U.S. President Barack Obama turned 48 Tuesday and is spending at least part of his birthday with Democratic senators.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters he is unsure of any specific birthday plans the president has made, but did say Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are meeting with Democratic senators for lunch to discuss health care and economic issues.
The President tossed a miserable 37, or something like that, back in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, causing no end of grief and mockery. (And then there was that more recent gaffe comparing himself to a Special Olympian.)
Gibbs says the president spent time with friends over the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington. He says the president played basketball, had dinner and went bowling. He threw three strikes and a 9 on his last four tries.
What a surprise!
President Obama made a surprise appearance in the White House press briefing room Tuesday afternoon to deliver a paper plate full of cupcakes to honor the birthday he shares with veteran journalist Helen Thomas.
Obama, who is celebrating his 48th birthday, led the press corps in singing “Happy Birthday” to Thomas, who turned 89 today. He then delivered the cupcakes to Thomas and asked her to make a wish. “You gotta blow it out to make it come true,” Obama instructed, before Thomas extinguished the one lit candle on the plate.
Obama then sat next to Thomas, a columnist for Hearst Newspapers, to pose for a picture. Before leaving, he told the assembled reporters that Thomas wished for “world peace, no prejudice — but she and I also had a common birthday wish: she said she hoped for a real health care reform bill.”
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
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