by Mark Silva
Proof that Barack Obama is from Hawaii:
At a ceremony honoring the Naval Academy's football team today, the president found some pride in the heritage of the team's head coach - Ken Niumatalolo - as well as that of its starting quarterback - Kaipo Noa Kaheaku Enhada.
Obama gave them the old "shaka'' hang-loose sign.
The 2008 Navy team traveled to the White House for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, which Navy collected for a record sixth-consecutive year. (Navy beat Air Force 33-27 and Army 34-0).
The president invoked his Hawaiian roots for the coach and QB, giving them the "shaka" hang-loose signal in the middle of the ceremony (like the one he gave the marching band from his own Punahou High School during his inaugural parade, above), prompting some Midshipmen laughter about the CinC appearing so calm.
The QB "doesn't get rattled easily, performs under pressure,'' Obama explained. "That's the Hawaiian spirit. That's how we roll.''
Obama made another special note of the presense of Lt. Comm. Wesley Brown at the ceremony. Brown, Class of 1949, was the first African American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served for 25 years and now has a new field house named after him.
At the end of the ceremony, Obama also asked for one of the team's helmets, but then slipped back into reserve mode, wondering aloud whether the silver helmet would fit and explaining: "There's a rule for presidents that you never put anything on your head.''
Comments
Just rec'd an e-mail from a USNA grad and he had a picture from Annapolis that had the following:
Navy 1
Pirates 0
Posted by: Terry | April 21, 2009 8:57 PM