Flying on Air Force One With the Obamas

[babylonsister]

Flying on Air Force One With the Obamas

by Kathleen Parker


How does America’s first family behave at 30,000 feet? Very graciously, our columnist discovers.

Flying on Air Force One with America’s new first family feels much like popping over for pizza.

Natural, casual, warm.

snip//

We five columnists were already seated in cushy chairs in a guest “parlor,” when the first daughters entered unannounced and, at first glance, unescorted. There was just, rather suddenly, Malia—all smiles and clearly used to cutting a swath wherever she goes. Then came another burst of light named Sasha.

You know they’re adorable. You’ve seen a thousand pictures and video clips. Forget all that. This is when you need Spanish so that you can add the absolute superlative -isima to the end of adorable. They are that adorable. Uninhibited and guileless, they seemed utterly at ease with five strangers— especially, may I say, with the sole female, who just happened to have a little green Ugly Doll hanging from her purple purse, very similar to one spotted several weeks ago on Sasha’s book bag.

snip//

Once we reached our cruising altitude, as they say, we were summoned to the conference room. The Obama ladies were nowhere in sight, presumably ensconced in private quarters we never saw. Obama, wearing white shirt and tie (sans presidential bomber jacket— too much drama?), again greeted us with yet another round of smiles and handshakes. At this point, I have lost count. We took our seats around the table—alpha dog positioning as one might expect—got out our notebooks, pens and tape recorders and…

“How are we going to run this thing?”

Eh? The president was asking us how we wanted to proceed. For the record, this is very un-Bush. At several meetings with the former president, including a one-on-one interview aboard Air Force One, there was never any question about how we would proceed. Bush ran all shows. Either Obama hasn’t figured out yet that he’s the boss or, quite possibly, he doesn’t care. As a veteran White House correspondent suggested to me later, “Maybe he knows he can handle whatever we toss his way."

snip//

What struck me most was his immense calm. I kept looking for fissures in the façade, some signal that the cool cat is a defense mechanism or some tactical ploy to deflect or defuse an opponent. Nary a crack. You may as well try to find the Dalai Lama’s Achilles heel. I suspect that if you cut Obama open, you’d find a little Buddha sitting inside, smiling.:D

more...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-18/flying-on-air-force-one-with-the-obamas/

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. "Maybe he knows he can handle whatever we toss his way" - that's it!

That's perhaps the biggest difference between Shrubbie McWarcriminal and Obama. Obama's not afraid to get questions that haven't been vetted by his staff beforehand, and he's not afraid to speak to crowds that haven't been handpicked.

[asdjrocky]

2. What a great story, thanks for bringing it sister.

[babylonsister]

3. I enjoyed it too, asdjrocky, especially coming from

this conservative writer.

[dbmk]

4. Seems like a decent journalist.

Probing and wondering. But not reaching or stretching for something thats not there.

[wildflower]

5. "sans presidential bomber jacket— too much drama?"

LOL.