Obama Not the New JFK, But He Sounds Like It | Newsweek Politics: Conventions

VIEWPOINT
Michelle Hits Her Stride
Allison Samuels 5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM
There have been plenty of un-veiling ceremonies for new statues at the U.S. Capitol. But when Michelle Obama peeled the cover off the bronze bust of abolitionist Sojourner Truth last week, the moment was heavy with symbolism. Truth is the first African-American woman to be honored with a statue in the Capitol. In a way no first lady before her ever could have done, Obama connected the dots between herself and the black feminist pioneer. "Now many young boys and girls like my own daughters will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them," she told the gathering. "I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America."
FIRST 100 DAYS
100 Days of Search
Kurt Soller 4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM
If you want to find out how President Obama did during the first 100 days of his new gig, you can turn to the pundits. You might look to past presidents like FDR or LBJ. But what did America think of the first 100 days? Thanks to the power of Google Insights, a tracking program that compiles search results into scalable data, we can find out exactly what Americans felt in every corner, on any given day. Forget the talking heads and read the 16 things the Internet can teach you about Obama's first 100 days. The president promised change, so you all deserve the final word.
THE WHITE HOUSE
The Busiest Woman in Washington
Katie Connolly 2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
The White House has been, historically, a very white house. Traditionally, all the portraits hanging on the walls have been of white men or, occasionally, white women. The domestic staff, however—the ushers, cooks, maids, gardeners—has often been black. Today, about one third of the 95 permanent staffers working in the White House are African-American. On Inauguration Day, the White House social secretary, Desiree Rogers, watched as a valet, an older black man, hung up President Obama's shirts and ties. She tells NEWSWEEK that she imagined him thinking, I see someone who looks like me that is going to be moving in here. Rogers noticed that other black staffers had "a little extra pep in their step" that day. "I see my grandfather's face in their faces," says Rogers.
Obama
No White House Food Fight
Holly Bailey 1/17/2009 12:00:00 AM
When Barack Obama was elected, foodies rejoiced. Finally, they thought, a president who enjoys the pleasures of fine dining and the virtues of healthy eating! A leader who feels our pain about the skyrocketing price of arugula! In November, San Francisco chef Alice Waters, a pioneer of the organic-food movement, wrote an open letter to the president-elect, suggesting that his eating habits could set an example for the rest of the country. Waters, along with Gourmet magazine's Ruth Reichl and New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, offered to serve as Obama's informal "kitchen cabinet." Their first suggestion: Obama should hire a new White House chef who would cook local, seasonal, organic meals for the first family, preferably with items grown in a presidential garden. Soon enough, big-name candidates for the job began to circulate, including Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey's personal chef, and Rick Bayless, the man behind Chicago's Topolobampo, one of the Obamas' favorite haunts. But then Michelle Obama announced that the family would stick with Cristeta Comerford, President Bush's chef since 2005 and the first woman to hold the job. A minor kerfuffle erupted. They kept Bush's chef? Had Obama offended the foodies?
LETTERS
The Other Obama
1/3/2009 12:00:00 AM
Michelle Obama is someone readers want to know more about. She is a role model for African-American women, but one letter writer called focusing on race "a great disservice." Another underscored how she bridges demographics, adding, "The modern American woman—race notwithstanding—has arrived."
THE GLOBAL ELITE
Friends of Barack
12/20/2008 12:00:00 AM
Harry Truman quipped that true friendship in Washington comes in canine form. But for President-elect Obama, a couple of trusted friends have something almost as precious as a dog basket in the executive mansion—a West Wing office and the rare title of senior adviser. In the Clinton White House, the FOBs were schmoozers who spent their free time at Renaissance Weekend getaways and ended up as ambassadors. In the closed circle of the Bush White House, there was just one trusted counselor at a time, doling out communications advice to the decider. Now the new FOBs—friends of Barack, not Bill or Bush—will enjoy not just proximity to power but extensive influence in their own right.