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Obamas Emerge From Vacation Seclusion For Shave Ice Outing (PHOTOS)
The big news out of Hawaii since the Obamas arrived is that there really hasn't been any. Michelle, Sasha and Malia flew over on Saturday, December 18th while the president wrapped up business in Washington. Bo did a quick detour in quarantine at the airport. And other than a few public outings, many of which weren't photographed--to the Marine Corps Base on Christmas Day, church, shave ice for the president and his daughters, snorkeling and a whole lot of golf--the first family has been layi...

Pelosi, Obama Hawaiian vacations end, but taxpayers left with the bill
BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN – Nancy Pelosi’s final days as Speaker of the House were spent at the exotic Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu in Kona on the island of Hawaii. Escorted throughout her trip by a mini security Motorcade that included Secret Service and Hawaii County Police officers, Pelosi was seen at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona, where she received Communion. Parishioners greeted her warmly, Hawaii Reporter was told. Two police SUVs w...

Gallup: Obama Approval Back at 50 Percent
Reports the polling agency: Barack Obama's job Approval Rating reached the symbolic 50% mark in the latest three-day average from Gallup Daily tracking. Obama's Approval Rating has been in the mid-40% range for much of the latter half of 2010. He last hit 50% approval in a three-day average near the end of May/beginning of June. Notably: the latest numbers ... come at a time when the president was on Vacation in Hawaii and out of the political spotlight, following a highly publicized pre-Christ...

Obama Job Approval Reaches 50% for First Time Since Spring
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Barack Obama's job Approval Rating reached the symbolic 50% mark in the latest three-day average from Gallup Daily tracking. Obama's Approval Rating has been in the mid-40% range for much of the latter half of 2010. He last hit 50% approval in a three-day average near the end of May/beginning of June. The latest results are based on Gallup Daily tracking conducted Dec. 28-29 and Jan. 2. Gallup did not conduct its daily poll Dec. 30-Jan. 1. It is not yet clear if Obama&...

Obamas Hit the Beach on Final Vacation Day
Yahoo! Buzz President Barack Obama and his family are trying to soak it all in, spending the better part of their final day in Hawaii at Pyramid Rock Beach on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. If the final day of a Vacation defines how it will be remembered, the Obamas will be packing memories of teal-colored water, soft breezes and plenty of sunshine. Their Vacation is a far cry from their year-ago trip to picturesque Oahu, when the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day shattered...

Obamas End Hawaii Vacation at the Beach
(Wall Street Journal) - President Barack Obama and his family were trying to soak it all in Monday, spending the better part of their final day in Hawaii at Pyramid Rock Beach on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. If the final day of a Vacation defines how it will be remembered, the Obamas will be packing memories of teal-colored water, soft breezes and plenty of sunshine, The Wall Street Journal reported. Their Vacation is a far cry from their year-ago trip to picturesque Oahu, when the attempted bombin...

Obama Looks to Reagan Legacy as Way to Move Agenda in Congress
Source: Bloomberg As Barack Obama prepares to confront a strengthened Republican opposition to his tax, spending and Immigration priorities when Congress convenes this week, his advisers are comparing him to another president who faced similar circumstances: Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan and Bill Clinton, Obama must spend the next two years of his presidency navigating a new balance of power after Midterm Election losses. Before leaving for a year-end Vacation, Obama sought advice from Reagan chie...

All work and no play
Presidentin' is hard You may recall my recent post about Obama’s work habits: The president’s “biggest regret” was that because of economic turmoil, “He had to spend almost every waking hour in Washington working on solving that crisis,” senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “And what he missed sorely was engagement with the American People. Byron York: But it turns out Obama has already

Valerie Jarrett: Obama is sleeping through his Presidency [Reader Post]
Barack Obama and his gang think you’re an idiot. The sad part is that they are 43% right. Byron York reports on Valerie Jarrett’s recent appearance on Meet the Press during which she made quite apparent that she and her boss really believe Americans are blatantly stupid. Jarrett shared this thought: On “Meet the Press” December 26, top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said President Obama’s “biggest regret” is that the severity of the economic crisis ...

Obama takes family out for final vacation treat
HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama took his family and friends for a final Vacation treat before heading back to Washington. After an afternoon at the beach, the Obama party stopped at Island Snow for shave ice, a Hawaiian snow cone. First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and about a dozen friends joined the president for one of the rare public stops of his nearly two-week vacation. Island Snow is a favorite local stop for the first family; Obama took his daughters there...

Obama considers J.P. Morgan's Daley as senior aide
Daley is also a former commerce secretary. If he is chosen, the move would help satisfy a clamor within the business community to have greater representation in the administration. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that no decision had been made. Obama, who is on Vacation in Hawaii, has been considering an array of staffing decisions during his break. He returns on Tuesday and one of the biggest decisions confronting him is a replacement for top White House economic adv...

What is President Obama doing right now in Hawaii?
Below is one of the last White House Press Pool Reports we will get from Hawaii.  The President is winding down his Vacation and will soon be headed east to the White House. Motorcade was rolling from Marine Corps Base Hawaii at 2:12 pm local, just 7 minutes after pool was rushed from hold outside the clubhouse to the pool van, which had to drive to the McDonald's to get in motorcade-joining position. Seems POTUS and Co. abruptly decided they'd had enough of the beach. Clouds had rolled in...

Obama's Job Approval Rises to 50 Percent in New Gallup Poll
President Barack Obama got more than rest and relaxation while he was on Vacation in Hawaii over the holidays: His job Approval Rating, which had been languishing in the mid-40-percent range for more than six months, rose to 50 percent, according to Gallup Daily tracking. The results are the average from tracking conducted Dec. 28-29 and Jan. 2, Gallup said. Obama's rise in Ratings comes after a particularly busy lame-duck session of Congress, which the president termed "a season of progress." ...

Obama wraps up peaceful Hawaii trip (AFP)
Honolulu, Hawaii (AFP) – US President Barack Obama grabbed a few last hours of peace on a surprisingly calm Hawaii holiday Monday before he returns to the political fray and looming battles with Republicans. Obama spent the Christmas and New Year filling his days with golf, family time, beach visits and private reading, and was unusually absent from the spotlight, as he conducted official business behind closed doors. The peaceful sojourn in his home state was markedly less fraught than ...

More from Hawaii and President Obama
Latest White House Press Pool Report - President Obama visits his grandfather's grave. President Obama is visiting his grandfather's grave at Punchbowl Cemetery. He is with his daughters, Sasha and Malia. The official name of the cemetery on the stone pillars flanking the entry is National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Pool is holding at a distance and has not seen POTUS. We do not expect to either. The cemetery is quiet and empty. The sun is beginning to set over Honolulu. POTUS left his K...

Obama considers J.P. Morgan's Daley as senior aide
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is considering tapping J.P. Morgan Chase executive William Daley for a senior role within the White House, possibly Chief of Staff, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. Daley is also a former commerce secretary. If he is chosen, the move would help satisfy a clamor within the business community to have greater representation in the administration. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that no decision had been made. ...

Update on President Obama
President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Sasha, Malia and about a dozen others - including White House chef Sam Kass and the Nesbitts - got shave ice at Island Snow. It’s POTUS, Sasha and Malia’s second visit this trip. Everyone was already inside the shop when pool entered at 2:23 pm. FLOTUS wore large, dark sunglasses, purple and white pants, a black bathing suit and a turquoise shrug around her shoulders. She stayed up near the counter as POTUS and others walked around the smal...

Vacation bump for Obama?
America is mostly back at work today after the holidays -- but not President Obama. After postponing his trip to Hawaii to deal with Don't Ask, Don't Tell, START and other matters, he decided to extend his trip slightly -- today is his last day on Oahu. Judging from the endlessly mopey, end-of-trip Facebook updates from White House reporters on presidential Vacation duty, no one seems to want to come back. Can you blame them? Obama least of all, one suspects -- Hello, Boehner! But hey! Obama's j...

White House Press Pool Report (last day of President's vacation)
Motorcade was rolling through the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at 9:50 am local. President Obama arrived back at his Vacation compound at 9:56 am. Pool never saw POTUS and is holding at pool house, waiting to see what POTUS has in mind for his last day of vacay....

Obama considers J.P. Morgan's Daley as senior aide (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama is considering tapping J.P. Morgan Chase executive William Daley for a senior role in the White House, possibly Chief of Staff, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. Daley is also a former commerce secretary. If he were chosen, the move would help satisfy a clamor in the business community to have greater representation for private industry within the administration. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned ...

Tucker Carlson Overspoke: Of Course I Dont Want [Michael Vick] Executed
Tucker Carlson made his first return to Hannity since calling for Michael Vick ’s execution, and he had some explaining to do. While he kept strong on his point that he was “disgusted” by Vick’s actions and was shocked to hear President Obama support him, he admitted he may have gotten “too emotional” and “overspoke.” “Tucker, I take one big Vacation a year.” This is how Sean Hannity , retaking his spot at the show from holiday host Tu...

Obama's Schedule Jan. 4 2011
1:45 AM The First Family departs Honolulu, Hawaii Local Event Time: 8:45 PM HST January 3, 2011 Hawaii, Honolulu, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Open Press 10:15 AM The First Family arrives at Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base Travel Pool Coverage 10:30 AM The First Family arrives at the White House South Lawn Open Press 4:30 PM The President meets with Secretary of Defense Gates Oval Office Closed Press ...

'Birthers'aren't crazy
Despite what Chris Matthews, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck say, so-called "birthers" aren't crazy. In fact, they represent the clear majority of the American People – not some fringe element of society. It wasn't that long ago that Matthews and O'Reilly were waiving copies of Barack Obama's certification of live birth, claiming it was a Birth Certificate that answered all the questions anyone needs to have answered regarding his constitutional eligibility. They went even further, ridicu...

Obama run in 2012 may cause boom in birth certificate requests
BY GREG WILES- With the next Presidential Election less than two years away, Hawaii’s newly elected Governor, Neil Abercrombie, wants to see the Controversy over the president’s Birth Certificate extinguished so he can waylay an expected flood of requests to Hawaii’s Department of Health by so called “Birthers” when Obama runs for re-election in 2012....

Wm. Daley in line for White House job?
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Former Commerce Secretary William Daley is a likely Candidate for a top position in President Barack Obama's White House, sources tell The Washington Post. Daley, who served in President Bill Clinton's administration and as chairman of Al Gore's 2000 Presidential Campaign, is the brother of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. The Post suggested his appointment would show former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's continued influence in the White House. Neither the White House nor ...