POTUS Weekly Column – Obama meets with Willie Mays and Yemen’s president

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POTUS Column Photo LabeledAugust 5, 2013
Catie Curry
Columnist
POTUS

From Washington, D.C., Catie Curry, POTUS columnist

The United States government and President Obama had a lot to deal with in Washington this week as a threat from al-Qaeda caused a global travel alert. As he kept up to date with these issues, the president spent his week welcoming a number of different visitors to the White House and taking a quick trip to Tennessee.

The president started off his week with a visit from the San Francisco Giants, the 2012 World Series Champions on Monday, July 29. The event was also attended by former Giants’ center fielder Willie Mays, CEO Larry Baer and manager Bruce Bochy.

The president started the event with a few remarks, honoring his guests. He remembered the Giants had won two championships in the last three years. He laughed as he said, “They’re making this a habit.” While congratulating team members on their successes, the president also expressed excitement for the team’s plan to replace the center field bleachers at AT&T Park in San Francisco with a garden. He explained, “It’s OK to have a hot dog every once in a while. I don’t want everyone to get carried away and have to eat kale every time they come.”

After his remarks, the president was presented with a baseball and a bat from the team. The president and the team left the event as the Marine quintet played “Centerfield” by John Fogerty.

The next day, President Obama traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee to tour the Amazon Chattanooga Fulfillment Center. He was led around the Pack Mezzanine, where orders are packed for shipping, by Dave Clark, the Vice President of Worldwide Operations and Customer Service at Amazon. As an employee explained how the sorting process worked, the president showed his love of online shopping as he said, “I got a bunch of orders in here.”

After the tour, Obama spoke to some of the employees about jobs for the middle class for some of the employees on the ground floor of the warehouse. He said, “Thanks to hardworking folks like you, thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve been able to clear away some of the rubble from the financial crisis. We’ve started to lay a new foundation for a stronger, more durable America.” As he left the space, he passed through the area where the warehouse’s inventory was kept. The large collection of items was stacked on floor-to-ceiling bookcases. If the president needed to pick up a couple items before his flight home, he had come to the right place.

The White House had another sporty visit on Wednesday, July 31when the president welcomed the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team into the East Room to celebrate earning their eighth National Collegiate Athletic Association title. The team and its coach, Geno Auriemma, presented the president with a University of Connecticut jacket and a basketball from the championship game, signed by the players. Coach Auriemma said he hoped the president would use the jacket to “break a sweat” on the White House court.

The president remembered his daughters as he addressed the players. He said, “As the father of two young, beautiful daughters, it always puts a smile on my face whenever I see such class acts.” He also welcomed back Auriemma for his eighth visit to the White House with an affectionate slap on the back. He said, “I see this guy too much. A lot of presidents don’t even get eight years in the White House.”

On Thursday, the president hosted a visit with President Abdrabuh Rabbuh Mansur Hadi of Yemen. The two met in the Oval Office to discuss relations between the two countries, as well as Hadi’s efforts to help the country become a democracy. The president said, “I want to congratulate President Hadi for the work that he’s done.” Both presidents talked about Yemen’s economy and the country’s cooperation with the United States on fighting terrorism. Obama said, “Because of some of the very effective military reforms that President Hadi initiated when he came into this office, what we’ve seen is al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, move back out of territories that it was controlling.”

As the two men discussed these issues, they sat in comfortable arm chairs and spoke to each other through translators during the meeting. As the two presidents left the Oval Office, President Obama stopped to compliment the translators, saying, “That’s some very good translating.”

After the visit, the President slowed down his schedule to enjoy a trip to Camp David, away from some of the chaos of D.C. to celebrate his birthday on Sunday. Happy Birthday, Mr. President, and here’s hoping you have another wonderful year.

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