Take a Dip in Obama's Pool

Sent: Mon Nov 17 12:58:58 2008
Subject: Pool Report #3
Pool Report 3
Nov. 17, 2008

Your pool swept into the conference room in the Presidential Transition Office on the 38th floor of the Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago at 11:15 a.m. for the top of the pow wow between President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Asked about the goal of the meeting, Mr. Obama said, "We're going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country, and also to offer thanks to Sen. McCain for the outstanding service he's already rendered."

Sen. McCain was asked whether he would help Mr. Obama with his administration, and he responded, "Obviously."

Your pool tried to get the President-elect to answer a question on the auto industry bail out, but was shouted down by the pool sherpas. Mr. Obama finally said with a smile, "You're incorrigible." He then flipped his hair back and giggled.

Sitting around a coffee table, with three U.S. flags behind them, were: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), President-elect Barack Obama and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the chief-of-staff-designate.

Your pool was in and out in about three minutes.

Sent: Mon Nov 17 11:01:45 2008
Subject: Pool Report # 2 Pool Report 2

The President-elect departed his residence at 9:35 a.m. and arrived at 9:47 a.m. at his transition offices at the Kluczynski Federal Building. This is the site where he and Sen. John McCain will meet in about an hour.

Sent: Mon Nov 17 11:01:45 2008
Subject: Pool Report # 2 Pool Report 2

The President-elect departed his residence at 9:35 a.m. and arrived at 9:47 a.m. at his transition offices at the Kluczynski Federal Building. This is the site where he and Sen. John McCain will meet in about an hour.

For guidance purposes, we expect a statement after the Obama-McCain meeting, but no word as of yet whether there will be an official readout. The pool has been told we will have a "photo spray" that will last about 90 seconds.

Sent: Mon Nov 17 10:13:16 2008
Subject: Pool Report #1

Pool Report #1

Nov. 17, 2008

Motorcade rolled at 7:33 a.m. from Hyde Park residence en route Regents Park apartment building for the President-elect's morning workout. He arrived about four minutes later. PEOTUS worked out for more than an hour and then returned home at 9:08 a.m. to shower and change. Your pool is holding steady outside the residence. I guess it makes sense that he wouldn't shower at the gym. We can't have cellphone pictures of the Full Presidential Monty floating around the interweb, can we?

Sent: Sun Nov 16 18:26:13 2008

Subject: Pool report #3

President-elect Obama departed his transition office in his motorcade at 5:02 pm and was home in hyde park at 5:17. A lid is on for the night. Perk #34 of being the President-Elect: You tell someone to "put a lid on it," and they actually do.

Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 3:40 PM

Subject: Pool report #2

President-elect Obama departed his Hyde Park house at 2:42 pm this afternoon, arriving at his transition office in downtown chicago at 3:O3 pm. Just before he left his house, a police officer stationed a block away stopped two local residents at a concrete barrier. "Let em go, they live here!" another police officer shouted. Then, he added: "you only stop them if they live right next door, or if they look like suicide bombers or something." Is that from the Chicago PD field manual?

Sent: Sun Nov 16 11:29:35 2008

Subject: Pool report #1

President-elect Barack Obama's motorcade left his home in hyde park at 8:37 am sunday morning, arriving at Regents Park Apartments for his morning workout at 8:41 central time. He wore a light khaki-ish baseball cap, couldn't tell the rest of his outfit. At 10:15 am his motorcade left Regents Park and returned to his house. Maybe he was wearing camouflage? Reminds me of my favorite t-shirt. It's camo, and it says,"Ha! Now You Can't See Me."

Sent: Sat Nov 15 18:27:51 2008
Subject: Pool2

On his last night as a senator, Barack Obama is spending the evening at home. There is a lid. The constant references to "Lids" reminds me of the Very Special Episode of Diff'rent Strokes where Willis becomes a reefer addict. The show explains, at some point, that the slang term for $50 worth of marijuana is "lid." In the subsequent decades, I have never heard this repeated, or heard the term used in context.

Sent: Sat Nov 15 14:00:01 2008
Subject: Pool #1

President-elect Obama is at home for the afternoon, with a lid declared at 12:55 pm CST, until 5 pm CST.

Earlier, Mr. Obama spent well more than an hour at the Regents Park building apparently enjoying a long weekend workout. He arrived there at 9:15 am CST, and emerged at 10:52 am CST, back home 3 minutes later. Yeah, but how much of that time was devoted to the post-workout schvitz?

Sent: Fri Nov 14 23:29:49 2008
Subject: Obama Protective pool report...heading home

The birthday party was held at the home of Desiree Rogers, a Chicago business woman and civic leader, and former president of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. Rogers, a friend of the Obamas, lives in a high-rise condominium on the Gold Coast. Both the president-elect and Mrs. Obama attended the party.

The Obamas left the party at 10:07 pm, and their motorcade headed home.

When the motorcade pulled onto Lakeshore Drive, the southbound traffic -- which had been stopped by police to allow the motorcade to pass -- began honking their horns and passengers waved as the black SUVs passed. Luckily, it was not a "Whip 'em Out Wednesday."

The Obamas arrived at home at 10:23 pm. A lid was called at 10:28 pm.

'Night all...

Sent: Fri Nov 14 20:55:29 2008
Subject: Protective pool...heading to a party

The president-elect plans to "swing by" the birthday party of Valerie Jarrett, a close advisor. "Swing by?" Yeah, baby!

At 7:27 pm, Obama left his home. At 7:50 pm, he arrived at a condominuim complex in the Gold Coast.

Sent: Fri Nov 14 19:35:18 2008
Subject: Protective pool report, leaving the Ritz...

At 4:37 pm, the president-elect left the Ritz-Carlton, and he and his motorcade headed back to the transition office for more meetings and to tape the radio address. Obama arrived at the building, wearing a dark suit, at 4:46 pm. This is noteworthy because he left the hotel wearing a light green leotard.

At 6:13 pm, the president-elect left downtown and headed home. He arrived at the house at 6:28 pm.

At 2:33 pm, the president-elect left the transition office and headed to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for his and Mrs. Obama's interview with 60 Minutes.

As the motorcade left the transition office building, police and Secret Service stopped people at the crosswalks, so the motorcade could pass. There had to be a couple hundred folks standing around, bundled up in overcoats and down jackets and scarves -- waiting, and waving/snapping cell phone camera pix/etc. As the motorcade made its way north to the hotel, people just stopped walking along the sidewalks and waved and grinned.

At 2:48 pm, the president-elect's SUV arrived at the hotel. The motorcade entered an underground parking area/entrance. The pool van stayed outside, so we did not see the president-elect leave the SUV and physically enter the building. We assume he ascended in a golden chariot.

The president-elect left home at 9:23 am, and headed downtown, easing through late-morning traffic along Lake Shore Drive and arrived at his presidential transition office at Jackson and Dearborn at 9:38 am. As the motorcade drove along West Adams Street, crowds of pedestrians cheered and waved at the black SUVs (one of which was carrying the president-elect). Obama has private meetings and will be making phone calls this am at the transition team office. He will also also be recording the Democratic radio address.

We have a lid until 1:30 pm. One more observation about marijuana. You can play a product-naming game, similar to those name-generators that give you your porn name or Jedi name, etc., by combining any geographic location with a precious or semi-precious metal.

There are no scheduled public appearances at this point for the day. This afternoon, though, the president-elect and Mrs. Obama are set to do an interview with 60 Minutes.

However, your pool reporter did spot something sort of charming in today's Chicago Sun-Times: According to gossip Michael Sneed, Obama's new Secret Service name is "Renegade." Mrs. Obama's is reportedly "Renaissance." Your pool reporter has been unable to confirm this -- so it's not clear that it's true. But if it is, it's sweet.

At 8:41 am, the president-elect left the gym and returned home on this gray, cold, it-might-rain-it-might-not Friday morning. He arrived at home, at 8:44 am, to shower and change clothes, before heading to the transition office in downtown Chicago.

Good morning, all. Your protective pool reporter arrived at the security checkpoint near the president-elect's house at 6:40 am, waiting for our Secret Service agent.

We were wanded and cleared by 7:06 am.

The president-elected left his home at 7:24 am, and headed to the gym. He arrived at the gym at 7:30 am.

Sent: Thu Nov 13 22:07:53 2008 Subject: Pool addendum

Several minutes before President-elect Obama's motorcade emerged from the basement garage beneath his transition headquarters, another unidentified motorcade of approximately three SUVs left the garage.

This is kind of interesting, since Hillary Clinton was in Chicago yesterday, but not, we were assured, to meet with Obama about the Secretary of State position.

Sent: Thu Nov 13 18:25:50 2008

Subject: Final pool

The president-elect left his Transition HQ at 6:45. He was driven home and a lid declared at 6:10 pm CST.

Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 4:26 PM

Subject: pool report #3

President-elect Obama held a meeting at Johnson Publishing Co., publishers of Ebony magazine, Thursday afternoon. The office had four blow-ups of Ebony covers featuring Barack Obama and/or Michelle Obama on the cover in their front windows.

Johnson Publishing is just a few blocks south of Obama's transition headquarters. He left HQ at 3:30, spend about a half-hour at Johnson, leaving at 4:07. We just returned to HQ. Obama press aide Samantha Tubman said we can expect to be here for about an hour.

Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal" , on BlogTalkRadio Tues - Thur at 10pm, and Fri, & Sat at 11pm. Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.