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Barack Obama News

Obamas Recall Christmases Past in Oprah Winfrey Special

By Chloe Bunker on December 13, 2009

LOS ANGELES — With the Obamas preparing for their first Christmas in the White House, the First Couple is reminiscing about holidays past in a new one-hour television special hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

"Getting that first big kid, 10-speed bike – that's always special," President Barack Obama recalls of his favorite Christmas gift as a child in the ABC program, airing Sunday night. "I remember that one."

Another memory for Obama is the one time he met his father, whose visit during Christmas sparked his love for the game of basketball.

"He gave me a basketball," Obama shares. "It wasn't until much later in life where I realized, actually he gave me that basketball. I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking the sport as a kid who didn't know his dad."

When asked to recall her favorite Christmas gift as a child, Michelle Obama remembers the time she received a dollhouse.

"I remember I really didn't know how to set up a house, so I had all the furniture lined up along the walls as opposed to nestled around the fireplace," she recalls. "But I loved that little doll house."

President Obama faced plenty of pressure when taking office in January, but how does that compare to the challenges of shopping around the holidays when you're the head honcho?

"I have given some good gifts," he tells Winfrey, drawing a curious look from the First Lady as he points out the necklace she's wearing. "Here's the general rule – I give nicer stuff than I get!"

Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special airs tonight at 10:00 p.m.

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Barack Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

By Matt Murai on October 9, 2009

OSLO — President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

The 48-year-old Obama captured the award "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the annual award's committee said Friday in Oslo.

Obama said he was surprised and deeply humbled by the honor, noting that he did not see it "as a recognition of my own accomplishments," but rather as a recognition of goals he has set for the United States and the world.

"I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize," said the 44th president of the United States.

Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award, joining President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.

The committee said it had attached special importance to Obama's vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

"Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics," the committee said in a statement. "Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

"For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.'"

Was Barack Obama the right choice for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize? Click here to vote in our watercooler poll.

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Video: President Obama on 'Late Show with David Letterman'

By K.R. Gomez on September 22, 2009

NEW YORK — President Barack Obama continued his busy promotional schedule Monday by paying a visit to the "Late Show with David Letterman."

During his appearance, Obama discussed a number of topics, including the recent controversial comment by former president Jimmy Carter, who suggested that criticism of Obama's presidency is driven by race.

"I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election," he told Letterman.

"How long have you been a black man?" the host joked in response.

President Obama's Speech to School Kids Video

By Erica Bowen on September 8, 2009

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama delivered his controversial speech to the nation's school kids on Tuesday, encouraging the young to take responsibility for their own futures.

"At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents and the best schools in the world, and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities," Obama told a crowd of 1,500 pupils gathered inside the gym at Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va.

Michelle Obama Shoots Down Pregnancy Rumors

By Alexis Sezar on March 31, 2009

Barack and Michelle ObamaHOLLYWOOD, Calif. — There are plenty of changes happening at the White House these days, but don't count on any new additions.

Sitting down with Oprah Winfrey for an interview appearing in the April issue of O Magazine, Michelle Obama laughed off those constant pregnancy rumors.

"I was like, 'Baby bump'? As hard as I work on my abs?" says the First Lady. "Here's the scoop: Not pregnant. And not planning on it."

Video: Barack Obama Controversial 'Special Olympics' Comment on 'Tonight Show'

By superstar1 on March 20, 2009

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — President Barack Obama paid a visit to the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Thursday, but he didn't escape the hot seat without a little controversy.

When asked about the White House bowling alley, Obama joked to Leno that his average score of 129 "was like the Special Olympics or something."

The comment led to the White House issuing an apology before the show aired.

While Thursday night wasn't Obama's first "Tonight Show" visit, it was the first appearance by a sitting President on a late night talk show.

President Obama to Appear on NBC's 'Tonight Show'

By Rich King on March 16, 2009

Barack ObamaHOLLYWOOD, Calif. — President Barack Obama will be a guest on Thursday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC announced Monday.

In what will be the first appearance by a sitting President on a late night talk show, Obama will discuss his economic plan, among other topics.

Obama first appeared on the "Tonight Show" in Dec. 2006. He also paid a visit in Oct. 2007 while in the midst of his presidential election campaign.