menu here. The Post's Robin Givhan is providing updates on dinner preparations throughout the day here. And the Mrs. O blog notes what Michelle Obama wore Indian American designer Rachel Roy to the dinner preview Tuesday afternoon.