Obama: I'm Annoyed By The "Shine Police"

WASHINGTON — Now it can be told: President Obama says one of the best-kept secrets at the White House is the pastry chef's to-die-for pie.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Obama was asked to reveal a White House secret, and he dished about the pie.

Obama says the pastry chef makes "the best pie I have ever tasted, and that has caused big problems with Michelle and I."

The president said he and the first lady are "having to figure out how to resist ordering pie every night."

Obama also came clean about one of his pet peeves _ the "shine police." The president says that before his interviews, aides "constantly want to powder my nose and forehead, and it's never enough."

He finds that _ in his words _ "quite irritating."

Comments

[blindhog]

Don't worry about what others say about your "shine" or your ears---I'm like your grandma and Michelle, I think you are adorable.

[Vernon Brown]

I can't believe this degenerated into a grammar discussion, after the last 8 years

[EducatedObserver]

Priceless observations. One is completely floored by the perspicacity and depth of thought of which Mr Obama is capable.

On a serious note - it might be helpful if, during a time of acute economic crisis as we are now undergoing, the president might find it within himself to speak about something slightly more illuminating than his frustrations with makeup or fondness for certain types of desserts.

[db08]

Try being more astute in your observations. To be truly educated you must go beyond the style section and the superficial.

[Carnacamarna]

Work on that T-zone, Mr. President. ^_^

[wilsonveteran]

Don't just love all the hard reporting on this President. I feel sorry for him having to answer such hard questions all the time. I guess he needs to work on those staged press conferences and town hall meetings more.

[ckfan]

Still jealous, huh?

[ibsteve2u]

TV blurred the line between politics and Hollywood.

[Deborah Turner]

We love our president, shekinah and all!!!!!!!

[Joe Caps]

I noticed that they were packing on pounds.

Especially Michelle, the arm jiggle is becoming noticeable.

[MochasMom]

Oh please!

[generationyes]

Perhaps you confused that jiggle with the jiggle inside your cavernous skull.

[YewNeekId]

Michelle can't help that fact that she's not a pretty woman. Please don't pick on her

[wagadog]

"the shine police" is a really interesting phrase he's coined there, "shine" being outdated and derogatory slang for African American man. It's as though they are policing his very blackness with the foundation and powder. He should play "That's why they call me shine" (The Louis Armstrong version) in the dressing room to...give them pause.

[LoveGuv]

shine also means glitter, glow, gloss, polish, to emit light . . .

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[Buddy McCue]

I've called him "our shiny-new President" a few times, never knowing that there could possibly be a racist connotation to the word "shine."

Good thing I never said "brand-spanking new" or else people might think all kinds of things!

[notthistime]

lol that is too funny. never in a million years would I ever draw that conclusion.

I certainly hope this was your attempt at humor.

[AjaStrandski]

Yeah

[ckfan]

Huh? Give me a break. He has oily skin which looks awful on camera. No one is policing his blackness. He wouldn't allow it.

[TaurusRose]

Make that Frankie Laine's Shine, and ill co-shine

[republic4all]

The media's barrage of tough questions continue. When will they give Obama a break?

[talkitreal]

Another complaining Republican -- What's new!

[PlayTOE]

So the President of the United States likes Apple Pie.
(top story of the day)

[JanPoore]

As AMERICAN as Apple Pie. He also loved his Mom.

[Dana Nicole]

Leave his face alone, let the man shine...

[throwcautiontothewind]

Not even English teachers could survive a grammatical analysis of every sentence they uttered. In linguistics, there is a distinction made between competence & performance--we can KNOW that an utterance is gramatically incorrect, but still make that mistake as we're speaking (performance). Obama may have had conflict from two intended sentences--the one he uttered (but with "me" instead of "I"), and "Michelle and I have a big problem with the pie..." resulting in the error. At least there's content in Obama's utterances, which is a relief after the past 8 years.

[t iessa]

We're talking about 4th grade grammar here not something complex. An educated person wouldn't even have to think about "me" vs. "I" when speaking. It's like subject/verb agreement. It is second nature. You just say it correctly automatically. It is second nature. Seriously.

[Shzron1946]

I hold a master's degree and yet---Oh, my God!--I often have to think about the choic between "me" or "I", have heard many, many others even better educated who do the same, and many of us even actually utter the occasional (shudder) "ain't"...God help us all!

[wesinohio]

Lots of grammatical rules are broken in colloquial speech. It's not a big deal. Sometimes the unspoken part of a sentence, something still forming in a speaker's mind, would, if it were spoken, use a different pronoun. In this case, the spoken sentence needed an object pronoun. Maybe what was developing in the presiden't mind needed a subject pronoun. It was just colloquial speech, but I also understand not wanting to let the president get away with that mistake. I don't particularly like grammar nazis, but I have to admit that I'm guilty of being one myself sometimes. I'd really let the president have it if he did it in writing, but I doubt that would ever happen.

[throwcautiontothewind]

Mistakes are made in subject/verb agreement, too, especially if people are caught between two sentences. I take it you're willing to be followed for a year so that we can analyze the grammaticality of all of your utterances? How about the most common ungrammatical sign of all (and very clearly accepted): "Express line. Fifteen items or less."

Problem--it should be "fewer" because "items" denotes a discreet quantitiy (as in "less fat, fewer calories).

[LoveGuv]

>>I've found that being able to communicate correctly in a language to be beneficial. >>

The person who wrote this grammatical and structural travesty has no room to talk.

[lincheryl]

Also have an advanced degree and sometimes when speaking, I am thinking more about the content of it than the grammar. It happens. At least we don't have word salad with President Obama like we do with Bush and Palin. You might find one word or mistake when he speaks, but Bush and Palin would make a red pen run out of ink very quickly!

He has to speak in a very guarded manner, knowing that there are pundits ready to tear anything he says apart with criticism. Give the man a break. When the grammar police can speak before the entire nation and do as well as he can, then we will talk.

[Winthorpe]

That "with Michelle and I" was like a scratch on the chalkboard for me, too. My first thought was that they misquoted him.

I'll let it slide this time, but I'd like him to set a better example for my fellow Americans and me.

[John Horner]

You do know that all rules of grammar were derived from common usage, yes? Usage comes first, then the rules police try to make everyone do things the same way. The same is true for standardized spelling.

Speaking of which, do you know why standard American English is different from standard British English? Study the history of the 1700s to find the answer.

[pandag]

Your joking, right? Please do look up syntax from last president. oh, the other part, cute.

[nickdoyle]

all of you need to lighten up off the grammar. Anything goes these days. Soon your standard grammar and english books will be as obsolete as this conversation.

[TruthmongerII]

I think I know the secret ingredient for a tasty pie. It's lard...gross I know but extremely tasty.

[Dwain Goforth]

Close. It's half lard and half sweet butter. Not at all gross.

[wesinohio]

Half lard and half butter would make a good crust. The lady who taught me how to make pies certainly used lard in her younger days but was in her 80's when she taught me almost 35 years ago. She was also Vernon Stouffer's farm manager's wife here in Richfield, Ohio and used to babysit me when I was very young. She used Fluffo shortening when she taught me, but lard and butter would be best, I agree. She told me to use ice water when making the crust, dribbling it in to the mixture with your fingers , using two knives or a pastry knife to until ending up with pea-sized lumps. That's what gives layers to the crust. Then divide that mixture in half and roll out two layers. Mix several cups of apples, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp flour, maybe some cinnamon, put the filling over the undercrust and top it with three tablespoons of butter. Then seal the top layer of dough, pierce the crust in a pattern, then brush with a mixture of egg yolk and milk, which makes the cooked crust shiny golden brown. I think the pie was put in an oven at 425 F for 15 mnutes and then the temperature was turned down to 375 F for the last 25 minutes, and check with a knife to see if it's done. Mrs. Grace Vaughan recommended using the very earliest, wilder, tarter green apples we have around here for pies.

[littlepuffycloud]

The make-up people need to lay off President Obama..he doesn't need to be powdered. Let him shine and stop trying to make him matte. Geez.