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National Holidays
8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM
With the ongoing global recession, resurfacing worries over swine flu, and the gloom of a post–Michael Jackson era, we all deserve a break—even those of us responsible for running a nation. This summer, ditching the media and the bodyguards for some private leisure time, presidents, prime ministers, and even the pope are traveling to their favorite spots. Some world leaders choose to spend time with their families, others with teenage models (you know who you are, Signor Cavaliere). And, while most try to keep their summer escapades low-key, the Russian prime minister hires an official photographer to capture his adventures, which include bare-chested horseback riding. Curious where Carla Bruni will be sunbathing or which leader owns the remote-control waterfall? Read on.
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 PRESIDENT
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Holly Bailey 4/25/2009 12:00:00 AM
Barack Obama wanted to escape. It was an uncharacteristically sunny day in London, warm and not a cloud in the sky, and all afternoon the president had been cooped up with foreign leaders inside a stuffy ballroom at Winfield House, a grand mansion that is home to the U.S. ambassador. The property has one of the largest and most beautiful private gardens in London. Its lawn, green and lush, is the length of several football fields, framed by shady magnolia trees that were just beginning to bloom.
THE DIGNITY INDEX
Let Me Share My Top-Secret Plan
3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
When Celebs Take Charge
Sameer Reddy 12/19/2008 12:00:00 AM
The news that Caroline Kennedy is formally seeking to fill Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat surprised many, but given the recent celebritization of the political process, it makes perfect sense. Armed with the most iconic moniker in American political life, the logic is that she'll be able to attract attention to the state of New York and meet her own fundraising needs (as well as presumably helping out Gov. David Patterson with his.) The most striking aspect about her increasingly attractive candidacy, however, is that if she ascended to office, the greatest story ever told in American politics would begin a new chapter, as the spark of Camelot came alive once again.