The Obama Diaries

by Laura Ingraham

  and religion, 199–200;

  Republican defeat in, 345;

  and what is America, 5, 6, 10

  Elizabeth II (queen), 273, 274

  Emanuel, Rahm: and abortion, 43;

  and advice for defeating Obama agenda, 341–42;

  and Aunt Zeituni situation, 202;

  and Debt Commission, 129;

  and demonizing enemies, 321;

  and elections of 2010, 341–42, 349;

  and entertaining at White House, 77;

  and health care, 37, 276, 331–32, 333–34, 342;

  and immigration, 145–46;

  manners and protocol of, 276–77;

  and marriage debate, 62–63;

  and Massachusetts special election, 268, 269;

  and Obama approval ratings, 334;

  and Obama Business Roundtable speech, 132–33;

  and Obama extended family, 57;

  and physical fitness, 158, 160;

  and Rogers resignation, 107;

  and Rogers-White House crashers incident, 100;

  and search for a church, 206;

  shower room tactic of, 276–77;

  and Virginia gubernatorial election, 265

  emergency preparedness, 171–72

  Energy and Commerce, U.S. House Committee on, 147

  entitlement programs, 59–60, 111–12, 129, 147–48, 196

  environment: taxes concerned with, 61

  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , U.S., 97, 103, 140, 141

  Enzi, Mike, 119

  Erickson, Erick, 109

  Evergreen Chapel (Camp David), 211–12

  exceptionalism, American, 11–16, 18

  Fairness Doctrine, 316

  faith: and decline of U.S., 335;

  as influence on all aspects of life, 214–15;

  nature of, 178;

  Obama description of, 178–79, 194, 204–14;

  as political necessity, 199–200;

  and reason, 194;

  relationship of government and, 176;

  and religion, 176–79;

  role in America of, 176, 199

  Faith-Based Advisory Council, 201–2

  Falsani, Cathleen, 178–79

  family: Biden, 32–33;

  as building block of society, 33–34;

  dinners, 64;

  and family values, 38–39;

  helping other, 65;

  ideal, 32;

  marriage as foundation of, 62;

  modeling good behavior in, 64–65;

  as moral issue, 200;

  need for discretion in, 64;

  Obama as advocate for, 63;

  and Obama economic policies, 59–61;

  Obama notions of, 53;

  politicians’ commitment to, 65;

  private activities of first, 68;

  and quality time with children, 65;

  and recommendations for insulating family from cultural and political assaults, 64–66. See also abortion; family, Obama; fatherhood; marriage

  family, Obama: child rearing ideas in, 50–52;

  family tree of, 53–59;

  image of, 37–46;

  media coverage of, 31–34, 36, 38, 47–48;

  Michelle’s role in, 39, 40, 50;

  relationships among members of, 34–37, 39–40, 46–52, 64;

  Too Much Information about, 39–41. See also specific member

  family planning, 42, 43–44. See also abortion

  Fannie Mae, 123–24, 134

  fatherhood, 59, 64, 200–201

  Favreau, Jon, 15, 62, 301, 342

  Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 15

  Federal Reserve, 130

  The Federalist Papers (Hamilton, Madison, and Jay), 29

  Feinberg, Kenneth, 133

  “Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee” proposal, 134

  financial regulatory reform, 135–38

  Financial Services Committee, U.S. House, 131

  Fisher, Elliott, 116

  Fitzgerald, Frances, 18

  Flexner, James T., 29

  Focus on the Family, 193

  food industry, 162

  Food Network: Michelle on, 104

  food stamps, 60, 130

  Ford, Harold, Jr., 40–41

  Ford Motor Corporation, 140

  foreign relations: apologies as ineffective in, 236–44;

  apologies for U.S., 219–27;

  and apologies for U.S. domestic concerns, 231–34;

  bad guys in, 228–31;

  and bashing friends, 235–36;

  Biden comments about, 220–21, 233–34;

  and bowing of Obama, 233–34;

  briefings for Obama about, 224–25;

  characteristics of Obama approach to, 217–18;

  and China role in world, 249–51;

  and decline of U.S., 248–51, 335;

  diplomacy as tool in, 218, 219, 220;

  and elections of 2008, 254;

  future of U.S., 252;

  and Michelle, 225, 236–37;

  Michelle teaching Sasha and Malia about, 245–46;

  and motives of world leaders, 244–45;

  and negotiating with terrorists, 219;

  and nuclear weapons, 21, 216–17, 219, 228–29, 240–41, 243, 244–45;

  Obama criticism of U.S., 226;

  and Obama popularity, 218–19, 220, 244–45;

  and power of U.S., 247–48;

  presidential domination of, 251–52;

  problems with Obama approach to, 228–36;

  during Reagan administration, 330

  Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate, 234

  founding principles, 12, 17, 25, 26, 28, 110

  France, 13, 221, 284–85

  Frank, Barney, 133, 279, 305, 307

  Franks, Trent, 75

  Freddie Mac, 123–24, 134

  Frye, Jocelyn, 86

  G-8 Summit (Rome, Italy), 283, 284, 285

  G-20 Summit (London, 2009), 12, 221, 274

  Game Change (Halperin and Heilemann), 290, 291–92

  Gates, Henry Louis, 56, 288–89

  Gates, Robert, 240, 243, 251

  gay marriage, 61, 63, 194

  gay rights, 208

  Geffen, David, 79

  Geithner, Timothy, 133, 167, 249–50, 338–39

  Genachowski, Julius, 324

  General Motors, 47, 134, 139, 140, 142

  Georgetown University: Obama speech at, 188

  Gettelfinger, Ron, 143–44

  Gibbs, Robert: and Aunt Zeituni situation, 202;

  and Biden comments about religion, 214;

  and Bo the dog, 94;

  Catholicism of, 193;

  and death panel, 120;

  and demonizing enemies, 309, 315–16, 320, 321;

  and elections of 2010, 349;

  and gifts from heads of state, 273;

  and immigration, 145–46;

  and Indonesian trip of Obama, 286;

  and marriage debate, 62;

  and Obama narcissism, 16, 259, 315–16;

  Robinson (Marian) comment about, 90;

  and Rogers resignation, 105, 106;

  and Rogers-White House crashers incident, 100;

  and Russia-U.S. relations, 45–46;

  and search for a church, 184–85, 206, 212;

  and Tea Party movement, 301

  gifts: for world leaders, 222, 271–74

  Gingrich, Newt, 265, 302

  Giuliani, Rudy, 297, 298

  Givhan, Robin, 279–80

  GM Corporation, 131, 134, 139, 140

  God: politicizing, 193–204

  Goldman Sachs, 135–36, 138

  Gorbachev, Mikhail, 46, 345

  Gore, Al, 69, 238, 239, 244

  Gore, Tipper, 239

  government: expansion of, 147–48, 231, 310;

  relationship of faith and, 176:

  takeovers by, 111–49.

  Government Accountability Office (GAO), 281

  government assistance, 1
14, 130–38. See also entitlement programs; welfare; specific program

  government departments: Michelle “drop-bys” at, 96–97

  Governors’ Dinner, White House, 78, 100, 104–5

  Graham, Lindsey, 345

  Green, Edward, 201

  greenhouse gas emissions, 243

  Grocery Manufacturers Association, 162

  Guantanamo (Cuba), 13, 222

  Guevara, Che, 318

  Gulf Coast oil spill, 42, 288

  Gupta, Sanjay, 79

  Guy, Jasmine, 19

  Haim, Laura, 189

  Haiti, 11, 35, 36, 322

  Halperin, Mark, 290, 291–92

  Hamilton, Alexander, 17, 28, 29, 80

  Hanks, Tom, 20, 24–25, 322

  Hannity, Sean, 207, 297, 312, 317

  Hanson, Victor Davis, 13

  Hartshorn, Peggy, 65

  Harvard Law School, 48, 138, 208–9, 256

  Harvard University, 55

  Hawaii, 151–52, 173–75, 257, 258–59, 281

  Hawkins, Derrick, 180

  Hawthorne, Christopher, 70

  Hay-Adams Hotel (Washington, DC): Obama family at, 8

  Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of, 43, 59, 97, 115

  health care: and abortion, 44;

  and advice for defeating Obama agenda, 336, 340, 341, 343, 344, 350;

  American satisfaction with, 115–16;

  and bipartisanship, 344;

  and Catholicism, 194–98;

  and culture of dependence, 147–48;

  Democratic ad about, 276;

  and demonizing enemies, 303, 306, 307–8, 309–10, 318–21, 324–25;

  and economic issues, 115–16, 120–21, 129, 333;

  emotional manipulations about, 116–18;

  and insurance industry, 146;

  lawsuits about, 118;

  mandate for, 118–23;

  and Massachusetts special election, 268, 269, 270;

  Michelle concerns about, 38, 104;

  and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, 267–68;

  Obama campaign for, 206, 312;

  Obama consideration of changes to bill for, 37;

  and Obama family relations, 35, 36;

  and Obama family vacations, 286–87;

  and Obama first day of school address, 99;

  and Obama International Olympic Committee presentation, 102;

  Obama views about, 114–16;

  passage of reform of, 270;

  polls concerning, 333;

  “preventive,” 121-22;

  quality of American, 115–16;

  and Seder celebration, 190;

  signing ceremony for reform of, 118;

  and TARP, 130–31;

  and Tea Party movement, 303, 306;

  and U.S. debt, 129;

  votes about, 270, 277–278, 286–87, 307–8. See also anti-obesity movement; physical fitness; vegetable garden, White House; specific person

  Heartbeat International, 65

  Heilemann, John, 290, 291–92, 317

  Herbert, Bob, 319

  Heritage Foundation, 60, 130

  Hesburgh, Father Theodore M., 198

  Holden, John, 250

  Holder, Eric, 138, 145

  Homeland Security, U.S. Department of, 58, 97, 144, 145, 307

  homosexuality, 61–62, 63, 194, 208, 305, 346–47

  Honduras, 235, 236

  “The House I Live In” (song), 1, 3, 9, 11, 17, 26

  housing, 60, 110, 123–24. See also mortgages

  Hu Jintao, 217, 233, 250, 251

  Huckabee, Mike, 106, 319–20, 321

  Hudson, Jennifer, 79

  Huffington, Arianna, 121

  Hughes, Corey, 147

  Hughes, Henrietta, 111–12, 113, 147–48

  human rights, 61, 62, 201, 243

  Huntley, Chet, 32

  Hurricane Katrina, 171, 173

  Hussain, Rashad, 189–90

  Ifill, Gwen, 319

  immigration, 3–4, 80, 83, 144–46, 202–4, 227, 307, 324, 344, 346

  Imus, Don, 318

  inauguration, Obama, 4–5, 57–58, 82, 181, 274

  Independent Payment Advisory Board, 120–21

  Independents: and demonizing enemies, 321

  India, 222

  Indian Americans, 290

  Indonesia, 55, 286

  industry: Obama hostility to, 335

  Ingraham, Laura, 323–24

  Inside the White House (NBC-TV special), 94

  insurance industry, 146

  Interior Department, U.S., 96, 97

  International Olympic Committee, 102

  Iowa, 299, 312

  Iran, 217, 218–19, 240, 243, 244, 251, 335

  Iraq, 10, 20, 84, 234, 243, 275

  Iron Chef America (Food Network show): Michelle on, 104

  Israel, 235, 248, 329

  Japan: Obama visit to, 222–23

  Jarrett, Valerie: and Aunt Zeituni situation, 202;

  and Barack-Michelle first meeting, 45;

  and Biden, 335;

  and demonizing enemies, 304, 318;

  and elections of 2010, 349;

  and entertaining at White House, 77;

  and health care, 267, 333;

  and International Olympic Committee presentation, 102;

  and Obama narcissism, 259–60, 261–64;

  and Rogers at MTV dinner, 92;

  Rogers friendship with, 72, 102;

  and Rogers-White House crashers incident, 100;

  and search for a church, 184–85

  Jefferson, Thomas, 4, 28

  Jindal, Bobby, 78, 99

  jobs, 125, 129–30, 132–33, 152, 206, 333, 339, 341

  John Paul II (pope), 175

  Johnson, James, 124

  Johnson, Paul, 29

  Johnson, Tanya, 147–48

  Johnston, Camille, 39, 323

  Joint Chiefs of Staff, 25

  Jones, James Earl, 80

  Jones, Jim, 219, 224

  Jones, Van, 318

  Joshua Generation Project, 200

  Kaczynski, Lech, 236

  Kagan, Elena, 43, 318

  Kaine, Tim, 265

  Kass, Sam, 91, 154, 164

  Keehan, Carol, 195–96, 197

  Kennedy, Edward “Ted,” 36, 94, 100, 268, 269

  Kennedy, Jacqueline, 73

  Kennedy, John F., 150

  Kessler, Glen, 235

  Key, Francis Scott, 329

  King, Martin Luther, Jr., 59, 180

  Klein, Joe, 317

  Knox, Harry, 201

  Korean War, 27, 343

  Kornblut, Anne E., 187

  Krauthammer, Charles, 240, 256

  Kroft, Steve, 218–19

  La Raza, 145

  LaBash, Matt, 168

  LaPook, Jon, 114

  Lauer, Matt, 212, 213, 314

  Lee, Sheila Jackson, 278

  Leibovich, Mark, 260, 261

  Leno, Jay, 276

  “Let’s Move.” See anti-obesity campaign

  Levin, Carl, 135–36, 137, 138

  Levin, Mark, 313

  Lewis, Carl, 102

  Lewis, Emanuel, 118

  Lewis, John, 308

  Lewis, Reggie, 289

  liberals: and abortion, 201;

  and advice for defeating Obama agenda, 336–37, 344, 347;

  and apologies of Obama, 231–32;

  and big government, 231–32;

  and culture of dependence, 149;

  and demonizing enemies, 306, 307–8, 324–25;

  domination of media by, 344;

  as elites, 6–7;

  and entitlement programs, 112;

  and mortgages, 123;

  and religion, 193;

  and Russia-U.S. relations, 230;

  and tax increases, 128;

  and what is America, 6–7. See also specific person

  Limbaugh, Rush, 152, 314, 315–16, 317

  Lincoln Memorial, 82, 181–82

  Littwin, Mike,
70

  Loewen, James, 18

  logo, Obama, 67, 256–57

  London, England: Obamas’ visits to, 283, 284, 285

  Long, Wendy, 65

  Love, Reggie: and Aunt Zeituni situation, 57, 203–4;

  and Bo the dog, 95;

  and Catholicism, 193;

  and gifts from heads of state, 273;

  in Iowa with Obama, 312;

  and Limbaugh talk show, 315;

  and marriage debate, 63;

  and narcissism of Obama, 305;

  Obama golf games with, 173, 174, 185;

  Obama watching TV with, 24;

  and Obama’s narcissism, 263;

  and Obamas’ search for a church, 181;

  and physical fitness, 166;

  and search for a church, 182, 183;

  and Sidwell Friends School visit, 36;

  and Sunday morning basketball, 187–88;

  and vacations of Obama, 283, 285;

  Vatican visit of, 191, 192

  Lowey, Nita, 37, 83

  loyalty, 26, 27, 350

  Maddow, Rachel, 195, 309, 319

  magazines: Obama stories in, 31–34, 36, 38

  “Make It Right NOLA” foundation, 83

  Malkin, Michelle, 102, 109

  Mandela, Nelson, 59

  manners and protocol, 271–81, 288–94, 295

  Mao Zedong, 19, 23, 318

  marketing: of Obama, 67–74

  marriage, 32, 33–34, 61–62, 63–64, 194

  Martha’s Vineyard, 52, 270, 281

  Martin, Roland, 48

  Massa, Eric, 276–78

  Massachusetts: special election in (2010), 35, 37, 116, 268–70

  May Day protests, 146

  McCain, John, 220, 297, 298, 350

  McCain, Meghan, 34

  McCarrick, Ted, 214

  McCartney, Paul, 80

  McCaskill, Claire, 135–36, 137

  McClatchy News Service, 285

  McConnell, Mitch, 138

  McCormick Lelyveld, Katie, 39, 86–87, 155

  McCullough, David, 28–29

  McDonnell, Bob, 264, 265, 266

  McHenry, James, 328

  McVeigh, Timothy, 309, 311

  Meacham, John, 161

  media: and advice for defeating Obama agenda, 345;

  and Bo the dog, 93;

  coverage of Obama family life by, 38, 47–48;

  and demonizing enemies, 298, 310–11, 313–25;

  liberal domination of, 344;

  and marketing offensive of Obama, 67–74;

  Michelle views about, 38, 92;

  nontraditional, 109;

  Obama manipulation of, 336;

  Obama meeting with pundits of, 318–19;

  and Obama narcissism, 257;

  and Obama vacations, 283;

  and White House vegetable garden, 91. See also specific person or organization

  Medicaid, 148, 333

  Medicare, 60, 122, 333

  Medvedev, Dmitry, 218, 222, 229–30, 241

  Memorial Day, 288

  mentoring program: of Michelle, 81

  Merkel, Angela, 12, 242, 283

  Mexico City Policy, 42

  Mikulski, Barbara, 326

  Milbank, Dana, 259