Picture Of President Obama: 'The Worst Day Of My Presidency'

'The worst day of my presidency': Barack Obama receives the horrific news about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

WNU Editor: The story to this picture can be read here.

The U.S. President's Year In Pictures

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Hang time with the A-list: (Left to right) Don Cheadle, Obama, Tobey Maguire and George Clooney take a break from the basketball court as Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Keibler and two of Clooney's long-time friends look on

The President's Year In Pictures (Part Two): Master Of Self-Promotion Barack Obama Releases Another Bulging Collection Of Official White House Photographs -- Daily Mail

* More images of Obama with family and colleagues in 2012 posted to Flickr by official photographer Pete Souza

Days after Barack Obama carefully selected his favorite (and most flattering) pictures of himself in 2012, comes another glut of photographs from the White House.

Obama, always a savvy operator when it comes to capturing the touching or comic shot which wields most political power, is seen in another round-up from 2012.

The pictures were selected by official White House photographer Pete Souza, some of which have never been seen before, and uploaded on to Flickr today.

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My Comment: More razzle dazzle. For more pics .... go here. And yes .... Pete Souza is an excellent White House photographer and President Obama's "secret weapon".

President Obama Picks His Favourite Photos Of Himself For 2012

President Obama and First Lady Michelle star out at the Chicago skyline

Obama Picks His Favourite Photos Of Himself For 2012 (Not That He Likes To Show Off) -- Daily Mail

What with a Presidential election, two severe hurricanes, multiple mass shootings and a fiscal cliff, it has been a busy year for Barack Obama.

But at every twist and turn, his decisions, reactions and emotions have been captured in photographs.

Now, as 2012 comes to a close, the President has pulled together a collection of his favourite pictures for the year and posted them to the White House Facebook page for America to enjoy.

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My Comment: I would think that being President would mean that he has more important things to do .... sighhh .... I'm wrong again.

The White House Facebook page is here.

And yes .... this is a collection of impressive pictures.

Off To Hawaii (And It Is Not Me)

With No Deal, Obama Heads To Hawaii -- Washington Post

With financial negotiations all but halted, President Obama was headed out of Washington on Friday evening for his annual winter vacation in Hawaii.

Obama is likely to have a short trip this year; aides said he is scheduled to return Wednesday, a day after Christmas, to resume discussions with congressional leaders on how to avert the fiscal cliff.

“Merry Christmas – because we didn’t get this done, I’ll see you next week,” Obama said after telling reporters he still had hope of striking a deal to prevent taxes from rising on the middle class next year.

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My Comment: Fiscal cliff, massive budget deficits, sequestration, looming recession, Syrian civil war, Egypt in crisis, Afghanistan war, rise of Al Qaeda in Africa, rise of China, Euro crisis continuing, etc., etc., etc., .... shesshhhh .... and the media gave President Bush grief when he played a round of golf during his Presidency.

Bias in the media .... nah.

On a side note .... I have a small confession to make .... I love Hawaii. It is my favorite vacation destination and the place that I hope to live during the winter months. As it is right now .... I live in Montreal, Canada .... and .... sighhhhh .... it is -7 Celsius right now. Yup .... I am jealous. :(

And They Laughed At President George Bush And Mitt Romney

Barack Obama Blunders Again On The World Stage -- The Telegraph

It is only two weeks since his re-election, and his second term remains two months away, but Barack Obama is already blundering again on the world stage, with the kind of gaffes that would have been plastered on the front page of The New York Times if they had been committed by George W. Bush when he was in the White House. Obama's first term was littered with foreign policy gaffes, and there is every chance the second term will be more of the same.

On his trip to Asia this week, President Obama struggled to pronounce the name of Aung San Suu Kyi, the most prominent human rights activist in the world. As The Associated Press reports (hat tip: Drudge Report):

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My Comment: Why must I read about this story in a British paper and not an American one. The sad fact is that America's media has a bias towards this President, and we better get use to it.

What Will Be The Impact On President Obama With Petraeus' Resignation

CIA Chief’s Exit A Taxing Development For Obama -- Boston Herald

Admits affair as budget battle starts.

President Obama’s administration was rocked by scandal yesterday after his CIA director resigned after admitting to an extramarital affair only days after Obama’s re-election, complicating the president’s newly declared war on congressional Republicans over his plan to raise taxes on the rich.

CIA Director David Petraeus’ resignation came just before he was expected to testify about the attacks on the U.S. Benghazi consulate that killed four Americans.

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My Comment: The impact will be more of a political distraction than any thing else .... after-all .... he only meets the CIA Director once a year .... with such an attendance record how can you miss him?

What The President Saw

President Barack Obama receives an update from officials via video teleconference on the ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy, in the Situation Room of the White House, Oct. 30, 2012. Pictured, from left, are: John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; David Agnew, Director for Intergovernmental Affairs; Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations; and Chief of Staff Jack Lew. October 30, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

What The President Saw: Shocked Obama Flies Over Atlantic City Disaster Zone To Witness Massive Trail Of Devastation Left By Sandy -- Daily Mail

* President takes one-hour helicopter tour over Atlantic Coast, viewing flooded homes and wrecked buildings
* Superstorm Sandy has claimed lives of at least 55 people on US East Coast with New Jersey and NYC badly affected
* Obama skips campaign events in battleground states in favour of visit to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's state
* Gov Christie: 'We've got a big task ahead of us that we have to do together. This is what New Jerseyans are built for'
* Obama to return to campaign trail on Thursday with trips to Green Bay, Wisconsin; Boulder, Colorado; and Las Vegas

President Obama comforted tearful residents today when he visited a stretch of the New Jersey coast devastated by Superstorm Sandy, seeing for himself how the disaster has wrecked buildings and forced thousands to abandon their flooded homes.

The President revised his election campaigning plans and travelled to Atlantic City to get an aerial view of the widespread damage caused by the storm.

He was joined on the presidential helicopter, Marine One, for the one-hour tour by Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has put partisan politics aside in the wake of the disaster.

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My Comment: An incredible collection of photos.

Update: Photos: Before and after Hurricane Sandy -- Washington Post

No Answers From President Obama On Benghazi

Obama Avoids Question On Whether Americans In Libya Were Denied Requests For Help -- FOX News

President Obama declined to answer directly whether a CIA annex was denied urgent requests for military assistance during the deadly attacks last month on U.S. outposts in Libya.

The president did not give a yes-or-no answer Friday when asked pointedly whether the Americans under attack in Benghazi, Libya, were denied requests for help during the attack.

Fox News has also learned that a request from the CIA annex for backup was later denied.

“The election has nothing to do with the four brave Americans getting killed and us wanting to find out exactly what happened,” the president said in TV interview with an NBC affiliate in Colorado.

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My Comment: After pushing the false narrative that this was due to an anti-Muslim video .... President Obama has learned that what he says will have consequences, and to best let the investigation and analysis of the attack unfold without his public input. Unfortunately for him .... it appears that the damage has already been done. As I have said on more than one occasion, the optics on how the White House has treated this story are terrible .... when it should not have been. And while there are other reasons on why his poll numbers have sunk in the past two weeks, I am sure that the Benghazi response has not helped. But what more can I say .... as an outsider and non-American the dynamics of U.S. Presidential elections have always fascinated me, but why they went down this road is something that we will probably not know until a few years after this administration is gone .... but when the details are released, I will definitely be all ears.

President Obama: 'If Four Americans Get Killed, It's Not OPTIMAL'

'If Four Americans Get Killed, It's Not OPTIMAL': Obama's Extraordinary Response To Comedy Central Question About Shifting Story After Benghazi Attack -- Daily Mail

President Barack Obama, during an interview shown on Comedy Central, has responded to a question about his administration's confused communication after the Benghazi attack, by saying: 'If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.'

Obama was speaking to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show for a programme that was broadcast last night. Stewart, a liberal whose young audience is full of potential voters prized by the Obama campaign, asked the president about his handling of the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

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More News On President Obama Appearing On The Daily Show

Obama on the Daily Show: US deaths in Benghazi 'not optimal' -- The Guardian
Obama on Libya: 'If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal' -- The Hill
Obama to Jon Stewart: Benghazi response "not optimal" -- CBS News
Obama on Daily Show: Benghazi 'Not Optimal' -- The Atlantic
Obama Pressed on Benghazi on Daily Show -- Wall Street Journal
John McCain rips Barack Obama’s ‘optimal’ -- Politico
Obama describes deaths of 4 Americans in Libya as 'not optimal'. Now he's channelling Mike Dukakis -- Tim Stanley, The Telegraph

My Comment: It was John Stewart who first used the term "not optimal" in a question, and President Obama responded by using the same term 15 seconds later. Still .... the optics are horrible and I am sure that upon reflection President Obama wishes that he had said something else. He is tired, and being one year older than the President, I certainly know how it feels to be tired after non-stop traveling for weeks.

Barack Obama's Presidency: Behind The Scenes (Photo Gallery)

January 2009: Barack Obama practises for the swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol in Washington. Photograph: Pete Souza/The White House

WNU Editor: A great collection of Presidential photographs from White House photographer Pete Souza. The photo gallery starts here.

President Obama Is Now Attending His Intel Briefings

President Barack Obama meets with members of his national security team in the Situation Room of the White House, in a handout photo provided by the White House. Pete Souza/The White House

Obama’s Intel Briefing Attendance Nears 100 Percent -- Washington Post

Let it not be said that columnists don’t have clout.

Take, for example, The Washington Post’s op-ed columnist Marc Thiessen’s Sept. 10 piece saying President Obama has failed to attend his daily intelligence briefing (or PDB) “more than half the time.”

Thiessen’s column was based on numbers from the Government Accountability Institute, which he described as a “new conservative investigative research organization.” (It’s now being called a “nonpartisan” research group.)

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My Comment: I guess the criticisms hit home and the explanations from the White House were not convincing anyone.

President Obama At The UN

Obama Defends Mideast Policy At U.N. -- Wall Street Journal

UNITED NATIONS—President Barack Obama, in an address to the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, confronted a series of foreign-policy concerns that have become central in a U.S. presidential campaign that has been largely focused on the economy.

Mr. Obama, under pressure from his Republican opponent in the November election, defended his handling of the political uprisings sweeping the Middle East and stressed that his administration would continue to support the push for democracy in the Arab world, regardless of short-term challenges.

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More News On President Obama's Speech At the UN General Assembly

President Obama's speech to the UN general assembly – full transcript -- The Guardian
Obama urges UN to confront roots of Muslim rage -- AP
Barack Obama UN speech: 'confront root causes of Middle East turmoil' -- The Telegraph
Obama tells United Nations it is 'time to heed the words of Gandhi', condemns 'disgusting' anti-Islam video and insists 'Muslims have suffered the most at the hands of extremism' -- Daily Mail
Obama tells U.N.: U.S. will ‘always stand up’ for freedom around the world -- Wall Street Journal
In U.N. Speech, Obama Warns Time Runs Short on Iran -- New York Times
Obama: US will 'do what we must' to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons -- NBC
Obama: US will 'do what we must' to prevent nuclear Iran -- FOX News
Obama Calls for End to Extremism, Slams Syria and Iran -- Voice of America
Obama confronts Iran, Syria; UNGA debate opens -- CNN
Obama: "Season of progress" in Middle East continues -- CBS
U.S. will 'do what we must' on Iran, Ban Ki-moon opposes threats -- Reuters
At U.N., Obama downplays terrorism in Libya attack -- Washington Times

President Obama And Candidate Mitt Romney On 60 Minutes

Campaign 2012: Obama vs. Romney -- CBS

(CBS News) In separate interviews, the president and his challenger answer questions on topics of critical interest to America's voters -- including the economy and jobs, healthcare, national security and the federal budget. Steve Kroft interviews President Barack Obama, and Scott Pelley interviews Governor Mitt Romney.

Tonight, conversations with the candidates for president of the United States. We interviewed Barack Obama and Mitt Romney over the last few weeks and we asked about a wide variety of issues. The very first edition of 60 Minutes, in 1968, featured candidates Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Now, as we approach our 45th season, we hope you'll get a better picture of where today's candidates want to lead the country. Steve Kroft will talk with the president.

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More News On President Obama And Candidate Mitt Romney On 60 Minutes

Obama and Romney Offer a Possible Preview of Their First Debate -- New York Times
In dueling ‘60 Minutes’ interviews, Romney and Obama make their pitches to voters -- Washington Post
Obama, Romney continue argument started on '60 Minutes' -- CNN
Mitt Romney, President Obama duel on '60 Minutes' -- Politico
On 60 Minutes, Obama and Romney Trade Blows on Foreign Policy, Biggest Failure -- New York Magazine
Obama, Romney tangle on foreign policy in '60 Minutes' interviews -- L.A. Times
President Obama, Romney Make Their Case on '60 Minutes' -- NPR
'60 Minutes' explains 'overboard' omission -- Politico
Obama describes murder of U.S. ambassador to Libya and Mid East violence as 'bumps in the road' -- Daily Mail
Obama Refers to Israel Concern Over Iran as 'Noise' -- Weekly Standard
Obama’s ‘60 Minutes’ wipeout -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
Obama's '60 Minutes' interview is full of misstatements -- New York Daily News
Obama: Campaign Sometimes Has Gone ‘Overboard’ -- Wall Street Journal
‘60 Minutes’ shows debates could be a Romney reset -- Washington Post

President Obama's Version Of A Big Stick

Batter up! President Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in the Oval Office on July 30

Obama Strikes Out: Photograph Of President Holding Baseball Bat While On The Phone Causes Outrage In Turkey -- Daily Mail

President Obama struck out with Turkey this week after the White House released a photo showing the leader of the free world holding a baseball bat while talking on the phone with the Turkish prime minister.

The two leaders spoke on Monday to discuss the crisis in Syria, after which the unusual image of Obama seated at his desk, having a phone conversation with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan while holding a bat autographed by baseball great Hank Aaron, was released by the White House.

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My Comment: Must be the Russian in me ....but I actually like this picture.