President Obama just took off from the South Lawn of the White House.
He’s headed to Mexico and Costa Rica to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America.
President Obama is in Mexico today, and will speak from the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. In 1947, Mexican President Miguel Aleman greeted Harry Truman in the nation’s capital.
Here’s a photo of Aleman and Truman’s Presidential motorcade touring Mexico City. March 3, 1947.
-from the Truman Library
Program from this morning’s dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
So many Presidents on one page AND “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Presidents—past and present—share a laugh before taking the stage at the dedication!
Are you watching the ceremony online? It’s live now!
Image via the #BushCenter pic.twitter.com/yGRdlGMQlv
The First Inaugural Poet: Robert Frost
Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Richard Blanco as the inaugural poet for Barack Obama’s upcoming ceremony. Blanco will become the fifth inaugural poet in the history of U.S. Presidents.
John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration was the first to feature a poet at the swearing-in ceremony, and he named Robert Frost for the honor.
Frost wrote an original poem for the occasion called “Dedication.” He presented a handwritten version of the poem to President Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy framed the poem and wrote on the backside in pencil,
“For Jack. First thing I had framed to be put in your office. First thing to be hung there.”
Frost had planned to read a typed copy of the poem during President Kennedy’s Inauguration, but due to sun glare reflecting off the snow, he was unable to read his own draft. Instead, he recited “The Gift Outright” from memory.
The handwritten poem now resides at the JFK Library in Boston.
Image: Framed poem, “Dedication,” handwritten by Robert Frost for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy.
Source: jfklibrary.org
Left-Handed Presidents
If you’re a southpaw, you’re in good Presidential company. Many of our U.S. Presidents have been left-handed, including Harry S. Truman, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Both Presidents Truman and Reagan were switched to writing with their right hands as young school children, but photos show them favoring the left in other activities. It’s widely believed that Herbert Hoover was also left-handed, but archivists at the Hoover Library tell us that they’ve found no documentation - it’s just left hander’s lore.
Happy International Left Handers Day!
Source: presidentialtimeline.org
ShortFormBlog: President Obama's Statement on Aurora Shooting
Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.
Source: joshsternberg
President Obama hosts the G-8 Summit at Camp David today and tomorrow. Although many Heads of State have visited the presidential retreat since it was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, this weekend will be the first time such a large group of foreign leaders have come together at Camp David.
FDR originally called the retreat in Maryland “Shangri-La.” This didn’t suit Dwight D. Eisenhower who stated the name was “just a little fancy for a Kansas farm boy.” As President, he renamed the compound “Camp David” in honor of his grandson David Eisenhower.
Here’s a photo of David Eisenhower at the entrance to Camp David. 10/2/60
Source: eisenhower.archives.gov
Image description: President Barack Obama sits on the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum following an event in Dearborn, Michigan on April 18, 2012.
Photo by Pete Souza, White House
Funny picture of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama
This photo seems to be getting a second life on Tumblr. In case you’re curious: President Obama and former President Clinton make a surprise appearance in the briefing room of the White House, 12/10/10, photo by Drew Angerer.
