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Obama Says "Hang Loose"

Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Saturday, Dec 27 2008, 2:41PM

shaka.jpgI love reading the "pool reports" of those hardworking journalists who forfeit their holidays to trail Barack Obama's every public moment.

The New York Times' Jackie Calmes weighs in with this cute story of Barack Obama doing the hang loose, "shaka" thing -- with thumb and pinky pointed out. It would be great if President-elect Obama gave the "shaka" sign getting off of Air Force One. That could be as dramatic as Nixon's famous two-armed, two-handed victory wave.

Calmes reports:

Pool Report #2, Saturday Dec. 27, 2008 -- Kailua

Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett left Semper Fit Center at 8:48 a.m., an hour after they'd entered; the men -- President-elect Obama and friends Eric Whitaker and Martin Nesbitt left about 16 minutes later.

Roughly 30 people of all ages had waited to see him, and the earliest arrivals stayed through a brief but feisty rain. The Secret Service agents had subjected all to the weapons-detecting wand. When Obama emerged, his Chicago White Sox cap backwards, he briefly flashed the Hawaiian hand gesture known as the "shaka," according to a couple residents in the pool van, who say the gesture connotes "hey there," "hang loose" or "thanks, dude". Photographers in the pool caught the moment. Obama righted his cap as he walked toward the assembled group in the parking lot and loudly called, "How are you?"

He moved from left to right down the line that was about three deep, saying variously "How are you?," "Good to see you," "Nice to see you." He lofted four babies and posed for pictures with them. After about two minutes he went to the SUV and the motorcade returned to the Kailua neighborhood where he is staying. Holding here now. It's cloudy but the sun sometimes comes out.

Jackie Calmes, New York Times

More later.

-- Steve Clemons

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Reader Comments (17) - post a comment

Posted by Dan Kervick, Dec 27 2008, 3:06PM - Link

I hope this shaka thing doesn't catch on, because I find it physically impossible to make that gesture, and don't want to be left out.

Posted by Iraqi-American, Dec 27 2008, 3:14PM - Link

Kewl!

Posted by chriss, Dec 27 2008, 3:39PM - Link

I hope this shaka thing doesn't catch on, because
I find it physically impossible to make that
gesture, and don't want to be left out.u should
try..read this page..

Posted by WigWag, Dec 27 2008, 4:29PM - Link

Off topic (what the topic, is I'm not sure) but I see that Samuel Huntington, the Professor who made up the term "clash of civilizations" died on Christmas Eve.

Posted by PissedOffAmerican, Dec 27 2008, 4:31PM - Link

Gee, cute. Just what we need, a "dude" as president. Gotta love the backwards baseball cap thing. Whats next, a nose ring?

This is bullshit. Is Obama's "change" going to consist of him acting like a teenage buffoon, or is there something more to him than this self belittling celebrity fluff.

For starters, Cheney just admitted to war crimes, and Rice and Gonzales were exposed as blatant perjurers. Doesn't that merit a bit of a response, or was this ridiculous bit of buffoonery as good as it gets from Obama?

Posted by Cee, Dec 27 2008, 7:00PM - Link

Did he realize the power was out when he made this hand gesture?

Posted by Ted, Dec 28 2008, 5:11PM - Link

ROADMAP TO ADDRESS THE LOOMING CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS:

Since the Supreme Court has now prevented itself from acknowledging the question of whether Barack H. Obama is or is not an Article II “natural born citizen” based on the Kenyan/British citizenship of Barack Obama’s father at the time of his birth (irrespective of whether Barack Obama is deemed a “citizen” born in Hawaii or otherwise) as a prerequisite to qualifying to serve as President of the United States under the Constitution -- the Court having done so at least three times and counting, first before the Nov 4 general election and twice before the Dec 15 vote of the College of Electors -- it would seem appropriate, if not necessary, for all Executive Branch departments and agencies to secure advance formal advice from the United States Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel as to how to respond to expected inquiries from federal employees who are pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as to whether they are governed by laws, regulations, orders and directives issued under Mr. Obama during such periods that said employees, by the weight of existing legal authority and prior to a decision by the Supreme Court, believe in good faith that Mr. Obama is not an Article II “natural born citizen”.

Moreover, each and every member of Congress should be notified that he or she is personally liable (can be sued) for his or her own failure, or the same in conspiracy with other members, to perform what is a ministerial and constitutional duty, that is, to require and/or insist that Presidential electoral votes only be counted for candidates who are “natural born citizens” under Article II of the United States Constitution, the failure of which creates a cause of action for deprivation of claimants’ constitutional rights (as allowed under the Bivens case) against employees of the Federal Government, in this case, to a lawful President and Commander in Chief, and therefore, for deprivation of adequate continuation of the United States as a Constitutional Republic. The constitutionally tortious conduct is not subject to congressional immunity and would be the jettison of Article II of the Constitution by failure to stop and/or object to the counting of electoral votes for Barack H. Obama who has admitted that at the time of his birth his father was a Kenyan/British citizen and not a citizen of the United States of America.

Finally, if 1/20/09 comes and goes with a usurper in the Whitehouse (that is, Obama is definitely NOT an Article II “natural born citizen” -- dad Kenyan/British citizen at BHO’s birth -- albeit he MAY be a 14th Amendment “citizen”) with usurper enablers in Congress and the Supreme Court … God help us because many of the people will -- rightfully and under our Constitution and Declaration of Independence -- endeavor through other means to take back the Government from what is nothing less than a non-constitutional coup d’etat. (SCOTUS now does have the power to forestall that grim yet inevitable scenario, otherwise the blood and possible loss of our Constitutional Republic is SQUARELY ON THEIR HEADS.)

Posted by Paul Norheim, Dec 28 2008, 5:58PM - Link

Ted:

would you please stop this off-topic spamming on several
threads!

Posted by PissedOffAmerican, Dec 28 2008, 8:49PM - Link

Gads Ted, did you have to tell us what an asshole you are on more than one thread?

Trust me, my guess would be that most of us got it the first time around.

Posted by Alex, Dec 29 2008, 9:22AM - Link

Ted is absolutely right, and anyone with a patriotic bone in their body will do everything they can to make sure Obama shows his long-form birth certificate. Do you know Barack is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on three law firms to keep from showing it? What does that tell you?

If Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen (and he is not, since his father was a British citizen, according to Barack's own website), then he is not eligible to be president. The executive branch will be illegitimate from the top down if he thugs his way into this most powerful position in the world.

If you fancy yourself as having a brain and some ethics, then do the right thing, for God's sake!

Posted by Emma, Dec 29 2008, 3:10PM - Link

Saw the backward ballcap on TV. It twisted my nose to see that look. He immediately turned it around when one of his handlers motioned for him to do so. Who is going to motion to him to not talk with food in his mouth at State dinners? (SIGN!) Oh, so much to teach this neophyte. He NEEDS to respect the office that he holds.

Posted by Johnny, Dec 30 2008, 8:39PM - Link

You gym rats can correct me if I am wrong, but when working out it is easier to wear the cap backwards. Still keeps the sweat out of your eyes, but you can see more and it doesn't get stuck in the equipment.

Just glad he's not wearing a red, white, and blue sweat band.

Posted by Axel, Jan 20 2009, 5:36PM - Link

He was giving the hand loose sign at the Hawaiian band during the parade today!

Posted by kahano, Jan 21 2009, 10:43PM - Link

its called the shaka.

Posted by luxury watches, May 21 2009, 6:17AM - Link

At another point in the interview, Wilkerson said "the vice president had to cover this in order for it to happen and in order for Secretary Rumsfeld to feel as though he had freedom of action

Posted by rolex watch, May 21 2009, 6:19AM - Link

Ted is absolutely right, and anyone with a patriotic bone in their body will do everything they can to make sure Obama shows his long-form birth certificate. Do you know Barack is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on three law firms to keep from showing it? What does that tell you?

Posted by James, Jun 23 2009, 5:15AM - Link

Obama i like it very much.Obama is the first African-American to be nominated by a major American political party for president and became the first African-American president in American history on November 4, 2008.
As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. Obama announced his presidential campaign in February 2007, and was formally nominated at the 2008 Democratic National Convention with Delaware senator Joe Biden as his running mate.

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