Obama Friend: "Plain Old Barack Is Gone"

The Washington Post talks to friends of President-elect Barack Obama about the inevitable changes in his life:

A familiar number showed up on Terry Link's cellphone last week, the one that belonged to the friend he tutored in politics, dominated in golf and sometimes referred to playfully as "Ears." At least once each week for almost a decade, the Illinois state senator had talked on the phone to Barack Obama, but now the number seemed to belong to somebody else.

"This time I answered, 'Hello, Mr. President,' " Link said. "When he called, it used to just be 'Hey, Barack. What's going on?' But plain old Barack is gone."

Obama's home in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood has become a compound guarded ever more closely by bomb-sniffing dogs and Secret Service agents who peer through binoculars at neighboring rooftops. When he travels around the city, it is in an armored limousine and 20-car motorcade, so he has mainly stayed bunkered at home or a downtown transition office. Last week, Obama told one friend that he felt "a little boxed in."

This is only the beginning of the transformation that awaits the president-elect and his family. In two months, they will move into a sterile house in a unfamiliar city where they have never felt particularly comfortable. Friends say Obama is savoring these final weeks in Chicago and spending as much time as possible with his family before he takes the oath of office Jan. 20.

During his political rise, Obama safeguarded times of normalcy and credited them for keeping him sane. A run on the treadmill in the early morning. An evening meander through 57th Street Books. Date night with his wife, Michelle, at one of their favorite restaurants. Pickup basketball at a gym downtown.

Obama already has learned that his mundane routine will be difficult to replicate as president, but his friends say that establishing some kind of similar comfort zone is critical to his success in Washington. They consider it one of the most pressing -- and most challenging -- issues of Obama's transition: How can he create a life as president that keeps him happy?

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[Tulka2]

Good! We voted for him because we knew he could step up and he has. Bless and keep him.

[lifesucks]

The in-between periods are always a little difficult. As the P.E., Obama is almost the president but not quite yet so he can't go full force and has to tread lightly. I strongly believe that once he's sworn in then Obama can get back into his zone.

[Tulka2]

One reason i voted for Obama was because he seems to be the only presidential candidate in my long life for whom the run for president was not an ego trip. He AND Michele signaled from the beginning they knew the next eight years (fingers crossed) were going to be a SACRIFICE of time and personal development. Bless them.

[Ksisay]

The President Elect misses solo walks, but I think he also misses being able to mingle at whim, with regular folk. Despite what I see as some mystifying Cabinet choices, this is why I remain optimistic about him bringing real change despite the disaster mess he's inherited. Barack Obama walked the streets and organized the meetings that everyday working and poor people attended. He's been listening to their concerns since way before he ever ran for president. He went to school as a low-income student on scholarship, lived in Harlem and learned NYC by walking through its neighborhoods.

He's the first Pres in a long time not born into wealth and with eyewitness experience of the struggles of his neighbors. He's been wanting to make a real difference for a long time and that's why he went through two years of nasty attacks and a grueling campaign schedule. Although his choices are not always the ones I would make, I trust his basic decency, I think he's caring and that he will work really hard for us.

[dadd]

"If I were chief executive I would order the federal indictments of Fox news, AOL, Palin, McCain and any one else who has aided and abetted racial hatred or aggression based on color or ethnicity in this country"

Obama accuses Republicans of trying to make voters afraid of him because he's "not like all those other presidents on the dollar bills. and oh yea, did we mention he's black.

Got room for Barry?

[Brillig]

Go away white supremacist~black people CANNOT be racist. White people already THINK they are GOD..how can mere mortals deny them any rights based on color?

[qdog112]

Racism comes in ALL colors. All you have to do is discriminate based on race.

[DannyEastVillage]

could somebody point out to me what's supposed to be wrong with having members of the Clinton administration working for Bama? Whatever else you can say about the Clintons on the personal level, his was a successful administration in terms of foreigh relations and the economy. And Bush vandalized both. I can't see where there's a probelm tapping that team. It's as if many progressives have drunk some of the republican "hates-Cli­nton-no-ma­tter-what" KookAid.

Dont get me wrong: I never liked the Clintons and have never voted for one (I live in New York). NAFTA is quite simply a criminal act perpetrated against the people of Mexico.and other economic tenets of neo-liberalism are just as deeply distateful to me. (It was part of the machinery that enabled the diaster that has befallen Wall Street.). And I have a long-standing distates--even loathing--for Rahm Emanuel and the rest of the cohort of the Democratic Leadership Council.

However, you've got a lot of ability and talent from those years to be drawn upon. Under Obama's leadership, the whole machinery may very well be taken in a different direction.

[glesslib]

Most of the folks complaining about the number of Clinton-era people being given administration positions are more to the left or the right than most of us. Most of the middle left to middle right people just want things to work and don't care who's in charge of getting it done.

BillClinton has a huge ego, but he's very smart. Hillary is brilliant. They can add much to the Obama administraton. That's what I'm looking ....people smarter and more experienced than the present crew coming up with ways to getting the country back on track. I think Rahm Emanuel is exceedingly bright as well. He's like Lyndon Johnson...­.not the nicest guy in the world but an arm twister who can pressure people to make decisions. I fervently hope and pray that they can all help us to become the country we were before the Bush debacle.

[Alej-andro]

Actually, Hillary as a SecState is a great choice. Well known all over the world and, contrary to what many believe, Bill is actually and asset.
Few years ago, in the middle of the Monica (how do you spell her name?) "scandal", Bill made a visit to Chile and was greeted by cheering crowds. While visiting the center of Santiago, He decides to get a coke. Thus, gets off his limo, walks into a small cafe, asks for a soft drink, pays, jokes with the owner and leaves. The cafe is now called "Bill's Hideout" and has been featured in many TV shows (hey, free commercials). So, while Hillary is a Senator from NY, she is already in the mind of everyone. It´s also useful to have her be more of a hawk than Obama, specially when dealing with Iran (the message will be read as "our president does not endorse war, but I just might get him interested, so why not go the other way and negotiate")
On the other hand, GW-Bush comes to Chile after trying to strong-arm our country into following him into Irak (or pushing it through the UN vote), but no crowds are there to meet him. And then, by ignoring the protocol established for the summit he is attending, manages to piss-off everyone, starting with the security detail around the summit. And then He wonders why nobody likes him anywhere. How did He ever manage to get RE-elected?

[Clammyb]

This is squishy, but I hope it helps that he and his family know that millions of us really love them.
And get that man a treadmill in the office. Oxygen to the system does wonders for stress. Even ten minutes.

[hemnebob]

oh, he will get the treadmill.
we are looking at a new approach to governing.­..no more dictators!
i hope that bush can feel the distrust and dislike towards him and more even towards
his batch of criminals (cheney, rumsfeld, wolfowitz, pearle, rove, rice and the rest of the trash!)

the country has spoken and we have chosen, pay attention.­..chosen the best man for the job!

it IS a new day!

[DivergentMary]

I will be squishy right along with you. I've supported him all along, but I wasn't one of those people who thought that he could 'walk on water.' However, watching him speak in post-election interviews and press conferences, I am convinced that he is more than brilliant, more than competent, psychologically sound, and totally committed to making a better country out of the mess that we find ourselves in now.

I hope that he can find some time to just be Barack, too. This is the first President that I actually admire and love as a fellow human being, all titles aside. And today is my 64th birthday, and I have experienced a lot of Presidents that I did not admire or even like.

[dlo2]

If I were chief executive I would order the federal indictments of Fox news, AOL, Palin, McCain and any one else who has aided and abetted racial hatred or aggression based on color or ethnicity in this country. This would include all the sick news commentators and their websites. Then I would hold Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Rove responsible for the violations of our Constitution and either impeach them or indict them as public servants guilty of malfeasance. Then I would request that they be held culpable to the Geneva Convention violations and tried in international court.

[Clavis]

The Secret Service RULES!

[Dustee]

They always remind me of 'The Men in Black'...f­rom the Will Smith movie.

[RetireGreen]

If Bush could take the month of August off, and Regan could take a nap everyday, Obama can find the time. I have two words for the president-elect - CAMP DAVID.

[MJCole]

Sure Bush and Regan took time off, but that's nothing compared to the guy who is basically responsible for The Depression. I refer to the model of do nothing Republican government that is the model of most modern Repub Presidents. Calvin Coolidge slept, and slept, from 1923 until 1929 the man slept an average of ten hours a night, plus took a multi-hour afternoon nap, every single day. And he was the President of the United States.

So lets see:

1.Regan takes lots of naps and the country gets a big recession (1989/90).
2. Coolidge slept more than any other president while in office and the country gets The Depression.
3. Bush spends more time on vacation than any other two term president (did he spend more time on vaction than four term POTUS Roosevelt?) and the country gets the subprime meltdown.

Anyway interesting coinsidence.

[glesslib]

This president is going to need more security than any in my lifetime. There are a lot of cra zi es out there, and they get fed their daily red mean by the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh, and all the others who make a living out of amping up the disaffected. One day he's a dangerout Muslim, the next he's an America-hating, terrorist supporting dictator, preparting to take over America with a private army.

Some loner is planning his future fame and some great harm to Obama as I sit here this morning. The Secret Service is going to need to do their best job ever, just to get the Obama family through the next four to eight years.

[RadicalRepublican]

I have a great deal of faith in the Secret Service. They've kept W and Darth alive for eight years.

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

The Secret Service is tasked with keeping him safe. Beyond that, he sets the agenda. While they may have to surround a book store to get him in there, if that is what floats his boat, he should find a good little shop in Georgetown or three just to keep the service happy, and do it. The president can jog where he wants. I would hope that if he wants to take his kid to the park, the service can do an equally good job of protecting their subject.

[goddess1871]

As bad as I feel for him for losing whatever semblance of a personal life he had, he still has the things that nobody can take away from him that are the most important: a loving wife and family, a well-grounded faith, and self-reliance and intelligence, three things of many more that have been sadly lacking these past eight years.

[ApolloniaCreed]

... and plain old reporting is gone too, I guess...

[RogerTheShrubber]

LOL. Thank you.

[1differentdrummer]

And now comes Obama, cleaning up the mess after the looters have left.

[rsaillant1]

I would hope that cooler and more intelligent minds continue to prevail once the
Obama family takes residence. A critical part of that type of thinking would be
to do a complete and thorough "sweep" of the premises before the unpacking begins.

It would be in the pattern of the bush/cheney regime to have planted some concealed
listening devices throughout the premises. Just a cautionary action.

The only "ears" in residence should be those of our brilliant new President.

[eahce]

What makes you think Obama is any different from the rest of the corrupt politicans. The two party system got us to where we are today. There are no checks and balances, the middle class loses every time. I believe the mandate was change, by the looks of Obama's cabinet picks it looks like it will be more of the SOS to me.

[Jeff1958]

The mandate was change and Obama will certainly change the disasterous policies of Dubya. But realistically, it's going to take time and he''s going to tap former members of the Clinton administration, the only Dem administration since Carter left in early '81. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

[3dtrix]

And from where was he supposed to assemble a world-class team? From the Junior Varsity or just try his luck with unknowns?

[cybertoothcat]

Everyone understands the reality of what it would be like to give up your privacy and your old life in a familiar city, but to become the president-elect is not something many would be willing to do. For the next (hopefully) eight years, nothing will be spontaneous. It's essentially like being a member of the British royal family in the sense that you're a bird in a gilded cage, but worse. The British royals are probably far safer now than they've ever been since there is peace with Ireland. President Obama will be in more danger because of the hating right-wing lunatics. Please keep the Obamas safe, Secret Sve.

[klo]

The transition is probably harder than it'll be once he's settled in. He's not in office yet, but he's still got plenty to do and the WH is not yet home. When it becomes home, he'll be able to invite folks down for a weekend of b-ball on the WH courts.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

the WH courts have not yet been put in. He can invite them over for bowling in the basement, though.