It's caption-contest time here in the Swamp. (Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images)
by Mark Silva
Imagine the Secret Service's chagrin -- they were wary of letting the president have a BlackBerry -- when President Barack Obama broke out a sabre.
But the photo below is no sign of any discord in the first family.
This was a test, only a test, of the emergency humor system on the South Lawn, where the president and First Lady Michelle Obama today played host to Olympic and Paralympic athletes to mark the White House's interest in securing the 2016 summer Olympics for Chicago.
"Let's get right down to business here,'' the president said. "The United States is eager to welcome the world to our shores.''
The president is sending the first lady to Copenhagen in two weeks, when the International Olympic Commitee will announce the pick.
"Nobody loves sports like the people of Chicago -- trust me,'' Michelle Obama said today. "I have spent endless hours .... in front of baseball TV games, you name it. Whether it's football or soccer, baseball, boxing or a good marathon -- Chicagoans know how to enjoy sports.....
"And I know that Barack and I would feel such tremendous pride to see the Olympic torch burning brightly in the city that we love so much.''
(President Barack Obama, above, wielded a plastic saber as First Lady Michelle Obama, rear left, and Track and Field paralympian April Holmes, second left, watched a fencing demonstration on the South Lawn of the White House today. Photo by Charles Dharapak / AP. And the president and first lady parried in jest (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Comments
It would be great to see Chicago get the Olympics. Political insiders will make a killing. Blago will be out of prison by then and get a corn dog consession next to the main enterance. Every unemployed relative of every alderman gets a high paying no-show job. Land deals,insurance deals, deals, deals,deals. And the whole thing is backed up by the taxpayers. How do I buy in and who to I have to pay?
Posted by: Mike C | September 16, 2009 6:40 PM
Obama is involved in bringing the Olympics to America?!?!
OH NOES!
I knew it! Glenn Beck told me that Obama was trying to turn the Olympics into a Commie/Fascist/Socilalist/Nazi plot to kill granny! And look at this, it turned out to be TRUE!
I'm going out right now and buying a "You Lie Obama" bumper sticker. That'll stop Obama's evil Olympics plot!
Posted by: I wanna be a Republican idiot | September 16, 2009 7:04 PM
So Obama thinks he's Zorro now or a swashbuckler or is he going to fight that pirate Captain Jack?
And what is with Michelle wearing sleeves? What is she hiding under that blue sweater?
Posted by: lochnesssmonster | September 17, 2009 6:58 AM
ALL other nations have their leaders pleading their case at Copenhagen.. Obama sends his wife.
This cutsie photo op is cover for Obama's lack of support.
Posted by: Lanie | September 17, 2009 8:38 AM
Who is he going to get to manage the Olympics and actually make it profitable? I suggest Romney.
If we leave it up to Chicago politics, it will be the biggest money losing Olympics of all time. But, the pols will become wealthier.
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | September 17, 2009 9:09 AM
ALL other nations have their leaders pleading their case at Copenhagen.. Obama sends his wife.
This cutsie photo op is cover for Obama's lack of support.
Posted by: Lanie | September 17, 2009 8:38 AM
and had Obama gone, Lanie would have been the first to claim there are more important issues here at home. Does anybody grow tired of the ankle biters?
Posted by: bill r. | September 17, 2009 9:23 AM
" bill r": In the past, those bidding had an organizing committee and the head and maybe some local politicians went. I don't believe I have heard of the President or the First lady going as supplicants. In fact, this is another action that demeans the office of the Presidency.
I wonder if Michelle will curtsy to the committee?
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | September 17, 2009 1:58 PM
Rick......So I see you disagree with Lanie also. Yes I would hate to see Michelle demean the Office of the President with bringing jobs and money to the US. She really should be writting cookbooks or something. I might say that demeaning the office certainly has been actively persued by the right. Nothing like a shout out during the presidents joint session and televised speech to prove it.
Posted by: bill r. | September 17, 2009 3:05 PM
I am not sure what Lanie that is. But, I would not look to the Olymics as a source of jobs. In fact, since most Olympics lose money, they are a net loss of jobs, too. You cannot maintain jobs while losing money. So, this is like calling Christmas retail a good source of jobs. Well, it is if you consider a job to be 5 or 6 weeks. Most of us look for something that is a bit longer term.
Rick
Posted by: Rick Caird | September 17, 2009 6:12 PM
what a way to pay back his buddys give them all the money of course who will notice we are just rednecks
Posted by: Rob | September 30, 2009 6:26 PM