Friday, March 20

Los Angeles Times summarized President Obama’s Southern California trip that exposed him to both celebrity and everyday struggles. He got on "The Tonight Show" with Leno, talking about the AIG bonus scandal with details about his life inside the White House. Defending Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, he said that ultimately all this stuff is my responsibility. He had one impolitic moment when trying to make a self-deprecating joke about his bowling score of 129, saying, “That was like the Special Olympics or something.” Later after the taping, President Obama issued an apology for the remark.

The New York Times also reported similar story. Moreover, it wrote that overall Mr. Obama, the first sitting president to be a guest on “The Tonight Show,” delivered a familiarly smooth, winning performance. Making jokes on a talk show and drawing simple analogies for complicated issues were a way to reassure and befriend viewers. He stayed benign and folksy even while discussing serious topics.




The Washington Post ran a story of President Obama announced "unprecedented restrictions" aimed at deterring lobbyists from influencing projects under a massive economic stimulus plan and vowed that recovery efforts will not become "an excuse for waste and abuse”. He said any lobbyists who want to talk with a member of his administration about a particular Recovery Act project will have to submit their thoughts in writing, and it will be posted on the Internet for all to see.

Yada T.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Video by The Washington Post