CNN

I'm supprised Obama even likes competive sports. After all some players have more talant than others and are more successful. And some teams have more good players than others and are more successful. That is not fair to less talanted player and teams. I think Obama should make the teams with more good players, give some of their players to teams that don't have as many good players. Then all teams would have an equal chance to be successful.

Tell me again why I should care about this?

Edgar Friendly: FYI, Bush did make sports picks and I'm not aware that anyone objected to the President taking a moment to relax and be human. So, your effort to suggest that Obama is allowed to be human and that President Bush wasn't is nonsense. A President doesn't need to spend every waking minute managing the country, although getting it off his mind is probably difficult. Sometimes even a President takes a break to play with the kids, walk the dog, watch a ball game, take a nap, or even eat a meal. There have actually been complaints on these blogs that Obama has the nerve to take time to eat a meal,.

No, no, he's doing it all wrong, god do I always have to do everything??

I know who's gonna win it, and I predicted last years winner, why? Cause I'm good, that's why and this year winner is...Chattanooga! Go ahead, bet on them, that's a bigger investment than Wall St that's for sure, LOL!!

It's going to be THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!!!

GO UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE!!!!

Now I have to change my picks !

factcheck,

I think you need a reality check, W got anything but a free ride. It makes perfect sense, the media as a whole leans left (see Katie Couric interview with Palin as example), and they didn't approve of Bush from day one. You have to be lying to yourself if you think the "media" gave Bush a free ride. PUHLEEEZ!

How many of those complaining that the president is wasting time are doing so on a work computer,during work hours? and where were they when w took the most vacations of any president, ever? you can look it up

You people criticizing Obama for this lead very sad lives. I really feel sorry for you. Maybe you should watch/play some basketball get all that hate out.

Wow, Republicans really are unhinged, getting het up over the Prez having an opinion on basketball. This guy's already working harder in two months than Bush did in 8 years, and they're peeved that he's taken a minute to notice his favorite sport. You guys are risking credibility complaining about this.

And the reason he's going on Leno is the same reason he's doing town hall meetings; he's trying to explain what the government is doing about this financial crisis and restore some consumer confidence, and Leno, being a popular show, is a good way to reach people who might otherwise ignore the news. I think it's a great idea.

Is there anything that President Obama says that is not reported? I believe that it is great that we have a president who is not afraid to let people know that he actually enjoys life but the media's fascination with all of his utterances is a little crazy!!

I call him BHO meaning Barack Hussien Obama. Since his election, President BHO has captivated both America and the world. In no time everything will have the signature of BHO. There is little doubt that BHO has become the best American export to the world.

Who Cares! The country is in a mess ....and he will be on Jay Leno.
I just heard him as he took off to California...he still thinks he's on the campaign trail. Anyone hear Pelosi ...again talking to illegal aliens...calling our "immigration policies as un-american".

So nice to have a Prez who is a "real person" and is actually in touch with what's going on in the daily lives of Americans. Seeing that he actually picks the brackets for his favorite sport and also seeing him drinking a beer at a Wizards/Bulls game just make him more "real" than any president in my lifetime. Much better than GWB "dancing" in the Congo or wherever he was...

it amuses me how IGNORANT some people are. President Obama is a regular person like you and I. HE has a job just like everyone else, give him a break. HE IS PRESIDENT. GET OVER IT! Most people who are saying negative things can't get over the fact that he is our president. It's sad that as americans we are BASHING the man who's trying to help us in during these TRYING times. It's this what you're teaching your children...ALL WORK AND NO PLAY. I agree it probably took him less than 15 minutes to say this. Would it help if they say President Obama said this while walking his DOG, or while playing with his children! What do you expect, he's a HUMAN!!!!!! and lets support our president.

Obama's Top 4
Pick #1. Teleprompter. Don't speak without it.
Pick #2. Fill my cabinet with tax cheats
Pick #3. Put the country in huge amounts of debt for years to come
Pick #4. Tell the country this is change they can believe in

Many American men and women, husbands, wives and children, enjoy sports as much as President Obama and they too take out time to do just that instead of taking out the trash.

GO ILLINI!!!

To Mari:

Those of us in our 20's and 30's are actually experiencing our second economic downturn of our adult lives. Remember 01-02? Save it. We will be being the debt for the baby boomers excess and fighting their "war on terror" because of their policies for the rest of our lives.

P.S. we support the democrats.

I like Duke and an empty ice cooler for the brew.

I doubt Obama is any better at picking the final four than his nominees for office, but I could be wrong, this may be what he is good at.

My guess is virtually all the people posting negative comments on this article are supposed to be working.

It is what it is. The releasing of his picks is part of a media relations campaign to convince the people that he is one of us nothing more.
It is a strategic move and appears to be working.

who cares? you, media, are so in love with obama. why don't you write about his reckless spending, the fact that they knew about the AIG bonuses before they were sent out, his economic policies receiving failing grades, his incompetent Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, etc.....

My issue isn't the Prez making picks. My issue is that this is somehow newsworthy enough for CNN to bother covering.

And what about the women's tournament????

I guess he's daughters will never play ball

If a "regular" citizen looses a house to the banks,. Why do we(TAX PAYERS) have to bail them out? ?
Now. We get severely penalized if you don't pay mortgage for a couple of months.
However. Workers at AIG are that are part of the biggest blue and white collar mess ever! get Millions in BONUS!
Government demands the money back and AIG says no. Government says Oh! ok we will then wait until you completely disappear all the money the tax payers have had reserve for a future retirement, growth, ect. We are getting robbed with our eyes open and all we do is act outraged?
How about we demand from our government to react NOW and recuperate all of our money while is still around. 'FREEZE' their accounts just like we "FREEZE" Civilian accounts when they owe money. AIG owes us our money back right now because they have failed on providing proper documentation or presentation on how they plan on getting it back to us. They sit at meetings explaining their rights to our money? How does our government fall in to this and what happened to transparency? But don't get me wrong, President Obama needs to have the time for "Pandora's box" to finish exploding on the last administration little secrets and wrong doings. Trust you me! there is gonna be a lot more to come as government gets swept clean. WE NEED TO ACT NOW PLEASE! or we will never get it back when AIG is gone on bankruptcy.
By the way....None of the contracts stated anything about the tax payers money bailing out AIG. or did it?

Money can be replace PEOPLE!! it's the principal of the matter that we should focus.

While I disagree with Obama on his policies (most of them anyway), I can't beleive anyone is being so petty as to deny the man the chance to fill out a NCAA basketball bracket. Basketball is obviously his favorite sport and this is absolutely THE BEST time of the year for a basketball fan. The man may be the President but he is also still a man and a human being. He has to have a few minutes of enjoyable diversion from the pressure cooker that being President of the States must be. BTW, for such an obviously left leaning liberal, he is very conservative with his choices of winners in the final four. Go Tarheels!!!!!

Man, he's really hating on the Pac-10 in the bracket. He only has 1 Pac-10 team making it out of round 1.

You've got to be kidding, the US is in dire straits and he has time to "fiddle around while Rome burn"

That's inexperience for you.

Forget the Final Four! What about some staff picks so the work of government can be carried on. That's what's wrong with this administration, there's not focus, just folly.

To all the Obama critics, please stop acting like yall don't like to have SOME free time and don't start with "If he was a real president, he would be more focused on helping us find jobs." So i guess it's a bad thing for someone that has alot of power to now take a little time off and do what he likes and fill out some NCAA bracketts like the rest of America?? Dang let the man BREATHE for once! He's busting his tail to try and get this economy back together, the LEAST yall can do is give some time to vent and let him have his free time.

And one thing for Mr. Obama.....I don't got Memphis going past the Sweet 16! Lol

When everything seems to be going right, the president past decisions, stock market soaring, and the NCAA March madness, then comes few knuckle mouths from Duke playing basket-spoil.
Dukeys, please stop trying to turn everything around you blue. As a terp, I support any ACC team but not those from NC.
If you wear blue, just fear the turtle.
Go MD Terps!

So, what's the prize if he wins the pool? 410 billion dollars? Another stimulus. Ridiculous.

Watch out for Michigan State. Go Green!

Really? Who cares? I'm really sick of all the over-coverage of this guy. I don't care about his choice of dog, his Super Bowl pick, his Final Four picks, or any other Obama trivia. This is what the media reports, while he plans to squirm out of paying for our veterans' health care, spend the country into oblivion, and diminish our country's defenses. Wake up, people!

That's a relief.

This is SOOOOOOO refreshing! A President who not only has a life outside of the political arena but has the ability to balance his lifestyle while aggressively pursuing the interests of OUR country! God Bless the President and the First family!

His picks are admirable but when Memphis pulls of the Championship I for one will be happy to rub it in the face of ALL doubters! For those who say that conference USA is a "cush" conference need I remind you that Memphis was in the same conference last year and was only a free throw away from the Championship? Also Memphis has the longest winning streak and most wins in a four year stretch in the history of the NCAA. That accomplishment alone drowns out the nay-sayers!

GO MEMPHIS!!!!!

Big "O", Great UNC pick! My winner is the U of L.

He' a new generation President, and he realizes that applealing to the younger demegraphic is the way to go right now!!! Smart man since the x and y generations are no longer the future but the now generation who are going to be taking care of the elders. I like your style Mr. President way to act human and relate to the citizens of the US

With the new depression starting and hundreds of thousands of jobs disappearing every month that will never come back, can't say I can really care about basketball.

Will you people get a grip. Has it dawned on anybody else that this guy has interests like a lot of us? Yeah, he probably doesn't look at his 401(k) account on a daily basis, but, let's see, he likes to: shoot a little hoops, get in the office NCAA pool, check his e-mail and Blackberry Messenger, kiss his wife goodnight and worry about his kids' future. Maybe a dose of a president who thinks about the same stuff that we do would be good for the White House, good for the "good ol' boys" club down the street under the dome and good for America. I, for one, am glad we finally elected somebody who, at least once in a while, thinks about the same stuff I do. And, by the way, I didn't support the guy for election.

I only want to hear news about the president being presidential. When he's resting or being normal, it's not news and not interesting in the least.

heh Picked pitt on one to go all the way and conn on another to go all the way....big east allways has a strong conference...suprised my team syracuse is in....and yes why is it a big deal about the pres and his final 4 picks

I do NOT see North Carolina winning the NCAA championship this year, they choked to Kansas last year during the Final Four.

Memphis could win the whole thing if they stay healthy.

"If GWB had done this he would have been slammed for wasting his time, but when BHO doees a bracket, he's a man of the people. Give me a break!"

I'll take handing out basketball picks over spending half his term on vacation. None of us works 24/7.

All this is great but what is the Prez's prognostication on his home state's Fighting Illini??

Jeez, some of you need to relax. Is he not supposed to ANYTHING else but listen to everyone whine and complain about the way things are going now? You all act like all he been doing is playing basketball since he got in office! Good grief! I guess none of you EVER take a vacation, take a day off or even a break at work? Well, I wish we call all be like you! Wait...I take that back...lmao... I can't believe some of you are whining about this!

Hey all you Obama critics... give the guy a break!!

This is the FIRST real decision Obama has made on his own, without Harry and Nancy telling him what to do.

He's very proud of his basketball picks. Tomorrow he will be making the hard decisions about the White House Easter Egg hunt and how many eggs to color.

LET'S GO DUKE! LET'S GO DUKE! LET'S GO DUKE!

GO BLUE DEVIELS

And his picks for the Women's tournament?

Nice pick!

i respectfully disagree with the President on UCONN, They will be in the final four. Pretty accurate on others especially Memphis

I am so excited!!! These are the same picks as mine.. And I am sure he knows a bit More about basketball than do I. Let's give it a break! It's nice to have a non critical story once in a while..

"If GWB had done this he would have been slammed for wasting his time, but when BHO doees a bracket, he's a man of the people. Give me a break!"

If ONLY the previous Moron in Chief had "wasted" more of his time than "working" while in office we would not be in the financial mess we are today!

president obama should know that the memphis tigers are frauds...that easy C-USA schedule has people fooled....they will be exposed in the sweet 16 if they make it that far

this is a President who's in touch with the life of an average American,how many ordinary folk watch sports after a long day?
Why all the hatred?please,heed the Presidents' advice feed your mind something healthy you ignorant people by investing at least some part of your time in educating yourself,read something maybe history.

Um, you guys to realize that work, work, work burns someone out, right? How effective of a decision-maker is Pres. Obama going to be if he gets burnt out?
That's just silly.
Give the man some down-time to regroup!

We have the coolest President in the world. Continue to have a life outside the pressure cooker which is called THE WHITE HOUSE. We should be glad, that he can be able to relax for if just 15 min in the day. Now as far as his picks go, I don't agree. GO TROJANS, FIGHT ON.

Unbelievable!!!! who cares!!!! we have more important stuff tyo worry about... Obama will you please start taking your job seriously!!!!
Americans would appreciate it!!!

if i pick right ,do i get a government check?

Finally something Obama and I agree on!!!

Though sorry, Mr. President, I think I'll pull ahead of you on the Arizona Utah game....

What the heck is all this moaning and groaning about the President taking time to fill out an NCAA tournament bracket? Have these people ever filled out a bracket? It takes 15 minutes. Yet you lunatics are acting like he is cancelling cabinet meetings to do this. Wow – what a bunch of morons.

Very good selections Mr. President I have the same!

The tournament doesn't end with the Final 4 – who did he pick to win?

It's nice to have a President who is not afraid to say what he thinks, and has real outside interests that balance his obvious intellectual prowess. I will not hold his failure to correctly pick Michigan State against him.

Do you honestly believe he's actually going to sit down and watch many hours of basketball while we have major issues on the home front and abroad?

Heck no!!! He has people watching the games for him that give him updates. )

Just kidding folks. Lighten up...I bet "some" of you don't even put in a real 40 hours at work! Yes, you may be there for 40 hours but, I'm almost certain you don't have 40 productive hours. Do you really think the President of the United States of America has only a 40 hour work week?

I, for one, don't want any President working 24/7...at some point, they need to eat, sleep, take a shower, get laid, and hell, maybe even catch a few minutes of competitive March Madness!

I would like to see this guys bracket sheet, so far it matchs mine.

I hope Reggie lays the smack down on President Obama during their next bball game. Go Duke!

People are missing the point. Watch basketball, who cares. But his final four pics are not news worthy! The state of the US is newsworthy. Reporting on Obama's final four doesn't matter, his four policies he'll use to make the US better WILL... guess he doesn't have any!

After 8 years of GWB, I know this will come as a real shock to some of the people on here, but it IS possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. (BTW, President Nero left office on Jan. 20th for those who hadn't noticed).

I wonder how many Obama-trashers here complained about GWB's robust vacation schedule? The guy couldn't be bothered to show up for work even when he got warnings about an impending terrorist attack or news that a major city was under water.

The fact is that Obama has done more good for this country in 2 months that W did in 8 years. And for all those complaining that he isn't doing enough to improve the employment situation–I'll bet many of you were the same ones complaining about the stimulus bill he pushed through, you know, the one virtually every Republican voted against. If he does something for the economy he's a "socialist." If he doesn't, he's not doing enough. Funny how that works.

Let the guy have a little fun. He needs it with the mess he has to clean up.

Does anybody really care?

It is sad to think that in this day and age, there will be some that really still believe in pearls and fur coats. Get over it! You've elected a regular guy who fortunately for the world is highly educated, very eloquent, charming, very charismatic, and can share a beer and play pickup basketball. Please be kind and understand the he need to have some fun. Cheer up and challenge his picks.

The first three months alone of the Obama administration have seen lobbying activity in Washington increase by 22% over last year — something the Examiner’s Tim Carney calls “a strong indication that President Barack Obama has helped usher in a Golden Era for K Street.”

Obama needs to start acting like a President instead of President of High School who is worried about looking good.

The releasing of his picks is part of a media relations campaign to convince the people that he is one of us. It is a far contrast from all of the doom and gloom we were getting prior to his “stimulus bill” being released.
I wonder for how long you liberals will continue to unfairly blame Bush for “the eight worst years of your life.” So pathetic and misinformed.

This crisis will one day be a blip on the radar. The housing market needs only to right itself after so many bad loans were given and so much “fake money” was borrowed. The only long term effect of this will be the huge amount of debt that president Obama created in order to attempt to fix this issue. And maybe a new sense that supporting American Manufacturing is the key to a healthy future.
Make it a point to buy American when you can!

He has sensible picks.

My bracket is almost the same, but I have Syracuse going to the final four. There's something special about them..

GO: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS >>>>>>>>>>NO. 1

to dennis-

When GWB did things... he went on vacation for weeks (months?) at a time. He was on vacation more time before 9/11 than he spent in washington. And after that, he would be golfing and clearing brush while sending our children off to a pointless war. Obama spent 5 minutes filling out a NCAA bracket and you think that compares to Bush??!! Wake up from the stuff you have been smoking.... you are truley blind.

I thought about making a comment about this, but I have the same final four.

I have no problem with President Nero making his picks, I am a hoops fan and that is one of the few things we share.

It would have been nice if he paid more attention to the AIG bonuses that HE KNEW about, but as long as his bracket is up to date.

As for Arizona getting in on reputation only, he is totally right and makes a great point, funny though, he is an expert on that subject as that is ONE of the reasons why he is YOUR President.

GO MEMPHIS......................

NOW THIS IS NEWS!!!! Clearly what else could possibly be more important to pay attention to right now. And to all of you who say the president is allowed to have a life... WRONG! He holds the most important job in the world. He knew this when he signed up. He should be working on the important issues at hand all day. Especially during times like now. He is a failure! People are losing everything they have saved for their whole lives, and he is living the high life and spending our monies and staying busy worrying about who is gonna be in the final four. God help us.

It has been calculated that in 8 years George W. Bush spent and entire year on vacation–at Camp David and Camp Crawford. One whole year that the soldiers he sent to their deaths will never get back.

I think after GWB has spent an entire year RECREATING, that Barack can watch basketball.

LMAO!!!! To all you idiots who think the president is not addressing the issues of this country, where have you been the last 2 months? Just because our President likes basketball and makes a prediction on the final 4 you people start complaining that he is not doing his job. What a bunch of negative clowns all of you are.

in regards to ME's comments saying the president is acting like a rock star, well he's is a very popular and intellegent man so stop hating. LOL

To whine, complain and criticize all the time is foolish...and most fools do. Give it up people... he's doing great and to frivolously bash him only makes him look better to those who are unsure. People want to be happy... not miserable all the time. Keep up the good work Obama!

I could careless if a President picks the Final Four I do however find it funny that it needs to be written about on a news site or did I click on ESPN by mistake?

btw Memphis will win so at least he got that right!!!!!

People have gone stark raving MAD!!
So now our president can't have a life outside the White House? He's not entitled to his opinion or love of sports?
You people need to take a deep breath and get over your bitterness – and stop letting the media put inane ideas into your heads.
Put the pitchforks away and stop the madness. LOL

Let's hope he gets this right...then he'll be one in a row.

I get it. Lots of time in Crawford (well over 60 different trips) including his famous 5 week vacation in 2005 is acceptable. Bush sets a record for vacations by a president and thats ok. But take a few minutes to talk about sports and its "get back to work" eh? Amazing.

Let's hope he gets this right...then he'll be one in a row.

And Jim Calhoun, the UConn coach, flew in for the inauguration and sat right up front. I doubt any of the other coaches of the final four picks of the president went to that trouble for him. Oh well, politics is fickle.

Thats right Memphis all the way. Obama has a job and he is doing that very well. Get off his jock and let him live his life.

it great to see the prez as a regular guy this man is for real he is one of us by that i mean he is and american i think he is doing a good job an i support him 100% i think he is wrong on his picks i like uconn to win it all go uconn

Hey, he needs some downtime. When he's not focused on the mess t hat George W. Bush created, who was the most stupid president in history by the way, he has to relax in some form or another. He likes basketball. Get over it.

Mr. President, you enjoy your basketball games and don't listen to the naysayer’s who have nothing else to do but criticize you all day long. Get a life people, the president has one.

I take time off, but I am not the President of the United States either. To go on Leno and work out brackets is not what is needed right now from the President. Yesterday I heard on the radio that he was "hitting his job early today" and it was after 9am!!! So don't tell me he is working even close to 24/7 or even 12/7.

He is a good man! But keep hammering on him. Don't let up. Nobody let up on GWB.

So it's acceptable to spend lots of time in Crawford (over 70 different trips) cutting brush on your ranch but not acceptable to play a litlle basketball eh? Who here remembers the 5 WEEK vacation Bush took in 2005? This man set a record for vacation time during his 8 years and you think Obama needs to "concentrate on his job" . Amazing.

when you give kids the aspiration of playing games AND getting paid tens of millions of dollars for playing that game... at the same time that tens of thousands of people are losing their menial paying jobs ... well.. it all sucks, good luck on your pics president obama, i will not be making my picks this year.... i get my relief from running, not watching others play a game.

And this is relevant to the US why? It's irrelevant biased news like this that got this guy in office. Sad.

Not too long ago you anti-Obama-at-all-costs folks were criticizing him for his elitism, and Ivy league 'professorial' tone.

Now he shows a brief moment as an 'average American' basketball lover–in the midst of working hard to fix the economy that the previous president let tank–and you all criticize him for it.

He played the game in college and still plays pickup regularly; he's allowed to express interest in it.

Or do you Republicans now want to push for a boycott of the NCAA?

All the folks who are criticizing the President for making NCAA picks need to get a life. It's refreshing to have a president that just does regular things. Don't be such a stuffed-shirt "Me". He was asked, and he answered...good grief. As long as we have hatem we will never fully recover.

OMG the nerve!!!! What an elitist!!! Next thing you know... this guys gonna be doing things like watching TV....or ......EATING....... Its socialism I tell ya.... the government is out to get us..... fear everything!!!

Mr. President enjoy yourself. The economy is going to get better. Our prayers are with you and our great country. Love Ya!

If GWB had done this he would have been slammed for wasting his time, but when BHO doees a bracket, he's a man of the people. Give me a break!

Come on, guys, give him a break. President Bush spent 48% of his time during his first 8 months in office clearing brush in Crawford. Don't tell me our basketball-crazy President can't take 5 minutes to fill out an NCAA bracket. I filled out 4 on my lunch break yesterday.

I love this president. Yes, he talks about basketball a lot, but so do most men.

Kudos Mr. President, hang in there.

Geez will you all let up...He isnt going to please everyone on everything. Basketball happens to be a sport he loves and is making a PIC SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It takes all of 5 min...he can have 5 min cant he??????????? Some of you need to walk in his shoes for a day or so then we can all complain about you and your work day.

Boy if G.W. Bush had this type of coverage he would be rated as the best president ever.
--------

You mean the kind of coverage he got when the collective media all looked the other way when he lied to start a war, ignored the victims of Katrina, drove the country into financial ruin, and destroyed the reputation of the US every where around the world? Seems to me, Dubya got a free ride for the entire 8 years.

why the hate? you clicked on the link to this article. you say its not newsworthy, yet still went on to check out the article.

hypocrites

Some of you people act like the The Prez of the US.. should be un-human and do nothing but work work work..lol .. like you take ur work home everyday and do nothing but work work work.. we have had plenty of Prez in the past that get into sports just as many of you on this blog does..and i'm sure you will be watching the games as well if you are into basketball.. i mean can the man eat, take a nap, take a shower, play with his daughters with you guys jumping down his throat.. GW didnt even get on natinal T.V. but a few time while he was Prez for 8yrs and drag this Country down to its kneess and spent way to much mone on a war that should not have been and everytime he mad a public statement no 1 had a clue as to what he was even talking about more than half the time, but you have a problem with a man that has been working his tail of trying to come up with something to help America out .. not other countries but America .. and he wants to take a few moments to enjoy a basketball game and you have a problem with this .. gotta laught at some of people ..

All of you complaining, saying that he should be focused on his job – it's just that, a job. He has time for recreation, too. Don't tell me all of you are focused on YOUR jobs 24/7.

To those of you who say he's concentrating on sports instead of his job, I take that to mean that all of you work 24/7 and NEVER take any time to watch sports or have down time. Seriously, are you being that hypocritical? It is foolish to believe that the POTUS must always be engaged in "serious stuff." All of us require down time, or else we would go batty. That is especially true of the President.

I am still amazed at the hatefulness on these blogs.

The President is doing a good job, he has his head screwed on right and he has a right to a bit of levity.

Give the guy a break.

Just goes to show you that he CAN deal with the economic crisis, close guantanamo, fight wars, meet with world leaders, and watch the NCAA's. I'm proud that a OUR president can multitask. Go Louisville and go President Obama!

Go North Carolina!!! W00-H00!!!

Some of you need to get the sticks out of your butts and join the rest of us in the 21st century. The president doesn't have to be a stuffed shirt. And frankly, I LIKE reading light news every once in a while?
Why does it have to be all gloom and doom?
People *do* have other interests, even when they have the weight of the world on their backs right now!

Anything that helps take his mind off this economic mess America has sunken deeper into since his election..

It is very important for every American to balance their life with light issues to complement their heavy work schedules and avoid burn out. What would you rather have, a president taking 10 minutes filling out his basketball picks or a president taking much more time in a shrinks office?

On behalf of all of the Memphis fans, thank you for believing in us Mr. President!!!!

Go Tigers!!!!!

Memphis was in the finals last year...what happen to all this talk about change...UConn all the way!

Oh come on,,,, it probably took just few minutes of his vaulable time.. yes, I would like to see him be light hearted in a time like this. Sheesh! Get on with it folks! Even in dark times, you need to stop and smell the flowers... and embrace what you do have. Thank goodness for sports! It does take your mind off of things !

Everything mentioned on the ticker does not have to be fire and brimstone. This is simply a light hearted moment. Take it for what it is...

Well, looks like he's going to have his NCAA pool ruined right from the start, since he didn't pick Michigan State, which will be in the FINAL FOUR right here in Detroit! Final four will be Michigan State, Oklahoma, Villanova, and Memphis. The #1 seeds this year are completely overrated, especially Louisville. They're just not that good, and the Big East is overrated as well.

Spare me.

The Office of the President is supposed to be dignified, solemn, and important. Instead we have a guy walking around pointing at people all the time like he's a rock star, rolling his sleeves up in the Oval Office (which a banker wouldn't be caught dead doing in their office), going on Leno like he's promoting a movie, and making NCAA basketball picks.

You're supposed to be the President, not a celebrity. Act like one.

You people are just silly! Do you expect him to work 24/7/52? Is the man not allowed anything beyond the oval office?

The President, like many, many Americans, has an interest in basketball.... Many, many like my husband and my boss. My husband works 65 hours a week (with NO overtime) and my boss does about the same. Yet each of them is allowed to have an interest in and enjoy the college playoffs.

Do we want a President who will burn out in 6 months, or do we want a President who is in for the long haul? ALL humans need down time to recover and refresh. You are just silly if you expect less of President Obama.

My Goodness... can't the man enjoy a little levity during his day? Quit whining... I personally am happy that President Obama can enjoy a few moments to do something he enjoys. All work and no play makes for a lousy life... no matter who you are.

people he's a regular first !!!!!

cut him some slack !!!!

Welcome to the "Smoke and Mirror" show.

Nothing like outrage over bonuses he was aware of and basketball to keep his sheeple distracted from the real issues at hand.

it is obvious that the president's detractors will never be happy about anything,,,"he's doing too much,,,he's not doing enough,,,why isn't he working?" President Bush broke the record for time on vacation during his FIRST term,,let alone hissecond,,,the guy is working on our nations problems but like all humans he needs a little down timw,,,how many of you work 24 hours a day seven days a week?,,,answer is none of you

He also picked Emanuel,Gibbs, Geithner and Biden. Good luck on his picks here.

Working hard, I see. Unbelievable.

To the whiners, lighten up.

The man is a hoops fan. Just like a lot of the rest of us.

And for us hoops fans, March is the best month of the year!

So pass the popcorn and enjoy the best college basketball you're gonna find anywhere–158 games over the next 4 weeks.

Still Time For Sports – Remember, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.....Barack needs an outlet to clear his head.

Here's that hard hitting main stream media coverage of President Obama just like during the election. Boy if G.W. Bush had this type of coverage he would be rated as the best president ever.

@ Karen: Stop being so silly. He is concentrating on the numerous items he has inherited and furthermore, CNN chose to make this a story. The man can still enjoy basketball and be a human can't he, or is that just for the Bush's?

Hey President, how about staffing the Department of the Treasury instead of filling out your basketball brackets and flying to Hollywood to appear on Leno? Out of 18 appointed positions in the DoT you've only filled one and I'd say that Geithner has been a disaster so far. I'm still waiting for the Democrats to say, "Just kidding!" and seat Hillary in the Oval Office.

I used to respect the Office of the President regardless of who was in the office, but if this is what it has devolved to, I'm not sure I can continue to offer my respect.

This man's capacity for work is amazing.

He works longer and harder than many of his predecessors and still finds time to engage in "common man" pursuits like attending basketball games and filling out the NCAA brackets.

So much for all those, "he's an elitist" diatribes during the campaign.

PS: Notice that I didn't slam one predecesor in particular.

this is not about policy or values or focus or even time to waste, it is a light hearted moment the president enjoys. This just in–he likes sports–hes human.

Great, Washington, D.C. is burning, Caeser is asking Brutus, "Et tu, Brutus?" and President Smoke and Mirrors here is talking about the NCAA Final Four. This is just another distraction from Obama, another typical day in the life of our president who campaigned on so much change that we changed right back to the Clinton Administration. I guess thinking about the Final Four and tracing your ancestors back to Ireland is more important than doing what you said you were going to do, right? Looks that way. McCain is looking better and better all the time.

I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm pissed that he is talking about sports at a time like this.

He SHOULD be focused on the many tough issues we face. Basketball picks are not news.
This is not dress rehersal Mr. President – you are the man. Let's get something going on jobs (real jobs) and the economy.

I am surprised he could come up with enough picks to fill his bracket, we've all seen he can't pick a full staff.

Plus, way to go out on a limb there, Obama, three #1's and a #2.

Here we have some "lighter" news! Thank God! There is SO much gloom-and-doom........... that this is refreshing!

One thing we, Americans, must remember is that we have been through tough times before!

I know that the "scared" people are mostly the 20-30-something crowd who are just now experiencing the first economic downturn of their adult lives. To the scared people I say: Fear is not from God, fear paralyzes you, fear adds nothing to your life!

Thanks for the article CNN.

hey jeff having an interest in basket ball isn't meaningless - people have all kinds of interests – sports, theatre, etc.; life is meant to be fun

"But they just squeaked in based on reputation," Obama said

Could not have said it better myself. Arizona will fail to show up like always.

What's important? Why is this newsworthy? Who cares who Obama has picked in his final four? I am out of a job. It is obvious that Obama is more interested in his basketball picks and in appearing on Leno as if he were campaigning for reelection. This guy is a joke and I would prefer that he get to work and focus on fixing the economy and creating jobs then on who wins a stupid and unimportant basketball game when compared to the problems that so many Americans have right now.

Whoever voices negative opinions about this story is still bitter. Our president is a real and very talented man.

It's good to see that the President has a human side. He's the "People's President."

You got that Arizona right, they're just riding Lute's legacy to the tournament.

you know – this president says there's no time to waste, and we have to do everything at once, which means spending lots of money on everything. It seems he has tons of time to keep track of all the teams on the NCAA roster.

PO should thro a final4 party at the WH... To all you haters that say he needs to be focusing on the economy, instead of Bball right now...he IS focused on the economy, but give em a break Geeez, let the man be a man and watch his sports every once in a while.

you sound like a bunch of nagging house wives, nagging their husbands on game day...

This is a joke right...Lighten up....A little laughter goes a long way

Hey I'ma Duke fan too. I think we're in the final four.

I'm still trying to figure out how UConn got a #1 seed

Another day in the White House for President Nero.

It never ceases to amaze me how something this meaningless captivates America. Talk about messed up values?

WHO CARES what his picks are.
He is going on Jay Leno.
What is he the president or a celebrity
Sorry he is now the odds maker on the latest sports station

Glad he is focused on the tough issues we face today!

Mr. President, Duke will be in the Final Four.

Cameron Crazies

I think I made better picks for the NCAA, you're going down Pres