Free Republic

Dear Mr. President. I write to you today with a broken heart. As you well know, 19 children and two teachers were gunned down by a mentally ill teenager in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. When you gave a public message of condolence to the parents and families of these murdered young people, I thought you started your comments on the correct note. You were going to be the leader the President of the United States is expected to be. I expected that you would say kind words to soothe our broken hearts and bring all Americans together to...

At tonight's Hanukkah party at the White House, President Obama seemed to slip a little off script when he told party goers that "we never need an excuse for a good party." All his guests laughed. From the official White House transcript: So while it is not yet Hanukkah, let’s give thanks for our blessings, for being together to celebrate this wonderful holiday season. And we never need an excuse for a good party. (Laughter.)

Photo of the day from the white house.

In Chicago, President Obama started Saturday by motorcading from his home at 5046 S. Greenwood to the University of Chicago Lab School on 58th Street and Kenwood to play basketball. Obama left home at 8:49 a.m. Chicago time. He was wearing a black jacket and a White Sox cap.

WASHINGTON—U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday said that he has created a new panel on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and he's giving the commission six months to come up with recommendations for preventing future offshore drilling accidents. "We need to do a lot more to protect the health and safety of our people, to safeguard the quality of our air and water, and to preserve the natural beauty and bounty of America," he said in his weekly radio address. He added that he wants "a comprehensive look at how the oil and gas industry operates and how we...