Obama: New dog could be 'mutt like me'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/11/07/art.bomaliahug1107.gi.jpg caption="President-elect Obama told reporters Friday that his eldest daughter, Malia, has allergies which might preclude the family from adopting a shelter dog which would likely be a 'mutt' like Obama."]
(CNN) – In his first press conference since winning the race to the White House, President-elect Barack Obama addressed a pressing question: who is going to be the first dog?
Obama told a group of reporters in Chicago on Friday that since his 10-year-old daughter, Malia, is allergic, the Obama family is looking for a hypoallergenic breed. But Obama also said the family wants to adopt one from a shelter.
Watch: Obama talks about the first dog
“There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, but on the other hand our preference is to get a shelter dog, but obviously, a lot of the shelter dogs are mutts like me,” Obama said. “So, whether we are going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”
Obama is of mixed racial heritage: His mother was Caucasian and his father was African.
Obama announced in his victory speech on Election Day that his daughters had “earned” a puppy. Obama joked that this is a “major issue” and said that since Election Day, the family’s dog choice has created more interest than any other topic.
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I LOVE this man, he's awesome!
It is outrageous that Obama did not support gays in the California marriage initiative.
Does he not believe in equal rights for all people? Or are equal rights only for blacks?
He showed us that he is a true politician, not a great leader in the mold of Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR.
Uh, still waiting for that "Conservative hate incoming". The funny thing is that since there is no "McSame" or "Caribou Barbie" to slam about anymore these boards have gone amazingly silent.
Most every voice I have heard coming from the Conservative side since the election has been, "I did not vote for or agree with everything Obama ran on, but he is now our president and I will be behind him." I have also heard most conservatives saying that they hope Obama does well and is successful. At the end a majority want America to do well no matter who is in charge.
Of course I still tune into MSNBC and HBO and see Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Bill Maher, et al ripping into Palin (really? still?), McCain, etc. The problem with those liberal talking heads is they were created and built around a hatred for Bush and everything Republican. Now it seems they won't know what to fill a full hour with after January 20th.
How about a miniature poodle with a puppy cut? No girlie haircuts, have a REAL dog. Thats what we have and she is wonderful! We found her, so she is like a poung dog...but in no way is our Sadie a "girlie dog." She is a regular, low maintenance, happy dog who loves kids, doesnt shed, and is a joy to be around. Perfect for allergic folks. She weighs only 9lbs. but can be a lap dog or a runner....She has been hunting, fishing, boating, camping...she has had a better life than alot of Americans. \
I totally recommend a dog like ours!
justwow: As you probably noticed by now, CNN does have a front-page story on the actual content of the press conference, and for that matter they have a full transcript of the entire statement and Q&A. So since that's there, there's nothing wrong with also putting a light-hearted piece on the Ticker.
Joe in NJ joked about a llama, but take a look at some of the other White House pets over the years. There's been snakes, a hippo, an alligator, and plenty of other pretty weird stuff.
This story is an example of the brain-dead stupidity of the media, picking up on a trivial comment like this instead of reporting the substantive content of the news conference.
I have a labradoodle! Best dog I've ever owned. I second the motion, Karen.
Wow very impressive, and the guy can speak in complete sentences unlike W!
I am also impressed with Rick Sanchez move over Wolf!
Hi comment and the term he used, mutt, clearly points to his inner angst over being bi-racial. There is always a bit a Freudian truth in our jokes.
He should not be hung up on the fact he is bi-racial, but in reviewing his past, he clearly was....maybe is.
i love this guy i mean that one.
He didnt tell her she was a mutt, he said he was. this is how stupid rumors spread.
Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun Times points out that Obama is insisting his replacement in the Senate be black. Not the best candidate, but the blackest. Is this the way to start
Ok, I thought it was pretty funny how he was making the selection of the dog seem so serious. Little things like this I feel make you see these people are not just politicians but humans.
I thought it was funny.
I am also of mixed race, caucasian and african and have been called
every name imaginable including "mutt". I think that it is great that we
are able to make fun of ourselves and laugh at the things and names
that ignorant people say and call us. Obama is truly a great uniter
and a wonderful politician!
I am not offended by the "mutt" comment.
Nobody should be as we are all mixed; whether it be with African, Mexican, Spanish, French, Danish, English, Italian, etc.
And for another thing, Obama is only half black. Hello, what happened to the other half? Oh wait, I forgot... as long as you are the majority, you are not allowed to be proud of your race.
All in all, the media will of course focus on just the "mutt" comment. In reality, everything Obama says and does the next four years will determine the initial perception of all mixed people everywhere.
'No Like', do you really believe President-Elect Obama thinks himself as well as his beautiful daughters to be mutts? It's ok. Lighten up and laugh it off. Very few, if any, in this coutry and/or world can say they are "pure blood" anything. Self-ribbing is good for the soul...others who will use this term in a derogatory manner is sick in the head anyway...
Who cares? Get to governing.
Hey, he's got a sense of humor. Awesome. In these tough times (my own boyfriend just got laid off from his job this week), anything that makes people smile is cool by me.
Hope the Obamas find the right dog for their family.
Pray for our nation.
Pray for the President-elect.
Most Americans are also Mutts. We come from multi ethnicities. I am native American, Dutch, Irish, French, and who knows what else.
Put a lipstick on that pit bull
Barry why are you not in Hawaii for your Grandmas funeral?
Guess she is to "typical" to care about now.
RESCUE A GREYHOUND!!!!
Leah: so true. A country of mutts.
In Hawaii, the *mutt* would be called a *poi dog*
He needs to introduce a little island-speak to the nation.
Those girls are darling. It will be such fun to watch them blossom and grow. Cute and smart. Elegant things.
Everything this guy said of substance in his response to the economy. What you have in lights is ".. a mutt like me" is what makes the news.
Come on folks.