I have never done a Top Comments diary that just consisted of a link, before, but this is it. The link goes to a compilation of Pete Souza photos of President Obama, during the past 8 years. The article says that he has taken nearly two million photos of Obama in his official duty (that can’t be right, can it?!), and the 55 photos at this link were culled from Souza’s annual favorites.
(Note: The link to all the pictures is here (and above ^ ). No link goes to individual picture descriptions. I hope that wasn’t confusing.)
More below.
Top Comments recognizes the previous day's Top Mojo and strives to promote each day's outstanding comments through nominations made by Kossacks like you. Please send comments (before 9:30pm ET) by email to topcomments@gmail.com or by our KosMail message board.Here is my description of each of those photos. Look at as many or as few as you like!
1 Eating a peach (it looks like to me) at a produce aisle.
2 Allowing a very young man to touch his head in the Oval Office.
3 Running alongside doggie in a White House hallway.
4 A personal moment touching heads and sharing smiles with his beautiful wife.
5 Playing a prank on a fellow checking his weight.
6 Standing at a podium, sleeves rolled up, in a pouring rain.
7 Sitting with a bust of President Lincoln in (his?) office.
8 Sitting with a room full of staffers during the operation to get bin Laden (I believe, but do not know.)
9 Standing with Presidents Bush and Clinton.
10 Smiling at toddlers in an open window.
11 Sitting open-mouthed with a young man eating something with whipped cream.
12 Trying to cope with an attack by a tiny Spiderman.
13 Engrossed in a 3D movie with his wife and guests.
14 Holding the mike in front of BB King.
15 Happy and dancing with his beautiful wife at an event.
16 Trying to convince the cheese to release his pizza slice.
17 Tossing a football up while photographed through a window.
18 Contemplative president looking in a mirror.
19 Speaking to staff in a full conference room.
20 Giving a salute alongside four servicemen in the dark.
21 Standing in silhouette before a luminous Jesus.
22 Standing with an umbrella onstage at a stadium venue.
23 Down on carpet in Oval Office smiling at a beautiful baby.
24 HAPPILY taking a selfie with two spectacular young black boys in suits!
25 Sharing a laugh with a young woman in a diner booth.
26 Smiling while fixing his tie in an elevator.
27 Terrific matching poses picture with a young woman in the Oval Office.
28 Laughing at a computer screen with Jimmy Fallon and friends.
29 Turning his head away from a wave while swimming in the ocean.
30 Checking out a young girl in a magnifying glass in a classroom, huge smile.
31 Walking through a hall carrying a birthday cake with lit candles.
32 Climbing the stair into Air Force One with his wife in front of an honor guard.
33 Looking out a window on Air Force One, knees on a sofa.
34 Walking across a lawn with trees with a friend.
35 Walking with his wife and two others in the Lincoln Memorial.
36 Sitting alone in a freestanding chair in the Oval Office, facing his desk.
37 Sitting with his wife, holding hands. Love.
38 Marching with a gazillion friends, John Lewis, his wife, and perhaps Spike Lee (?!! I can’t see it very well) pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
39 Crossing the lawn adorned with fallen cherry blossoms.
40 Being examined with a stethoscope by a four year old physician to be.
41 Mugging beside a young black man asleep at a dinner.
42 Chatting with a smiling couple in the Oval Office while their son (?) is conked out on the sofa.
43 Thoughtful pose, eyes closed, in a meeting with David Axelrod and who knows who else.
44 Reading some papers in a side chair in a (mostly) empty auditorium.
45 Expressing the bliss of hugging the First Lady.
46 Sitting at his desk in the Oval Office while Seinfeld tries to get his attention tapping on the window. (Yeah right!)
47 Happily walking down a hallway with the First Lady.
48 Taking seriously his job of holding two incredible newborns.
49 Lower leg shot only, sitting on a desk who knows where. (I wouldn’t recognize the carvings on his Oval Office desk, if that’s it.)
50 Laying on his back, holding a youngster in a bunny costume above him.
51 Assisting the First Lady down some steps at a formal dinner event.
52 Fist bump with a janitorial staffer.
53 Entering the White House in the dark, framed in the lit doorway.
54 Standing on the air stair of Air Force One, holding up his hand like a rainbow is emanating from it.
55 Facing a huge bank of lights, back to camera.
I loved these shots because of the glimpse they give into the life and personality of our President. They show his great humor, his deep, unbounded love of children, his playfulness, the love he has for his wife, his commitment to the job with which he has been entrusted, and, most of all, his incredible spirit. You can see his maturity, his awareness, his unimaginably balanced energy.
Like you, there are things I have felt he could have done better, or done differently. But my appreciation of him as a human being, as a leader, is very deep, indeed. So this is a Top Comments tribute tonight to Barack Obama, whom I have enjoyed having as my President.
TOP COMMENTSBrillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down. Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From emaz:
From teresahill‘s Trump Baiting: One argument getting through to his supporters, in the thread begun by Arizona Mike, Socdoc206 says a lot about Trump's implosion, how great the convention was, and Bill, all in one funny comment.From brillig:
In stuhunter3‘s WOW! Florida Republican Party Spokesman On Hispanic Affairs Quitting Because Of Trump's Racism, drcraigphd brings up a point and TRsCousin answers.
TOP MOJOTop Mojo for yesterday, August 7th 2016, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
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