No ‘Buff Bam’ this time

THE WHITE HOUSE press corps was up in arms last weekend upon learning that they missed a chance to snap photos of President Obama swimming in Florida.

You might recall back in 2008 when pics published of a shirtless president-elect on vacation in Hawaii created a media maelstrom. “FIT FOR OFFICE: Buff Bam is Hawaii hunk,” is how the New York Post played it on its cover. Much was made about his ”glistening pecs.”

This time around, the White House press office apparently decided it was better to avoid a similar situation, so they corralled the media in a hotel while the prez frolicked in the surf with his family.

Needless to say, this didn’t go over well with the photographers and reporters traveling with Obama, who were peeved to discover that their access to the chief — and his pecs — had been circumvented.

But I suppose the White House couldn’t afford the risk of having this become an overblown spectacle — or pectacle – again.

After all, this was not a true vacation for Obama; the president was taking a dip in the Gulf of Mexico to send a signal to tourists that it was OK to do the same; that BP hadn’t destroyed everything in the area – just some things, like jobs, and wildlife.

ryan@roadtostarrdom.com

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  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Toronto#2005:_.22Year_of_the_Gun.22 TOOPHATTOOFURIOUS

    I’d pay real money to see ‘the anointed one’ and Putin in a bare-chested arm wrestle. Perhaps it’s not so much his pecs they were trying to hide, but instead photos of crude sliding down his front.

    And what’s this about “Actor NOT guilty of cop killing”? Are you freaking kidding me? What’s next, what’s next, what’s next?!

    Sorry, actually I know nothing about that story, I just thought it was an awesome headline (and I’ve been drinking with bob a little too much lately)
    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=drinking+with+bob&aq=f

    Now I’m going to go vote in the most closely contested Australian federal election in 50 years.

  • Ryan Starr

    With Australia heading to the polls, the fate of the world hangs in the balance… Gillard or Abbott, who will come out on top? Prediction?

    BTW: Never saw Drinking with Bob before — pleasant bloke.

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Toronto#2005:_.22Year_of_the_Gun.22 TOOPHATTOOFURIOUS

    Bob is my role model.

    As the world holds its breath, awaiting the outcome of Oz elections…I voted for the Sex party so I’m hoping for a “hung” parliament ;D

    No, seriously all the pundits are saying it’s too close to call. The Liberal Party (which funnily enough, is conservative and on the Right) has some unexpected gains. I voted for the Liberals, but I could have easily gone Labor, and it seems the rest of the populace feels the same.

    I have to say this has been a really interesting election, not least because of Mark Latham (a former Labor leader) deciding to become a journalist and aggressively confront leaders of both parties to further his own personal vendetta. Kevin Rudd knifed in the back, crying, almost dying, recovering in hospital and so on.

    Has been immensely entertaining. A good (Right leaning) source of recent news can be found on Andrew Bolt’s blog here http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/.

    Interestingly (and unrelated), there’s been a recent twist in the whole Julian Assange story…

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Toronto#2005:_.22Year_of_the_Gun.22 TOOPHATTOOFURIOUS