October 4, 2009

Their first anniversary as President and First Lady... and they look awfully glum as they emerge from the Blue Duck Tavern after eating — perhaps — the braised wreckfish ($26).

I know you can take 1,000 photos and pick out the 2 with the most negativity, but still.... these are the photos in the article, and... well, I'll leave it to you to imagine the dialogue.

By contrast, look how sweet he is out with his daughter:



And here is the haloed Michelle clasping hands with a true goddess, Nadia Comaneci:


45 comments:

paul a'barge said...

Honestly, if you woke up every morning next to Michelle Obama would you not gnaw off your own arm, coyote-in-a-trap style as well?

Jason (the commenter) said...

That is Obama's fault entirely. Most celebrities know to pose for a few good shots. When you try to scorn the photographers and not let them have any good shots, they get revenge by posting the ones they were able to get.

rhhardin said...

Vicki out by herself.

The job of sniffing out tracks crossing the property border is apparently done.

The important thing is not where the cats are, but where the cats have been.

Bissage said...

The First Lady has admirably shiny appendages and I was reminded of the time I was a teenager learning to shave and I tried using Nair® on my face . . . once.

Anonymous said...

Do these photographs leave any doubt about who wears the pants in this family?

Barack Obama always seems to be walking two steps behind Michelle - like a good little poodle.

I wonder if the world leaders with whom he will have to negotiate have noticed this subtle requirement of his marriage?

Fred4Pres said...

What goes with the braised wreckfish? I am thinking endive and radichio.

No wine, just a very hoppy Extra Special Bitter.

Phil 314 said...

I like Michelle (not that I know her personally) and I like the public image of a strong marriage that involves emotional, intellectual and physical closeness. I don't agree with their politics but I believe they send a good message about marriage

And on a related note, I still have this gnawing feeling that the final push that got BO to travel to Denmark was his wife's urging him to come. (sorry for the pun.)

Donna B. said...

C'mon... if he was walking in front of her, he'd be criticized for not showing respect to her.

Most amazing is how beautiful his daughter is. And how much she's grown in a year.

daubiere said...

the heart warming personal stories and kodak moments of politicians interest me not a bit. but excellence in this sort of thing seems to be obama's only qualification for the presidency and of course in today's america thats the only qualification that matters.

i hope all these warm feelings and "good messages" and expensive entourage vacations are worth the trillions of dollars of debt and the further degradation of the already debased coinage of our little experiment in freedom.

bearbee said...

...clasping hands with a true goddess, Nadia Comaneci:

If she is a true goddess then the tall handsome man in the back must be a true god.

bearbee said...

re: photo of BO and MO, probably a lot of clench-teeth-under-the-breath discussion going on about who screwed up the Olympic bid.

I'm Full of Soup said...

The tall guy is The Admiral, David Robinson of Naval Academy and San Antonio Spurs fame.

MeJerry said...

With any luck Nadia will be remembered long after Michelle is gone. Sadly I doubt it.

MayBee said...

The pictures of the Obamas on the way home from date night always show them more sullen than the pictures on the way to date night. What could that mean?

They know they are in public. Isn't that the point of going out? Yet no tender moment for the cameras. Odd.

MayBee said...

No wine, just a very hoppy Extra Special Bitter.

Yeah, I'm thinking that's what happened on Anniversary night (and NY date night). One of them was drinking the bitters.

Mark said...

The tall guy is The Admiral, David Robinson of Naval Academy and San Antonio Spurs fame.

In other words yes, a god.

David said...

MayBee said...
"The pictures of the Obamas on the way home from date night always show them more sullen than the pictures on the way to date night. What could that mean?"

Well, it could just mean that the papers chose to publish a sullen photo. When you are photographed as often as the Obamas are, the results are going to include nearly every facial expression imaginable.

The Obamas are at the mercy of the photo editors. So far the editors have shown extreme mercy. Is that changing too?

David said...

And Nadia? Yeah, Nadia is fabulous. Just another immigrant enhancing the nation.

MayBee said...

The Obamas are at the mercy of the photo editors. So far the editors have shown extreme mercy. Is that changing too?

There aren't as many halos.
But when the Obamas are doing business, they manage to keep the adoring looks in their eyes and their hands clasped together. For every shot.
It seems that after date night, the effort just can't be made.

careen said...

I'm getting the feeling The Olympics were supposed to be an anniversary gift for Michelle - a special treat he could bring home for her and her Chicago buds whom she no doubt misses. This would have also allowed her to spend enormous amounts of time in Chicago in the name of the country.

This is the woman that returned the 10K anniversary earrings remember. I like her (more or less), I don't hate her in any event, but her personality is what it is.

daubiere said...

"It seems that after date night, the effort just can't be made."

the inevitable consequence of being drunk with power is a hangover.

perhaps after the date, for a moment, they can see how much simpler life used to be and how far they are in over their heads and how they will never have that simpler life, where everyone in Chicago loved them and never a bad word was heard, again.

BJM said...

Wreckfish, Haha! Good one Althouse.

David said...

Remember the adoring look Nancy Reagan gave Ronnie all the time? Well, she did adore him. Without her, he might never have been President. People make jokes about it, treating her as a airhead fool. Nancy was no airhead fool. Michelle? Hard to tell. She is pretty crusty, but it's almost impossible to know the real truth.

But Michelle is a good looking woman. She has beauty flaws to be sure--not a supermodel, but the fabulous skin and the overall physical presence work pretty well.

careen said...

Obama and Malia have the cutest Father/Daughter relationship I've ever seen.

MayBee said...

Obama and Malia have the cutest Father/Daughter relationship I've ever seen.

Really?
How often do they talk? What do they talk about? Do they argue? Does she roll her eyes at him at the dinner table?

daubiere said...

"Obama and Malia have the cutest Father/Daughter relationship I've ever seen."

see women eat this stuff up. economy, liberty, competitiveness, sovereignty be damned. what we want is a cute father/daughter relationship!

repeal the 19th amendment.

careen said...

Huh? Yeah, it's cute. I Love It. I also didn't vote for Obama. So Fuck Off.

BJM said...

@careen and you know this how?

We see only staged photo ops and saccharine stories about the Obama girls. The public knows nothing of their family dynamics.

I have no problem with the Obama's maintaining their daughter's privacy as they are minor children. Given the nature of the public discourse during the elections; one can easily image the feeding frenzy and ugliness that would ensue.

daubiere said...

"Given the nature of the public discourse during the elections; one can easily image the feeding frenzy and ugliness that would ensue."

we don't have to imagine it. just look up palin, sarah and family.

JohnAnnArbor said...

Tigers beat the White Sox today.

Susan said...

Uh oh, Diana and Charles, the later years.

BJM said...

@daubiere = Obviousman!

Just kidding. Not our finest hour as a nation, that's for sure and one that guarantees retaliation by those who see it as political just desserts.

Unfortunately a pretty, teenage, Malia will just be too tempting to Big Media and paparazzi to keep firewalled off at some point. Not even MI-5 and the Brit libel laws can keep the Royal's secrets.

Thoughtless friends, scorned and/or envious classmates will betray confidences or carelessly repeat gossip and photos and such will leak. There is just too much money to be made for it to go any other way.

MayBee said...

Huh? Yeah, it's cute. I Love It.

I was trying to say it might look cute, but we've no idea how it is.
It is generally a good rule of thumb not to get caught up in the excitement of other peoples' relationships, but that goes triple with celebrities. Image is everything.

It was what? about 2 years ago when people thought Elizabeth Edwards was John's best asset, and their love story was compelling.

You just don't know. That's why the pictures presented are so important, and everyone in the public eye knows that.

Kevin Walsh said...

They look glum because everywhere they go, a photographer jumps out and snaps a photo.

www.forgotten-ny.com

RHSwan said...

The blond man next to Nadia is her husband and fellow Olympian, Bart Conner. I think I recognize the person at the left edge of the photo as an athlete as well so I wonder if most of the people in the photo with Michelle are athletes as well.

MayBee said...

Just look
how cute they are together!

Unknown said...

I'm kind of relieved he's not sporting "The Grin."

Leave them alone! Save your fire for the big things, like possibly abandoning Afghanistan or socking another stimulus on us.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Is it just me (probably) but I think Michelle looks pregnant. What's up with all these high waisted outfits and from the side she looks like she has a baby bump.

I know they are trying to hide her enormous ass and give her some sort of an illusion of smaller bottom with a waistline. However, she just looks pregnant to me.

She really needs a new stylist.

JAL said...

Y'all know I'm not a fan ...

That being said, let's leave them alone on their anniversary.

And yes, DBQ, Ms. Obama does need a new personal fashion consultant. (Although the black dress looks a lot nicer than some of the bizarre fashion statements she has worn for public appearances.)

blake said...

Anyone getting sense that the ugliness of the former Obama faithful is gonna be epic?

I say that with no personal joy, just as an observation.

Unknown said...

DBQ let's just count our blessings: no sign of The Dreaded Belt.

Anonymous said...

Swampland lamented the 'ugly mood' of some snarky commenters.

Soldiers dying in Afghanistan, 4 million jobs lost since Obama passed his failed and phony stimulus, and the train wreck of a job-destroying cap&trade bill and the Healthcare Freedom Destruction Act of 2009 on deck ... yeah, there's reason for some bitter cynicism.

Even more so when the lapdog press treats a politician like a Celeb.

BJM said...

Donald Sensing has an interesting take on the Olympic flap: The Mae West Presidency

RuyDiaz said...

Nadia is also a living testimony to the evil of Communism. Even she, the greatest gymnast to ever walk our good earth, wasn't free to say 'no' when one of Ceausescu's sons decided to make her his 'mistress'.

(Sorry for the glum reflection; I'm glad she's happy now.)

blake said...

Yeah, as it turns out? Communism is all about getting laid.