President, President-elect Spend Christmas in Transition
EmailABC News’ Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Following 19 pardons and one pardon revoked, the president and first lady spent their twelfth Christmas at Camp David, hosting a traditional Texas Christmas Eve dinner of enchiladas and tamales followed by a lunch on Christmas Day surrounded by the Bush family at the Maryland presidential retreat.
In addition to the president’s twin daughters and son-in-law, the First Family was joined by Bush’s parents — former President and First Lady George H.W. Bush — and siblings, and sat down to a traditional menu of roast turkey with cornbread dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls — with pumpkin and pecan pies for dessert.
On Christmas Eve, Bush called U.S. troops stationed at various locations around the world to wish them a happy holiday and thank them for their service, said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.
Perino said President Bush thanked the members for the "continued sacrifices that they are making in serving our country overseas, and away from family."
Five time zones away, Bush’s successor, President-elect Barack Obama, celebrated Christmas morning with his family, opening presents at their three home, $30 million beach rental in Kailua, Hawaii
The Obamas will share the day with the friends who are vacationing with them, the Whitakers and the Nesbitts, and end it with a traditional Christmas dinner at their home, that includes a traditional menu of turkey and ham.
Obama recorded a message for U.S. servicemen and women on Christmas Eve, set to air on Saturday.
"In towns and cities across America, there is an empty seat at the dinner table; in distant bases and on ships at sea, our servicemen and women can only wonder at the look on their child’s face as they open a gift back home," Obama said in the message.
Christmas in Hawaii is something of a tradition for the Obama family who has previously spent the holiday in the president-elect’s native state visiting his maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who helped raise him. Dunham died on Nov. 2, two days before her grandson’s White House win. Earlier this week, Obama attended a private memorial for his grandmother and scattered her ashes on the Hawaii coast with his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng.
This Christmas, Obama’s second-in-command, Joe Biden, will attend morning Mass and continue a longtime family tradition of hosting Christmas Day for his entire family at the Biden family home in Delaware. Christmas morning Biden’s granddaughters were to reveal the name they chose for the puppy he’s taking with him in his move to Washington.
The vice president-elect and his wife spent Christmas Eve at a Wilmington soup kitchen serving meatloaf.
In an interview with a local news station outside the Emmanuel Dining Room, Biden said the soup kitchen’s long lines illustrated the need for an economic stimulus package, one he hopes the Obama-Biden administration can deliver on Inauguration Day.
Vice President Dick Cheney is spending the Christmas holiday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with his family.
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Is Obama going to turn the White House into a GHETTO like blacks did to the rest of every city in America.
Posted by: scoundral | December 25, 2008, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
Even on Christmas day the Know-Nothings can’t give up, even for a single day.
Posted by: Herb Gray | December 25, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
hey scoundral,
what he is simply gonna do is turn america and the white house into what it was supposed to be..
not with what the rulers of this country has done since this country was founded..
he will make it a previlge to be an american whenever u go out of this country,And not be looked at as missfits of tyranny!!!..
im so proud of what my country has done in the past,and i can’t wait till president obama makes it into white house and gives us the credibility we deserve at home and abroad..
gobama♥♥♥
Posted by: i love my country | December 25, 2008, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
Who is he kidding??? Obama is an Arab Muslim. He has never celebrated Christmas in his entire life.
Voters are going to kick his shiny black @ss back to Kenya in 2012.
Posted by: Jeff Fish | December 25, 2008, 9:53 pm 9:53 pm
Boy are we in trouble. Obama is completely useless and shrouded in scandals and controversies. He is not going to be able to keep this nation safe.
Posted by: Demonrats | December 25, 2008, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm
Racism, hatred, and stereotypes are still rampant and alive…God bless America…and Merry Christmas…
Posted by: pagan by chance | December 25, 2008, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
I feel sorry for all you bigots and ignorants. Living in your own sorry world, where hatred prevails, must be miserable. And, it shows when you write.
Obama’s election has been a great event and the whole world is rejoicing. Americans could not have made a better decision.
Posted by: Bluecann | December 25, 2008, 10:37 pm 10:37 pm
bluecann…
well i dont necessarily know if americans made the right decision or not, its a hell of a time to elect the most liberal president ever to run for office with a liberal majority in congress, but i do agree the bigots need to shut up. its ok to “agree to disagree” on the issues, but when you speak only of hate and bigotry, it solves nothing. matter of fact, if these types of people reproduce, it will only add fuel to the fire. please bigots, dont reproduce.
Posted by: tim | December 25, 2008, 11:55 pm 11:55 pm
Barry is a traiter, and so is his chip on my shoulder wife. They don’t even give their children Christmas gifts. They probably just give their children copies of bill ayers’ latest book every December 25th in celebration of the winter solstice.
Posted by: liberalsaresocialists | December 26, 2008, 12:31 am 12:31 am
I have just three words for you abama haters. jealousy! jealousy! jealousy! now you people will see a real man in the white house.
Posted by: dave smith | December 26, 2008, 12:45 am 12:45 am
to all the so called bigots & racist out there.how could you hate someone you do not know,but you could hate a people if you are jealous of them.the bottom line is all this hate is really jealousy!so thanks it is flattering!
Posted by: dave smith | December 26, 2008, 12:59 am 12:59 am
I believe Valerie Jarrett is with them in Hawaii, too.
Posted by: Liz | December 26, 2008, 7:16 am 7:16 am
I have lived through the Kennedy years;
and never since then have I felt as
inspired about ANY0NE let alone my new
president. Although I haven’t drank the
Cool aid I’m sure he’s going to make some
mistakes, because he’s got so much to fix
from the previous administration-
Just give him a chance-he’s working on
the side of right.
Posted by: stan | December 26, 2008, 10:28 am 10:28 am
Obama is going to mess things up. I am almost certain of it. Those moronic lefties were warned not to put an inexperienced naive senator in the White House but they refused to heed good advice.
Posted by: john billings | December 26, 2008, 11:18 am 11:18 am
Stan
You need to realize that the left’s attempt, which was apparently successful, at making JFK’s presidency look good for the United States was a flat out lie.
JFK was not that great of a president!
History is written by liberals… JFK was a product of his father’s boot-legging skills. His presidency was bought and paid for through numerous bribes/payoffs by joe kennedy.
As for JFK, he had affair with marilyn monroe and his brother, robert, has been linked to her death.
Finally, JFK has been remembered as the great leader who got the US through the cuban missile crisis. But no one seems to remember that JFK brought us INTO the cuban missile crisis in the first place!
He promised cuban rebels air cover who were going to overthrow castro. At the last second he backed out, which resulted in the deaths of thousand of brave cubans.
Upon seeing this weak move, the soviets moved their missiles to cuba (they just saw jfk back down from a tinpot dictator).
JFK resolved this situation by removing America’s missile’s from turkey, which only weakened America’s military position.
My point is, the next you find yourself wildly excited by the good oratory skills of a young, new politician perhaps you should step back and think about what this new kid on the block will actually bring to the table.
I don’t expect much more results from barry than jfk, but one thing I know for sure is that he he will definitely get the same joseph-goebelle-style treatment from the left wing media.
Posted by: dave | December 26, 2008, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Obama is sure going to be a great leader. He’s going to bring shine and love to America. He’s the start of the brave new world we all expect.
Posted by: Yankey | December 26, 2008, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
This election was not about Barack Obama, but about God’s will and you cannot change that.
Posted by: Shirley Vick | December 26, 2008, 11:04 pm 11:04 pm
You guys just leave Obama alone. Bush was white and old, what did he do but get Americans into this mess. What is it about blacks that you morons hate so much. Aint seen nothing better from the Bushes. If he turns the White House into a Ghetto, why dont you try and get elected and change that…
Posted by: marilyn | December 27, 2008, 6:56 am 6:56 am
You guys just leave Obama alone. Bush was white and old, what did he do but get Americans into this mess. What is it about blacks that you morons hate so much. Aint seen nothing better from the Bushes. If he turns the White House into a Ghetto, why dont you try and get elected and change that…
Posted by: marilyn | December 27, 2008, 6:57 am 6:57 am
The state of our nation is the gradual, cumulative effect of a number of factors; all of them some form of greed, lack of oversight and the ever-present “entitlement” mentality of liberals and minorities.
It seems to me very ironically symbolic of president-elect Obama and his family to spend their Christmas holidays in a $30 MILLION vacation complex in Hawaii. This is nothing short of astonishing coming from a man who campaigned on “Change We Can Believe In” and who promised to be a “president of the people”.
And what may be even more amazing is the ever-fawning press who has scantly mentioned the opulent vacation headquarters. If President Bush had vacationed in this manner, he would have been barbecued by the press(and rightly so). If this is the kind of decision-making from Mr. Obama we can routinely expect, America is in for a dangerous, rocky four (or eight) years. God help us!
Posted by: Patrick Greaves | December 27, 2008, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
I can’t believe that Obama is vacationing in Hawaii in a 3million dollar home.Where are the screams about this? President Bush as never flaunted his riches. I hope Michelle wears something decent to the inaugeration and he uses a Christian Bible instead of the Koran. If Laura Bush wore the clothes this one does she would have been ridiculed for the next 4 years if not longer. Pres.Bush has been a great president. I’m sorry to see him go. He never compromised himself anyhow. That is really something to be proud of in the sespool that is Washington.
Posted by: shirley | December 28, 2008, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Thank’s
Posted by: Sohbet | December 28, 2008, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
These yellow/maroon/pink name them treacherous people are simply jealousy of Sweet Mr. Obama because they ain’t able to reach his reasoning capacity since they reason with their asses.
Posted by: MASOH | December 29, 2008, 3:03 am 3:03 am
Obama is going to mess things up. I am almost certain of it. Those moronic lefties were warned not to put an inexperienced naive senator in the White House but they refused to heed good advice.
Posted by: john billings | Dec 26, 2008 11:18:27 AM
=======================================
I agree with you. With all this peace and prosperity flourishing, he is bound to take us back to the dark ages. I mean… the gall of Obama to totally wreck this country and ruin the great progress and international stature of this great nation that has been built by George W. Bush even before he gets into office.
You are spot on.
P.S. Are you a graduate from Dumbas Univerity
Posted by: Omentum | December 29, 2008, 10:17 am 10:17 am
African American slaves built the White House.
It’s about time an Afican American President reap the benefits of the blood sweat and tears of those slaves.
you reap what you sow.
Posted by: Omentum | December 29, 2008, 10:21 am 10:21 am
This is truly a great moment for american and the world in general.When we can look past the color of skin and judge a person my his or her character.The morning after the election I thought of my great grandfather a slave looking down from heaven and the many others that faced racism thruout their entire lives.NOW one can say without doubt you can be anything you want to be, even a black president.
Posted by: JERRY | December 30, 2008, 12:47 am 12:47 am
I hope Michelle wears something decent to the inaugeration and he uses a Christian Bible instead of the Koran. If Laura Bush wore the clothes this one does she would have been ridiculed for the next 4 years if not longer. Pres.Bush has been a great president. I’m sorry to see him go. He never compromised himself anyhow. That is really something to be proud of in the sespool that is Washington.
Posted by: shirley | Dec 28, 2008 3:55:10 PM
He is going to use the BIBLE that Abe Lincoln used, you ignorant twit.
Who cares what she wears? I certainly could care less. So she doesn’t spend hell and all on a wardrobe like some of these people do.
You actually think Bush did a good job? What are you smokin? Two wars, unemployment through the roof, a recession. Yeah that’s a real good job.
Posted by: Jwench | December 30, 2008, 7:58 am 7:58 am
black or white we all shed the same
blood. what we need to do in this world
is pray for one another.forgive and
let the foolish,stupid,aspects of people
that hate go straight to hell….
Posted by: wm. jones jr. | December 30, 2008, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm
black or white we all shed the same
blood. what we need to do in this world
is pray for one another.forgive and
let the foolish,stupid,aspects of people
that hate go straight to hell….
Posted by: wm. jones jr. | December 30, 2008, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
Let’s face what is to come. The most important thing to do is face these militant terrorists that is a plague to the whole human race. These people do not have the right thinking nor wisdom. their thinking is just kill all that don’t believe in Islam. They want to bomb and annihilate the Christian world but complain on top of their voices if they are attacked.
Posted by: Dulce | December 30, 2008, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm