Obama enjoys quiet birthday
2012-08-05 09:46
Washington - President Barack Obama
celebrated his 51st birthday on Saturday with a round of golf and a quiet
weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat, taking a break from campaigning
three months before Election Day.
Obama, wearing a white golf shirt, khaki pants and sunglasses, boarded
Marine One at Andrews Air Force Base after about six hours on the golf course
before heading to Camp David. He was joined by a small group of friends and
aides that included White House chef Sam Kass, a frequent golf partner.
He returns to campaign mode soon enough, with fundraisers in Connecticut on
Monday and campaign rallies in Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday.
Next weekend, Obama will hold several birthday-themed fundraisers in
Chicago, including one at his family's South Side home. Obama's campaign used
the event to drum up small-dollar donations before the end of the July
fundraising deadline, offering two lucky winners the chance to attend the
fundraiser at Obama's red brick home.
In an email to supporters last month, Obama warned that his birthday
"could be the last one I celebrate as president of the United States, but
that's not up to me - it's up to you." Obama's team has said he could be
outspent by Republicans and candidate Mitt Romney.
Tongue-in-cheek
Obama got some early birthday wishes on Thursday during a rally in Florida,
when supporters serenaded him with "Happy Birthday." The president
joked that his birthday wishes "probably would have to do with electoral
votes. Winning Florida wouldn't be a bad birthday present."
Republicans offered tongue-in-cheek birthday greetings. The Republican
National Committee delivered a birthday cake to their counterparts at the
Democratic National Committee on Friday featuring a picture of a smiling Obama
next to the words, "You didn't bake this."
The inscription was a reference to a line from an Obama speech last month in
which he said, "If you've got a business, you didn't build that."
Romney has seized upon the line to question Obama's commitment to small
business while Obama and Democrats have said the quote was taken out of context.
Democratic officials promptly sent the cake back to Republican party
headquarters, along with a copy of a recent report by the nonpartisan Tax
Policy Centre that found that Romney's tax proposal would give millionaires a
broad tax cut at the expense of tax breaks enjoyed by many middle-class
families. Romney's team has disputed the study, saying his tax plan would
benefit all Americans.
In short, just a typical presidential birthday in an election year.
- AP
