Author Topic: In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV  (Read 591 times)

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Offline mystery-ak

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http://news.investors.com/print/politics-andrew-malcolm/120613-681988-nelson-mandela-obama-white-house-photo.aspx

 In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV

By Andrew Malcolm
Posted 08:54 AM ET



Last summer on his $100 million family tour of Africa, Barack Obama hoped for a priceless photo op with Nelson Mandela, the ailing freedom pioneer who went from prison cell to the presidency of South Africa in one of modern history's more remarkable national -- and personal -- transformations.

Mandela's family suggested that wasn't going to happen.

So, the Obamas did a photo op in Mandela's former prison cell. The Obama White House hastened to post one of those on Twitter Thursday as soon as word arrived of the icon's passing at 95.

Obama immediately scheduled a photo op of his own in time for the evening news. But before that he was captured in an action photograph staring at television coverage of the passing of the vaunted victor over apartheid.

And that static Obama image was then posted as the official Obama White House Photo of the Day.

For reasons having to do with the truth, Obama has a reputation for seeking the spotlight, even when it's intended for someone else. When his staff organized a photo op for Obama to share some basketball tips with visiting youngsters, Obama spent the time instead showing off his lay-up.

One day in the election year of 2012, the Obama White House appended some Obama mention to the online biographies of most recent past presidents. President John F. Kennedy, for instance, created the Peace Corps. President Barack Obama signed a Peace Corps proclamation once.

At his Mandela photo op Thursday, Obama praised Mandela for the cameras as "a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice" and as "one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings."

But also Obama could not resist inserting himself into the Mandela moment. The U.S. president, who did not spend 27 years in prison for his convictions, whatever they are, recalled studying Mandela's words as a youth.

And then, without anyone asking, a boastful Obama shared with the world his most minute connection with Mandela's decades-long struggle against apartheid:

"My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid."

Obama did not share what, if anything, came of that proclaimed protest. But it was certainly not even 27 minutes of imprisonment.

During his 593-word statement, Obama managed to reference the deceased freedom fighter eight times.

Predictably, Obama also managed to reference Obama 14 times.
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Offline ABX

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Re: In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2013, 02:46:31 pm »
All he needed was duckface and he would have had the perfect selfie to insult Mandela's death.

Offline mountaineer

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Re: In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2013, 03:45:10 pm »
All he needed was duckface and he would have had the perfect selfie to insult Mandela's death.
:silly:
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Offline Millee

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Re: In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2013, 03:59:03 pm »
All he needed was duckface and he would have had the perfect selfie to insult Mandela's death.
You win the internet.   :silly: :silly:

rangerrebew

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Re: In touching tribute to Mandela, Obama posts photo of himself watching TV
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2013, 03:59:19 pm »
Did he learn of Mandela's death on the news like everyone else? :whistle: