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The former first couple Barack and Michelle Obama were commanding their dance moves at the Beyonc and Jay-Z concert at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. USA TODAY

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama had the best time ever at Beyonc and Jay-Z's show Saturday night.(Photo: JIM YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images)

Beyonc and Jay-Zs On the Run II tour was in for a presidential treat over the weekend.

Barack and Michelle Obama attended the couples show Saturday night at FedExField in Landover, Md,, and fans couldnt handle the way theycommanded their dance moves.

Concertgoers captured the former president and first lady dancing to Jay-Zs 2011 hit N----- in Paris.

And, let's just say, fans of the First Family of Hip-Hop ended up getting a second show from the former First Couple of the United States of America.

Fans took to social media to share their excitement atseeing two legendary couples in one night.

"Wow President Obama is really out here living his best life at Beyonc and Jay Zs #OTRII tour," one attendee tweeted.

"Tonight I saw Beyonce with President Obama sitting right behind me. I can die happy," another concertgoer tweeted.

"Well well! This DC On the Run concert with Jay-Z and Beyonc is very Presidential. Former President Obama and the Former First Lady Mrs. Obama are here for this amazing show. Mrs Obama was just in Paris for the show. Amazing show," White House correspondent April Ryan tweeted.

"I was in the presence of Beyonce AND the Obamas. It's over," one fan tweeted.

"Can you believe that I was in the same place as President Obama, Michelle Obama, Beyonc and Jay Z, all at the same time? Neither can I. Best birthday present ever," another concertgoer tweeted.

The Obamas and the Carters have formed a friendship over the years. Beyonc performed at Obama's inaugurations in 2009 and 2013 and MichelleObama's 50th birthday party in 2014.

Two weeks ago, Michelle Obama took daugherSasha to an On The Run II show in Paris. The former first lady danced alongside Beyonc's mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson.

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Originally posted here:
Barack and Michelle Obama bust out moves at Beyonc and ...

How I miss Barack Obama.

And I say that as someone who worked to defeat him: I was a foreign policy adviser to John McCain in 2008 and to Mitt Romney in 2012. I criticized Obamas lead from behind foreign policy that resulted in a premature pullout from Iraq and a failure to stop the slaughter in Syria. I thought he was too weak on Iran and too tough on Israel. I feared that Obamacare would be too costly. I fumed that he was too professorial and too indecisive. I was left cold by his arrogance and his cult of personality.

Now I would take Obama back in a nanosecond. His presidency appears to be a lost golden age when reason and morality reigned. All of his faults, real as they were, fade into insignificance compared with the crippling defects of his successor. And his strengths seriousness, dignity, intellect, probity, dedication to ideals larger than self shine all the more clearly in retrospect.

Those thoughts are prompted bywatching Obamas speech in South Africa on the 100thanniversary of Nelson Mandelas birth. I was moved nearly to tears by his eloquent defense of a liberal world order that President Trump appears bent on destroying.

The first thing that struck me was what was missing: There was no self-praise and no name-calling. Obama has a far better claim than Trump to being a very stable genius, but he didnt call himself one. The sentences were complete and sonorous and probably written by the speaker himself. (Imagine Trump writing anything longer than a tweet and even those are full of mistakes.) The tone was sober and high-minded, even if listeners could read between the lines a withering critique of Trumps policies.

Obama denounced the politics of fear and resentment, the spread of hatred and paranoia and propaganda and conspiracy theories, and immigration policies based on race, or ethnicity, or religion. Gee, wonder who he had in mind? He rightly noted that we now stand at a crossroads a moment in time at which two very different visions of humanitys future compete for the hearts and minds of citizens around the world. He then rejected the dark vision propagated by Trump and the dictators he so admires.

I believe in Nelson Mandelas vision, Obama said. I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King and Abraham Lincoln. I believe in a vision of equality and justice and freedom and multiracial democracy, built on the premise that all people are created equal, and theyre endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. And I believe that a world governed by such principles is possible and that it can achieve more peace and more cooperation in pursuit of a common good. Even though I was thousands of miles away, I felt like cheering those stirring words.

No, I havent forgotten the shortcomings of Obamas administration, but Ive gained a new perspective on them.

Can you believe that an Obama-era scandal was that the president wore a tan suit or put his feet up on the desk? (Actual Washington Times headline from Sept. 4, 2013: Obamas foot on Oval Office desk sends shockwaves around the world.) Oh, to have those days back again before we had a president who was involved in indecent relationships with a Russian despot and (allegedly) a porn star.

What was supposedly the worst abuse of power committed by the Obama administration the IRS investigations of conservative organizations has been revealed as fake news: It turns out that the IRS was also investigating liberal organizations. By contrast, evidence continues to accumulate about Trump scandals, from alleged campaign collusion with Russia to violations of the emoluments clause. Obama may have told a few fibs, like any politician, but he was not a pathological liar.

Conservatives accused Obama of hating America and going on an apology tour. Obama never claimed, however, that poor relations with Russia were the fault of U.S. foolishness and stupidity rather than Russian wrongdoing. Obama may have been naive in trying to reset relations with Moscow, but he did not say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a fine person and he did not endorse the Russians lies over the truths unearthed by the U.S. intelligence community. The Iran nuclear deal was flawed, but it was infinitely stronger than the non-agreement Trump reached with North Korea. Obama even looks like a fiscal conservative compared with Trump, who is ushering in trillion-dollar deficits.

It can be depressing to think about our current predicament under a president whose loyalty to America is suspect but whose racism and xenophobia are undoubted. However, Obamas speech gave me a glimmer of optimism and not only because he cited Mandelas example of persistence and of hope. He reminds me that just 18 months ago can you believe it was so recently? we had a president with whom I could disagree without ever doubting his fitness to lead. We can have one again.

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This conservative would take Obama back in a nanosecond ...

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama stand next to their newly unveiled portraits during a ceremony Monday at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama stand next to their newly unveiled portraits during a ceremony Monday at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Brand new portraits of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama wearing matching calm, strong expressions were revealed on Monday at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Kehinde Wiley painted Barack Obama sitting in a chair, elbows in his knees, leaning forward with an intense expression. The background, typical of a Wiley painting, is a riotous pattern of intense green foliage.

"Pretty sharp," Obama said with a grin.

Amy Sherald, a Baltimore-based artist, painted Michelle Obama sitting in a floor-length gown, chin on her hand, looking directly at the viewer with a calm, level gaze.

Celebrities from Shonda Rimes to Steven Spielberg, former administration officials from Josh Earnest to Eric Holder, and members of the media filed into the Portrait Gallery's expansive, glass-covered central courtyard for the ceremony. Kim Sajet, the director of the gallery, told the audience that a portrait was not truly finished until a viewer, a member of the public, had a personal encounter with it.

Then came the unveiling quite literally, as fabric covers were pulled off the portraits on a small stage.

The paintings exemplify the two artists' trademark styles.

Barack Obama gazes at his wife's newly unveiled portrait on Monday. The painting of Michelle Obama will be on display through November in the National Portrait Gallery's "Recent Acquisitions" section. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

Barack Obama gazes at his wife's newly unveiled portrait on Monday. The painting of Michelle Obama will be on display through November in the National Portrait Gallery's "Recent Acquisitions" section.

"Wiley typically portrays people of color posing as famous figures in Western art," the Portrait Gallery writes. "Through this practice, he challenges the visual rhetoric of power that is dominated by elite white men."

Barack Obama said he admired how Wiley's photos "challenge our conventional views of power and privilege."

But he said he rejected Wiley's ideas that involved him, for instance, riding a horse.

" 'I've got enough political problems without you making me look like Napoleon,' " he remembered telling Wiley. " 'You've got to bring it down a touch.' And that's what he did."

"How do you explain that a lot of that is just simply not true?" Wiley said, when he took to the lectern. Then he got more serious.

"The ability to be the first African-American painter to paint the first African-American president of the United States is absolutely overwhelming," Wiley said. "It doesn't get any better than that. I was humbled by this invitation but I was also inspired by Barack Obama's personal story."

Sherald, "known for her stylized, archetypal portrayals of African Americans," survived a heart transplant in 2012, the museum notes. "A personification of resilience herself, Sherald conveys the inner strength of her subjects through a combination of calm expressions and confrontational poses," the gallery writes.

"I am a little overwhelmed, to say the least," Michelle Obama said in a speech, after helping Sherald reveal her work. "As you may have guessed, I don't think there is anybody in my family who has ever had a portrait done, let alone a portrait that will be hanging in the National Gallery at least as far as I know, Mom," she said. "But all those folks who helped me be here today, they are with us physically and they are with us in spirit."

"I'm also thinking of all the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who ... will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution," she said. "I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls."

It was a point Sherald echoed minutes later, when she emphasized that her portrait of Obama was conceptual and archetypal, bigger than just one model.

"You exist in our minds and our hearts in the way that you do because we can see ourselves in you," she said, turning toward Michelle Obama.

Obama stands between the portraits. His will be permanently installed in the "America's Presidents" exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

Obama stands between the portraits. His will be permanently installed in the "America's Presidents" exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The National Portrait Gallery, a member of the Smithsonian Institution, has worked with outgoing presidents to commission a new portrait of each one since 1962.

More recently it began collecting portraits of first ladies as well. The National Portrait Gallery, a member of the Smithsonian Institution, writes:

"Official portraits are interesting beasts because they are, of course official: they signify the status and attainments of the person portrayed. But they also are deeply personal, even revelatory, portrayals that say something of the character of the man or woman who shows their face to the public. The style of the portrait the pose, the colors, the setting, as well as facial features (in the 19th century stern and forbidding was definitely the default expression) all convey a measure of the sitter."

The official National Portrait Gallery paintings of George and Laura Bush both featured relatively casual, relaxed poses, with small smiles.

The gallery's portrait of Bill Clinton, by Nelson Shanks, was controversial after Shanks said he'd hidden a reference to the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the canvas. A different portrait of Clinton, a Chuck Close painting of the former president's grin, is on display in the museum.

The new paintings of the Obamas will be on view to the public beginning Tuesday.

Wiley's painting of former President Obama will be permanently installed in the "America's Presidents" exhibit (The Portrait Gallery has the "only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House," the museum said in a statement.)

Sherald's painting of Michelle Obama will be on display through November in the museum's "Recent Acquisitions" section.

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Presidential Portraits: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama ...

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An official portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama was unveiled at the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery Monday morning.

The painting was done byBaltimore artist Amy Sherald, who is known for her social justice painting style.

Lets just start by saying, Wow, again. Let me just take a minute. Its amazing. Wow, Obama said after the portrait was unveiled. The moment was met with a gasp and applause.

All presidents and first ladies have their portraits done and hung in the Portrait Gallery.

Artist Amy Sherald and former first lady Michelle Obama participate in the unveiling of Mrs. Obamas portrait at the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery in Washington, February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

REUTERS/Jim Bourg

(Photo: Screenshot/MSNBC)

(Photo: Screenshot/MSNBC)

Whatcha think? she asked her mother, Marian Robinson. Its pretty nice, isnt it?

Obama said that she and President Barack Obama interviewed several artists for their portraits, and that she bonded with Sherald because of all the time they spent together.

The comments on twitter were equally disapproving:

Ouch.

Read the original here:
Michelle Obama Official Portrait Unveiled | The Daily Caller

AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski

by John Nolte10 Feb 20180

Despite the disgraced American medias best and most cynical efforts to bury the truth, and to even stop the truth from ever seeing the light of day, this poll (and another addressed below) demonstrate that the American people are almost entirely tuning the partisan, mostly-hysterical news media out and looking to alternative media for the truth.

There is simply no other way to explain these poll results, which unambiguously prove that a majority of the public believe the exact opposite of what an unceasing, coordinated media campaign wants them to believe which is that President Trump colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 campaign and that the heroic FBI is being unfairly smeared by Trumps eeeevil defenders.

Well, despite more than a year of this relentless propaganda coming from all four corners of the mainstream medias fabricated reality, here are the results from all four corners of actual reality

A clear majority of 55 percent believe it is likely that the Obama administration improperly surveilled the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.That includes 31 percent of Democrats, 87 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of Independents.

A clear majority of 54 percent want a special counsel to investigate whether the FBI and the Department of Justice improperly surveilled the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Only 44 percent said no. The partisan breakdown shows that 74 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of Independents want a special counsel as do a full 44 percent of Democrats.

In this particular poll, one fairly positive result for the FBI and Justice Department is that only 35 percent believe these institutions attempted to outright frame President Trump for colluding with the Russians.

A just-released Rasmussen poll, however, shows that a full 50 percent of Americans believe its at least somewhat likely senior federal law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency. Only 40 percent disagree.

Another Rasmussen poll from this week shows that only 42 percent of Americans believe Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election more than the FBI. Moreover, a full 34 percent believe the FBI meddled more than the Russians, while 24 percent are unsure.

In other words, we now live in a country where 58 percent of Americans either believe our own FBI meddled in a presidential election more than a hostile foreign government, or are not sure the FBI did not.

Meanwhile, Trumps approval rating is running ahead of former-President Obamas at this point in his failed presidency.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

Continued here:
Poll: Americans 'Overwhelmingly' Believe Obama 'Improperly ...