Obama's set to leave Hawai'i for Capital hotel suite

President-elect Barack Obama and his family are set to fly to Washington DC late Thursday ending their vacation in the Aloha State.

Obama was seen signing autographs on New Year's Day after his workout routine at the Marine Corps Base gym in Kailua. The Obama's have been vacationing in Hawai'i for the last 12 days.

The family will stay at the Hay Adams Hotel, so that their girls can start school Monday at Washington's private Sidwell Friends School. The White House will not be available until after the inauguration on Jan. 20.


US President-elect Barack Obama autographs a t-shirt after working out at the Semper Fit gym on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kailua, Hawaii on January 1, 2009. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry (UNITED STATES)










New York Daily News

Obama set to return to Chicago after Hawaii rest
The Associated Press - 39 minutes ago
KAILUA, Hawaii (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama is bidding his native Hawaii "aloha" after a 12-day vacation. Obama, wife Michelle and his two young ...
Storied Washington hotel will briefly be home for the Obama family Boston Globe
Washington hotel to be Obama family’s temporary ‘suite’ home TopNews
Home Sweet Hotel Suite for Obamas in the Capital New York Times

Obama family enjoys warm Hawaiian Christmas

President-elect Barack Obama spent a quiet Christmas in warm Hawai'i far away from the bitter cold plaguing Chicago and Washington, DC.

Obama was taped earlier playing golf in short pants and a polo shirt. It may be that Oahu will be Obama's version of the family ranch or family estate used for vacations by a number of recent presidents.



Obama Celebrates Christmas With Family in Hawaii
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
By Kim Chipman Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama spent a quiet Christmas day opening gifts with family and friends at an oceanfront rental home in Hawaii and later visited a nearby Marine Corps base.
Obama Visits Marine Corps Base for Christmas ABC News
Obama settles into military role Reuters
Video: Barack Obama In Hawaii CBS

Obama arrives in Hawai'i for holidays

President-elect Barack Obama arrived Hawai'i for a 10-day holiday vacation.

Obama and his family landed in Oahu aboard a privately-chartered United Airlines 767 on Saturday for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Sources say that Obama's family together with his sister Maya's family will hold a private funeral service for his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, while they are in Hawaii. Dunham died on the eve of her grandson's historic election win after a bout with cancer.

The media reports that family friends of the Obamas, traveling separately, will join the family during their Hawaiian vacation. The Associated Press reports that the Obamas have rented a beach home in the quiet town of Kailua near Honolulu.


Obama boards plane for 12-day Hawaii vacation
People's Daily Online - 58 minutes ago
US President-elect Barack Obama gets out of his SUV before boarding a plane for a 12-day Hawaii vacation at O'Hare airport in Chicago, December 20, 2008.
Obamas rent beach home in low-key Hawaii town The Associated Press
Obama Arrives For Christmas In Hawaii MSNBC

Vacations are Good

Hula dancers from the Japanese city of Obama known as the "Obama Girls" traveled to Hawai'i to show their support for the islands' native son.




Barack told a crowd of 4,000 in Honolulu he would be having a plate lunch, some shave ice and would be spending time on the beach with his family body-surfing and swimming. His main reason for visiting though is to visit his aged grandmother. He will also be visiting the family of his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng.

Here's some video from Honolulu's KGMB News:

Barack Obama to appear at Keehi Lagoon Beach Park

Barack Obama's vacation will not only be fun and relaxation.

In addition to a fundraiser, Obama is scheduled to appear at a free public rally at Keehi Lagoon Beach Park in Honolulu.

Obama has not been back to Hawai'i, where he spent most of his childhood, since 2006 when he was still pondering over whether to run for president.

"Im going to see my grandma who i've haven't seen in almost 18-19 months and who's getting to the age where i want to make sure i spend time with her on a consistent basis and so she can see her great-grandchildren," Obama said about his Hawaiian trip.

It's not looking much like he or his opponent John McCain will announce their VP picks before the Olympic Games being as many had once expected. Although it's still possible to hold a press conference sometime early tomorrow.

Check out this story on how island life in Hawai'i shaped the presumptive Democratic nominee.

"Hawaii's spirit of tolerance might not have been perfect or complete. But it was — and is — real," Obama wrote in a 1999 essay for the Punahou alumni magazine. "The opportunity that Hawaii offered — to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect — became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."

And here's a story on Obama's grandmother who broke many barriers of her own allowing the family to send Barack to the elite Punahou School.

Disco generation Barack "Barry" Obama, second row right, in a 1978 senior yearbook photo at the Punahou School, the prestigious private academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. Punahou Schools / AP

Barack and Family heading for 'Da Kine' Vacation

Barack Obama, his wife and two daughters are heading for a week-long vacation in Hawai'i, the first real time off since starting the campaign in Feb. 2007.

The family leaves on Friday and that leaves open the question as to whether the Ilinois senator will, according to conventional wisdom, announce his VP pick before the Olympic opening ceremonies.

Some suspected that such an event would happen today as Obama campaigned in Indiana with Sen. Evan Bayh, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Obama for America has displayed quite dramatically that there are no ship-sinking loose lips aboard. Nobody seems to have a clue as to who or when regarding the VP pick. There have been rumors of course, but these seem to change randomly.

Hillary Clinton will be campaigning for Barack on Friday in Henderson, Nevada, but again that's when the family should be leaving for Hawai'i.

That leaves tomorrow, Thursday, as the last chance for an announcement before opening ceremonies on Friday.

The only thing I can see in the news wires is that Hillary will be having a web chat early on Thursday at 9 am PDT. Now, that's awful early for New York or Washington DC, so I have to wonder if she will be on the West Coast at the time of the web chat.

Of course, the West Coast would also be a good spot for a Hawai'i departure flight!

But then again, who knows? I can't figure out where Obama will be on Thursday.



Barack Obama in Elkhart, Indiana.

Wisconsin & Hawai'i: Your Moment is Now

Wisconsin and Hawai'i vote tomorrow. Barack Obama will try to maintain momentum going into Mar. 4 when four states including Texas and Ohio will vote.

Here is voting information for Tuesday.

Wisconsin & Hawai'i: Your Moment is Now

by Christopher Hass, Monday, February 18, 2008 at 05:30 PM

Important Voting Info: On Tuesday voters throughout Wisconsin will head to the polls, while Hawaiians prepare to caucus Tuesday night. Both states allow same-day registration; in Wisconsin Democrats, Republicans, and Independents can all vote for Barack, and Hawaiians can change their registration to Democrat at their caucus sites. Use the links below to find out when, where and how to vote or caucus for Barack Obama:

Wisconsin

• Polls open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Open to all Democrats, Republicans, and Independents
• New voters can register at the polls
• Find Your Polling Location
• Wisconsin Primary Frequently Asked Questions

Hawai'i

• Caucus doors open at 6:30 PM, caucuses begin at 7:00 PM
• New voters can register at their caucus location
• Republicans and Independents and change their registration at their caucus location
• Find Your Caucus Location
• Hawai'i Top 10 Caucus Facts

The Honolulu Advertiser endorses Barack Obama

The Honolulu Advertiser endorsed Barack Obama today.

Democrats need Barack Obama's vision, leadership

Conventional wisdom suggests that once Democrats pick their nominee, it will be easy for the party to rally behind the winner against the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, John McCain. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both strong candidates, aren't far apart on key national issues, and Democrats have eight years of deprivation uniting them in their zeal to reclaim the White House.

But while they might find the November decision easy, many of the party faithful are struggling over the more immediate choice: Which U.S. senator should become the Democratic standard-bearer?

For tomorrow's party caucus, when Hawai'i Democrats have a rare chance to influence the final outcome of the primary-election campaign, The Honolulu Advertiser endorses Barack Obama, recognizing his ideas and policies as being most closely aligned with the needs of the country.

Many others who've made that selection argue that the junior U.S. senator from Illinois stands a better chance of beating the more seasoned McCain. That's because Clinton, rightly or wrongly, accrued many detractors during her years as first lady — critics may feel comfortable enough with the socially moderate McCain to vote with the GOP.

But that's just a tactical analysis. It misses the more substantive points of Obama's very real credentials and, in particular, the power of his presidential platform.

· Foreign policy: Obama argues forcefully that the U.S. must move decisively "to lead the world by deed and by example." Specifically, Obama has grasped the reality that the Iraq war must be brought to a responsible end through a phased withdrawal of troops. Attention must be refocused on the Middle East more broadly, he said, with greater emphasis placed on countering terrorist cells in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Tough-minded diplomacy, backed by the whole range of instruments of American power — political, economic and military — could bring success even when dealing with long-standing adversaries such as Iran and Syria," Obama wrote in the journal Foreign Affairs.

On a more global scale, Obama believes the U.S. must lead an international effort to secure nuclear weapons and material at sites within four years. The clear objective is to reduce a potent threat from terrorist organizations.

Obama also takes a more nuanced approach toward relations with Asia. Regarding China, for example, he correctly focuses on building "a relationship that broadens cooperation while strengthening our ability to compete."

· Economy: Obama proposes a more balanced tax policy that directs relief back toward the middle class, and adjustment in U.S. trade policy that would bolster the stability of the American job market. His ideas on job creation in the renewable energy sector links two critical aims of a solid domestic program: greater energy self-sufficiency and workforce development.

· Healthcare: Obama has proposed a plan that enables choice for those currently covered by health insurance but extends affordable enrollment opportunities to those who have no coverage.

The bottom line: Everyone will have access to health insurance; income will no longer be the insurmountable barrier it is today.

After reviewing his ideas, the careful voter should consider Obama's experience. Born and raised in Hawai'i, Obama later settled in Chicago and became a community organizer with a church-based group, working to better living conditions in poor, high-crime neighborhoods. Later, with a Harvard law degree in hand, he practiced as a civil rights attorney and teacher.

During eight years in the Illinois state legislature he supported increased funding for healthcare and education; he also helped write bills to publicly finance judicial campaigns and create a state earned-income tax credit.

That work, and his undeniable personal charisma, helped propel him into the U.S. Senate, where he has managed to secure additional funding for veterans' medical care and energy development in his home state. He opposed the corporate-written Central American Free Trade Agreement, and he led the charge among those challenging the Bush administration's failure to protect New Orleans.

There is no single candidate who can possess all the attributes needed to guide a president through the impossibly complex challenges of that job. The central question, rather, is which candidate possesses the qualities that we need most?

The U.S. is a nation at war and in economic distress. The road back will be a long one, the journey likely to span more than one presidential tenure. The capacity for hope and the willingness to change, both rallying cries of the Obama campaign, are elements critical to that journey.

The Democrats should recognize that the ability to inspire and to persuade others to follow is no trivial thing, no superficiality.

It is, in fact, the critical aspect of leadership required at times like these, when only a more unified nation can find its way through the difficulties ahead.

The party needs to acknowledge the clarion call that's resonated through the past weeks of the presidential campaign. It needs Barack Obama.

Video: Barack Obama in Wisconsin

Barack Obama campaigns in Oshkosh and Milwaukee ahead of next Tuesday's contests in Hawai'i and Wisconsin.

Lines, rallies, 100 Club Speech, Hawaiian music

The storm that plowed through here (Sacramento) and the pictures of people lined up in the snow in New Hampshire got me thinking of Barack's Hawaiian upbringing and the warm weather there!

Check out this YouTube video of clips of events from New Hampshire and the 100 Club speech from barackobama.com video with Hawaiian music in the background. Also included the cool animation from barackobama.com at the end.

Music:

Aloha Oe by Amy Hanaiali`i
Kawaipunahele by Keali'i Reichel
Wahine Ilikea by Makena
I'll Remember You by Kui Lee