President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk from the Marine One helicopter to the White House as they return from the memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela to Washington, December 11
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MoooOOOooorning Early Birds
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama return to the White House from their vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, August 18
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MoooOOOooorning early birds - I’ve risen, but I’m not shining yet, working on it right now. Happy Monday!
President Obama looks out of the “door of no return” during a tour of the ‘House of Slaves‘ on Goree Island
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Today:
3:30 ET: President Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event in Charlottesville, Virgina
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Washington Examiner: President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will tour seven swing states next week ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Obama will travel to Iowa, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4 as part of his “Road to Charlotte” tour, the president’s campaign announced Tuesday. Among the cities Obama will visit include Des Moines and Sioux City in Iowa, Boulder, Colo., Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio and Norfolk, Va. Biden will travel separately to York, Pa., Green Bay, Wis., and Detroit between Sept. 2 and Sept. 4.
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Boston Globe
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NYT Editorial: …. the Republicans’ parade of truth-twisting, distortions and plain falsehoods arrived on the podium of their national convention on Tuesday. Following in the footsteps of Mitt Romney’s campaign, rarely have so many convention speeches been based on such shaky foundations.
…. Conventions are always full of cheap applause lines and over-the-top attacks, but it was startling to hear how many speakers in Tampa considered it acceptable to make points that had no basis in reality.
Gov John Kasich of Ohio, for example, boasted of the booming economy in his state, never mentioning that he and Mr. Romney opposed the auto bailout that has played an outsized role in the state’s recovery. (Apparently Mr. Obama’s destructive economic policies do not apply everywhere.)
…. Considering how Mr. Romney has conducted his campaign so far, most recently his blatantly false advertising accusing Mr. Obama of gutting the work requirement on welfare, it is probably not surprising that the convention he leads would follow a similar path.
Voters looking for a few nuggets of truth would not have found them in Tampa on Tuesday.
Full editorial here
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Representative Gabrielle Giffords is embraced by colleagues on the floor of the House of Representatives, moments after the House voted to raise the U.S. borrowing limit. Giffords received a thunderous ovation from Democrats and Republicans alike. She returned to vote in favor of a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and avoid default.
Steve Benen: …. the House voted to approve the debt-ceiling agreement reached yesterday, and the margin wasn’t even as close as expected …. the final vote was 269 to 161. The Democratic caucus - much of which refrained from voting until most GOP members had cast their vote - was split evenly, while the clear majority of Republicans backed the agreement.
Nearly as important as the vote itself was the dramatic return of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), just six months after an attempt on her life, returned to the House floor unexpectedly and voted in support of the debt deal. She received a hero’s welcome from the chamber. (No, don’t mind me, I just have something in my eye…)
….. I have to say, as much as this bill bothers me, and as much as the recent breakdowns in our political system have disgusted me, Giffords’ return was a beautiful sight.
As for the legislation, the Senate is still expected to take it up in the morning, where passage is all but assured.
Full post here
President Obama arrives at the White House after a six-day, four-nation trip across Europe
President Barack Obama walks across the South Lawn of the White House with his daughter, Sasha followed by first lady Michelle Obama with daughter Malia, March 23, as they return form Latin America
President Obama points to the shoes of his daughter Sasha
President Barack Obama gives a thumbs up for the shoes worn by his daughter Sasha
White House.gov WH Tumblr The People’s View Smartypants A Writing Corner (LL) Greg Sargent Steve Benen
