Olympic Memories

brazil (pete souza)

President Barack Obama fist bumps a young person reaching through the door at the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. playing soccer with children at the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. waving to people gathered on the street outside the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, March 20 (Pete Souza)

….acknowledging applause after delivering a speech at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, March 19 (Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama walks with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff following the arrival of First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, at the Palacio do Alvorada in Brasilia, Brazil, March 19. Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota, right, shakes hands with Malia (Pete Souza)

‘christ the redeemer’ (video)

tchau

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama leave Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 21, en route to Santiago, Chile

‘striking the most sensitive chords’

CNN: Brazil’s cool and contentious relationship with the United States over trade and foreign policy has warmed a few degrees, analysts said Sunday, as President Barack Obama’s visit appeared to charm officials and crowds during his two-day visit to South America’s largest nation.

Sustained applause echoed through Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theatre as Obama spoke a few words in Portuguese, made allusions to Brazilian culture and drew parallels to U.S. history.

…”It was an historic speech,” said Eduardo Eugenio Gouvea Viera, who represents FIRJAN, Brazil’s leading industry federation … Abdias Nascimento, a representative of Brazil’s Movimento Negro, said Obama’s speech was “profound.” “Obama succeeded in striking the most sensitive chords in the souls of Brazil and Americans,” he said.

….Earlier Sunday, Obama’s motorcade made its way up the winding, narrow alleys of Rio de Janeiro’s most notorious and celebrated shanty neighborhood, the so-called Cidade de Deus, whose brutal drug war and racial disparity became immortalized in the Oscar-nominated film, “City of God.”

The first family’s visit to a favela – a Portuguese word for shanty – was a symbolic gesture that reverberated through a nation known for its strong African heritage but with a tarnished record on racial and class discrimination.

Greeted by favela residents who cheered the arrival of the first family, Cidade de Deus schoolchildren watched curiously a rare and memorable scene began to unfold, as most Brazilians seldom see blacks holding positions of power.

First lady Michelle Obama, who wore the colors of the Brazilian flag, and daughters Sasha and Malia clapped enthusiastically to performances of capoeira and samba, some of Brazil’s best known African-influenced music, seeming at ease.

Brazilian newspapers reported that crowds cheered as the presidential motorcade moved on, some carrying banners that read “Obama, where are you, I am here just to see you.” One man held a sign which read, “Thank you Obama for making the White House Black.”

‘christ the redeemer’

President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia tour the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, March 20

*****

A big hello to all our visiting wingnut birther buddies from wingnutevents.com (okay, okay, that’s not the blog’s real name, you didn’t think I was going to link it, did you?)

They’re all dropping by to have a look at the photos of the President and Christ the Redeemer – “Imagine George Bush snapping these photos the day after launching a military campaign against a Muslim country,” barks one of the creatures.

Um…….while, President Obama was on official duty in South and Latin America …. here’s Bush being photographed clearing brush and riding his bike during one of his many lengthy vacations at his beloved ranch … while American troops were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Sourcewatch: While the war on terrorism – that is, the global struggle against violent extremism – continues in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush will keep busy throughout the month of August, beginning on August 4th, when he will “host Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at his ranch” and “spend time outdoors … at his ranch, doing things like clearing brush and riding his bike.”

Indeed, he was a classy President:

Washington Post (2002): …President Bush … sprang from his golf cart at 6:15 a.m. and said he was “distressed to hear about the latest suicide bombers in Israel.” Just over four hours before, as Bush slept at his parents’ seaside retreat, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bus in Israel, killing nine passengers.

Bush, wearing khakis and a knit shirt, was holding a driver in his gloved left hand …. however incongruous the setting, the president plunged ahead. “There are a few killers who want to stop the peace process that we have started, and we must not let them,” he said. “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers.”

His business out of the way, Bush barely paused for breath before saying, “Thank you. Now watch this drive.”

The abrupt segue illustrates the dilemma Bush will face over the next month as he relaxes and works at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., at a time of global political volatility. On Tuesday, Bush will leave Washington behind until Labor Day. That is likely to mean a return to the golf-cart diplomacy of last summer when Bush talked Middle East peace between playing holes, at one point dripping sweat as he said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat “can do a lot more to be convincing the people on the street to stop these acts of terrorism.”

Must try harder, wingnuts 😉 Hugs!

welcome

President Barack Obama waves to the people gathered on the street outside the Ciudad de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 20, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Hey, joy is an international language 🙂

pele

😎

on call

President Barack Obama is briefed on the situation in Libya during a secure conference call with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, right, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, left, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, AFRICOM Commander General Carter Ham, and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, in Rio de Janeiro, March 20. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

protests

A man holds a banner which reads “Obama, the world needs peace”, Rio de Janeiro, March 20

***

Lots of anti-American protests too in Brazil the last few days (mainly over Libya), this was one of the friendlier guys!