Obama Sings Happy Birthday To Helen Thomas, Brings Her Cupcakes

[sabra]

Source: HuffPost/AP

(AP) WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is celebrating his own birthday by leading the White House press corps in singing Happy Birthday to veteran reporter Helen Thomas.

Thomas and Obama share a birthday on Tuesday, with the president turning 48 and the reporter turning 89.

Obama carried cupcakes into the room where reporters were gathered to quiz his chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, at the daily briefing.

Thomas is a columnist with Hearst Newspapers.

Obama told her: "I will leave it up to you, Helen, how you want to distribute the cupcakes."

Obama sat beside Thomas for a picture after she blew out one candle and said she told him her birthday wishes were "world peace and a real health care reform bill."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/04/obama-sings-happy-birthda_0_n_251088.html

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[n2doc]

1. Aww...

Bet she still asks him tough questions!

[daggahead]

2. How dare he! Doesn't he know she asks tough questions? n/t

[quiet.american]

3. There's something about that photo that makes me mist up.

"Toot" -- you did good.

[Kaleko]

9. Sniffles here too. What a feisty trouper Helen is at 89...

We'll fight for making her birthday wishes come true.

[Jack from Charlotte]

4. I want to see a real copy of her birther certificate before giving her any cup cakes. nfm

[kpete]

5. FABULOUS!!!

KP

[earth mom]

6. Obama wasn't so nice to Helen a few weeks ago. I'll never forget that. nt

[closeupready]

10. I missed that - what happened?

??

[earth mom]

17. Here's one with Obama & one with Obama's press secretary Gibbs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q15Y1Z4YxgQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5vzOAEQ-A

[NYC Liberal]

20. "Wasn't so nice"? She cut in when he was answering another reporter's question

And he just said "Hold on a second, that's a different question."

*OUTRAGE*

[goclark]

45. I agree,

[CakeGrrl]

25. That's a convenient excuse to put up a big-ass permanent chip

on your shoulder where Obama is concerned. If I recall reading some of your other posts, you don't really need another, though.

[earth mom]

32. Obama knows Helen is a beloved figure to many on the left. Looks like Obama is playing politics.

I'll take that chip off my shoulder as far as Obama is concerned when he starts doing the right thing by the people of this country INSTEAD of corporations.

Such as:

Main Street before Wall Street.

Ending the ILLEGAL wars in the Middle East.

Single Payer Health Care.

Global Warming issues.



I find it disgusting that you don't give a flying fuck about any of those things on that list! :puke:

[CakeGrrl]

34. How have you determined what I care about?

I happen to think that posting outrage about everything ad nauseum in the echo chamber of an internet messageboard isn't a great use of my time. But if you don't see someone doing that, apparently your first thought is that they don't give a damn. That's a pretty narrow view.

And I suppose someone who's acceptably Progressive would've gotten your thumbs-up approval of this gesture as a display of generosity and kindness. Just not THIS President.

:eyes:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

35. This is the same person who compared the unrecommend feature to Nazism.

[Spazito]

15. Vitriol, always vitriol...

It is quite sad.

[earth mom]

18. Truth. Truth that you are in denial about. That's YOUR problem not mine. nt

[Spazito]

19. Virtiol is truth?!? Wow, very telling n/t

[earth mom]

22. What's telling is how you twist my words. Obvious denial to the nth degree. nt

[HopeHoops]

7. Video link? Anyone?

That's a keeper!

[zonkers]

8. Click thru for vid. 1:26 in, an msnbc newscaster cracks a bad joke about age & Contenssa owns her...

telling her "I'm trying to listen". Bwahhhhhh.

I wonder who it was. Definitely tasteless.

[onehandle]

11. Bribing the liberal media.

Shame!

[benny05]

12. How Sweet!

Happy birthday to honorary DU'ers, President Obama and Helen Thomas!

:party: :toast:

[Divine Discontent]

13. she's like, thanks very much mr President, but you better do good! haha.. as it should be!

[proteus_lives]

14. Good for the President!

HT is as much a part of DC as the Roman columns.

[Zorra]

16. Awesome. Helen Thomas is a national treasure. n/t

[newfie11]

21. GO HELEN!!!!!

It is so nice to see a picture of both Obama and Helen together. I hope bush chokes on it.

[TygrBright]

23. ohmanohmanohman, I just got tears in my eyes....

I think both of these people are just so damn' cool, and to see them sittin' down together and enjoying themselves is, well...

dang.

Just, nice.

NOT something that woulda happened with the last WH incumbent.

sappily,
Bright

[LAGranny]

29. I particularly enjoyed

Helen's fist pump in the photo. Way to go Helen!

[DarthDem]

24. Aw, Very Sweet

Cute photo of the two of them. (I love David Gregory or whoever that is over Helen's right shoulder looking like an embarrassed dork in the background.)

This was a nice gesture. Happy birthday to the both of them.

[mogster]

26. Video

http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/08/04/nyheter/utenriks/barack_obama/7512011/

In Norw. media :-o

[DIKB]

27. That is an awesome photo.

I'm in good company. Helen Thomas, Barack Obama, and I all share a birthday, yay!

[postulater]

28. Happy Birthday to You, too!

[Vidar]

30. A happy birthday to Helen & Obama.

[Odin2005]

31. K&R!

[John Q. Citizen]

33. That Obama is one smart politician. Good for Helen that she asked for REAL health care reform!

She's one smart citizen.

See, she doesn't just expect him to do it. She tells him to do it.

[wroberts189]

37. Yep..and I do not recall bush ever doing this. nt

[robinlynne]

43. AFter the president said "real health care reform", someone said "Would that be single-

payer"? from the audience!

[mzmolly]

36. Happy Birthday Dear Lady.

:)

[dipsydoodle]

38. Video here on BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8184556.stm

edit to add - that was a really nice gesture.:thumbsup:

[HamdenRice]

39. He sure knows how to pander -- and I mean in a good way! nt

[DCKit]

40. He's a class act. The Republics hate him twice as much now.

Especially after finding out he shares a birthday with Helen from Hell. I'm sure they're pining for an Obama version of Jeff Gannon/Guckert.

Happy B-day to them both... and Helen, if you read this, I think we're compatible too. Call me. I think you're HAWT.

[Mad_Dem_X]

41. What a sweet gesture!

Helen is an American institution. Bravo to our President for recognizing her birthday. :)

[madokie]

42. President O is one classy dude

And I like that he still acts just like most of us do in our everyday lives. You go President, around here I got your back

[MARALE]

44. My Husband's Bday yesterday too

And a few other people that we know. Must have been cold on Nov. 4th many years!

[happydreams]

46. FUCK THIS SHIT!!! ....

The press has no goddamn business chummying up to politicoes. I dont' give a fuck what the occasion is. NONE!!!

I like the look on Helen's face. May she continue to demand answers to tough questions.

[rcrush]

47. Did they have to pay Warner $10,000 to use Happy Birthday?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You#Royalty_amounts_sought

[No Elephants]

49. I've sung it to my son every year. No one's sent me a bill. Maybe anyone who broadcasts it

has to pay, though, depending upon whether the copyright is actually valid.

Morning Happy Birthday Song/entertainment industry trivia (just in case you're ever on a quiz show).

BIG (Tom Hanks, directed by Penny Marshall) paid a royalty to sing Happy Birthday in the movie version, but did not think beyond that. So, when it's aired on TV, a different song is in the sound track. I think it was specially written for that purpose, which is apparently cheaper than getting TV rights to Happy Birthday. I don't know about videos or DVD's.

[No Elephants]

48. Both Leos, huh? Figures.

Obama told her: "I will leave it up to you, Helen, how you want to distribute the cupcakes."


Here's hoping for her 100th, she'll get enough for everyone in the WH Press Corps to have one and celebrate with her. Maybe the whole WH.