Obama plays golf with Hawaii friends on Lanai owner’s private course
President Barack Obama spent Valentine’s Day playing golf with his Hawaii friends at Lanai island owner Larry Ellison’s private golf course in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Obama is spending the weekend golfing with Punahou School friends Greg Orme, Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos ahead of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage.
The foursome golfed today at Porcupine Creek, a course on Ellison’s 249-acre walled estate in Rancho Mirage. They finished arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and left at about 6 p.m.
On Saturday he hit the links with his friends at the Stadium Course at the PGA West Golf Course.
The president also called Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Syrian war and the unresolved conflict in Ukraine.
A White House statement said the conversation between the Russian and U.S. presidents occurred on Saturday and a Kremlin statement said it took place at Washington’s initiative, but didn’t specify when it occurred.
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On Syria, the Kremlin statement said “both sides gave a positive assessment of the results of the meeting of the International Syrian Support Group in Munich on Feb. 11-12, confirmed the principles and provisions of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 both in terms of humanitarian aspects and to develop modalities for the cease-fire, and in promoting the launch of a real political process.”
Putin stressed the importance of creating a “common front against terrorism” and establishing a working relationship between the Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry, it said.
In years past, Obama has flown to the annual summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Last fall in Malaysia, he invited the 10 member countries to meet on U.S. soil for the first time, part of his effort to sharpen the U.S. policy focus on the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.
Ben Rhodes, the president’s deputy national security adviser, said Obama enjoys having more free-flowing talks with fellow leaders “out of the bubble” of Washington.
Sunnylands “lends itself to kind of a stepped-back, broader strategic set of discussions in a very peaceful setting in which the leaders can get to know one another and really try to dig in over an extended period of time in a way that you couldn’t in a one-hour meeting here at the White House,” Rhodes said.
Obama first visited Sunnylands in June 2013 for an unusual but informal summit with Xi Jinping, who only months earlier had been installed as China’s newest leader. China will not be represented at Sunnylands because it is not a member of ASEAN.
Rhodes said the gathering of Southeast Asian leaders would be another “no-tie” summit, like Obama’s meetings with Xi and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Obama is also spending another Valentine’s Day away from his wife Michelle.
However, on Friday’s broadcast of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the president recited a love poem he says he had planned to deliver to the first lady in person.
“Somebody call the Situation Room because things are about to get hot,” said Obama as he stood in front of a red curtain and amid bouquets of red roses and white lilies as Barry White-style music played in the background.
”Michelle, this Valentine’s Day I’m going to treat you right. I’m going to make you some zucchini bread. Then I’ll spread out some veggies on a plate just the way you like them,” he said. “Then I’ll give you a massage while you watch ‘Ellen’s Design Challenge’ on HGTV. Because I love you so much, I Obamacare about you more than you even know.”
Turning serious, Obama said: “Michelle, I’ve made a lot of great decisions as president. The best decision I ever made was choosing you. Thanks for putting up with me. I love you.” Obama taped the appearance on Thursday.
Mrs. Obama surprised her husband earlier in the broadcast by popping up on tape to recite her own poem. Sunday is their final Valentine’s Day as president and first lady.
“Roses are red, violets are blue, you are the president and I am your boo,” she said, joking about writing the ode while doing 100 pushups to help get her “creative juices” flowing.
33 responses to “Obama plays golf with Hawaii friends on Lanai owner’s private course”
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They spelled it correctly this time.
This is nothing, just wait until THE OBLAHLAH’S move in to their waterfront estate in Waimanalo.
Is that all he does?
Come on…don’t you know 90% of business actually gets completed on the links? It’s why our Hawaii politicians get so much done!
Wait until he retires next year and settle in Lanikai. It’s going to be a circus all year long.
Third ring of a three ring, circus is the best. It’s the suffering.
As Mel Brooks said, “It’s good to be the king!”
Obama is a great friend of the rich and of Wall Street. Radical president? Hardly. Not even close.
Why Allie, are the rich so isolated? As your faculty adviser, I recommend a thesis on Factories, Soviets, Bolshevism and the October Revolution. This will reveal why America’s rich are isolated, and so much more. Also help explain Barry’s ideology…
A Myth is as good as a mile.
Tell, allie, that I am rich, and own Wall Street’s shares, but never will forget where my roots came from, which is from, blue collar Main Street.
‘Nuff already, allie. You have now struck my puppy’s nerve. Obama, like any other Democrat is fighting for both Wall Street and Main Street’s benefit. Sometime, we think that you just post comments here to hear your own voice?
He only fights for his benefit. He’ll throw anyone else under the bus if it’ll help him.
Some people talk because they have something to say. Others, because they have to say something. (S)he falls into the latter.
Hope some good comes out of all this for the average Taxpayers?
Wasn’t Titcome the friend arrested for soliciting a prostitute?
This is”news” ??? Must be a slow day, huh ?
What! Only you stay read this article, brah, while the rest of us just went straight down to the comment part of this article?
Hopefully,come next Jan 1, 2017 we’ll never, ever have to hear or see Obama’s name in the news again. Such a waste of a President. Anti-American Muslim lover…
Bet you said the same thing for every former President, Mr. Generic, blanket statement?
How much did this little jaunt cost taxpayers?
Probably a lot. Wonder if he sends a private jet to pick up his friends. By the way, What do these golfing buddies do in real life?
How much did this cost? Well, if he was a Republican, you GOP people would say it is costing nothing. But since Obama is a Democrat, he is costing us a bundle. You no can psychology me with your brain game.
A great President deserves RR on his PRESIDENTS DAY.
A great one sure does not this guy. Useless.
Man, that is funny!
Every top leader deserves to have a little fun in life.
Not just his jaunt, but the other grifters in his family who jetted to Aspen for the weekend.
To Obama, Hawai’i is as close to him as his back of his hand is. Good for him. You deserve it, Mr. President.
Then why didn’t he have the conference here? It would have saved the other participants at least 5000 miles in round trip travel. He had it there so he could hang out with one of the .25% on the taxpayers dime.
Biggest fraud in American history. Seems to me that there may be some work to do rather than playing golf and campaigning.
All work and no play, makes Jack is dull boy.
Do YOU ever take a break from whatever it is you do? The point is to be effective. Physical and mental rest helps to achieve that. It’s surprising that not everyone realizes that.