Obama's Sister Drops By White House For A Visit

Standing outside the White House gates on Tuesday, along with a line of other reporters waiting for security clearance, was an unusual guest of the president's: his half-sister.

Auma Obama was in a rush, she said. Waiting to get through the northwest gate, she had a plane to catch and a meeting with a certain famous, brother. Situated behind several reporters who had come for the daily briefing with Robert Gibbs, she asked if it would be at all possible if she could cut in line. She said she had already waited at another gate only to be told that she couldn't enter there.

"Sure," I replied, noting that the briefing had just been pushed back to 2:00 p.m. from its initial 1:45 p.m. start time.

Donning a Blackberry with a light blue case in one hand and a passport in the other, she made her way to the front of the line. The security guard, through the gate's speaker, asked for her last name.

"Obama" she said.

"Sorry... Obama," the guard replied, perplexed.

"Yes, Obama. I'm the president's sister. I have an appointment," Aumu replied.

Quickly she was whisked inside the security gate and within moments she was off. A White House aide would only confirm that she had visited on Tuesday. For what purpose was unclear. But, the aide noted, she does have a relative on the premises.

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Comments

[sbrown80]

For all you haters, this woman has a doctorate and lives in Germany. So I don't think she came begging for money. Most of his siblings from Kenya are successful.

[jessicajuliette]

as was Obama's father..as a Harvard educated economist, he was a high ranking economist on the national stage in the then president (Jomo Kenyatta's )administration..

there is every reason to expect that his children born in Kenya to a successful educated father would also be educated and successful...

[thaneb]

As his older sister, thank goodness Auma wasn't subpoenaed by Taitz as a material witness to Obama's birth;-)

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

I believe that she is his younger sister. The product of his mother's second marriage.

[BLinCincinnati]

No. That is Maya.

This is his father's daughter.

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

Oh...never mind. I thought this was his younger sis. Didn't realize that she was from Kenya.

[tehixe]

Taitz doesn't know how to subpoena. It would have been rejected on technical grounds, like a great many "important" legal filings she makes.

[paganmist]

She wasn't around for his birth? They had the same father, that's it. How can you subpoena someone who doesn't know anything?

[tqcobb]

remind a little of Ericka Alexander (I think) who played the lawyer on "Living Single"... I used to her character and the show

[sbrown80]

Yup they look alike. They are both blk with dreads. Very similar. (sarcasm)

[tqcobb]

Wonder what they talked about......if she's anything like my sis she probably have asked for money :)

[paganmist]

Obama was a millionaire before he was President. If she was the kind of sibling to ask for money, ergo, irritating, Obama had more than this chance to cut off ties with her. As it is, he has apparently kept contact with her for some while.

[screamingCNN]

Some siblings who are less fortunate often pay the price and sacrifices for the success of another- they go without education, without food, so that one can be successful. And the successful one never wants to look back or help, or refuse to remember all the sacrifices.

[Dupree]

What in the world does that antidote has to do with this story about the President's half sister of whom he never knew as a child or as an adult but perhaps met only once or twice has to do with your little story?

Obama was raised in America by his white grandmother and grandfather. He did not know his own father of which this sibling is a descendant of. He did not know any of his half siblings and according to reports only met them once or twice. How in the world did his "sibling who you have determined are less fortunate...for I do not recall the story suggesting that....paid the price for his success? Please look in your own backyard and find your half siblings that you have perhaps only met once or twice....and offer them room and board...and if you do not have a half sibling...try a half cousin or uncle or aunt...or go looking for your long lost father ...if you don't have a name...try digging up some DNA and then open your doors and arms...to total strangers. And then come back and tell me how it all went. Until then...do not project your empty rhetoric of plausible situations into a circumstance know as a "visit" to be defined out of its own context.

[screamingCNN]

Hey Dupree and all..

Have I made any comment specifically about the President and his sister? Just do not assume. Go back and read what I said.

Maybe I should have said..."in my personal experience". Whoa lighten up people.
I know Obama life history.

Stop your hateful comment and abuse. You should be ashame of yourself.

[LatteLiberals]

You seem to be suggesting that President Obama's success has come at the expense of his African family members. President Obama did not grow up with his African family. He can hardly be blamed or credited with the success or failure of relatives half a world away.

His half sister has a Blackberry, the ability to speak English and the funds to travel to the US. She doesn't seem to be lacking food, education or money. Why you felt the need to suggest the neglect of siblings seems to be a product of more Obama Derangement Syndrome.

[Dupree]

To the second, third and forth...cosigned.

[fem56]

Your comment seems very unrelated to this article. What does your comment have to do with Obama's half sibling, who he has gone out of his way to get to know, even though he had no connection with her until he was an adult?

[katielady]

Pres Obama's father abandoned his mother when he was very young. Pres Obama was raised by his mother and his grandmother.. This sibling sister is the child of his father and a later wife.. she grew up in Kenya and is half-sister. They had little contact until long after he finished college. So your anecdote has little to do with this situation.

[BLinCincinnati]

You mean like Cindy McCain's siblings?

[LucieLee]

President's sister comes for a visit~

[Simonesmom]

this story is crazy. I understand that they are not close, but one would think that they could have done better than arranging an appt for his sister and allowing her to come in the main door and not the reporters qtrs.

I don't like that at all.

[jcwtts1]

That is assuming she went to the right place.

[Merersu]

He and Auma are very close. Maybe something in the arrangements got mixed up. You see how quickly they responded to her. And if you think it's strange for her to have an appointment, it's so not. Someone as busy as the President probably has everything in his day on a calendar.

[Dupree]

He is the president of the United States and having such responsibilities and visits from dignitaries...I suspect you are of the impression that she should be able to walk in on a meeting with world leaders for a picnic in the midst of negotiation. I beg to differ. Stop projecting YOUR routine lifestyle on a lifestyle that you have never lived. YOU assume that secret service is not apart of the visitation process. I am sure that when your family members show up at your house they simply knock on your door or ring your door bell. They will not have to go through any preliminary process...because quite frankly....you are not in that kind of atmospheric environment that would dictate such an elaborate process of identification and I for one am glad that they do go through a vigorous process considering this President gets thirty more death threats than all his predecessors combined. So, excuse the inconvenience and cease trying to make a normal president process abnormal and cease trying to define his life style like the guy next door to you.

[adm4peace]

I read his book, "Dreams of my father", and Obama is close to this sister. He says he is close to his maternal sister and paternal sister, Auma.

[ElsaIndy]

Seems odd and rather chaotic not to mention dangerous...the security needs to be tighter.

[justobserve]

Strongly agree! How could she have an appointment yet no one told her to go to a certain gate or the like? Do other people who have an appointment with Obama just go to the media gate and queue up?

[gavrielle]

So people with free will never get lost in your world? Kewl!

[ElsaIndy]

Exactly. She needed to be frisked as well. The friends and family of the First Family should have another way of entering the WH to visit. This needs an explanation. O may not have wanted to see her as well.

[PoliticalRockChick]

And this is news?

[Matt7]

ANYTHING POTENTIALLY SPINNABLE IS NEWS. Didn't you kow?

[MJinCanada]

Pretty lady.

[drreader]

It's not news, but it's a cute story..She has that look of high intelligence about her.. Must run in the family. His father was a brilliant, but flawed, man, who I believe suffered from alcoholism.What an amazing life story our Pres has, and also has Brad Pitt as a distant cousin. His life story would make a great movie.

[lioness39]

Unfortunately there is no actor handsome enough to play our President. But I agree.

[Matt7]

Why wait for a movie, when you can live triumphantly in the moment?

[hopeychange]

She has a look of high intelligence? First of all its pretty absurd to assume you can look at someone and gauge their intelligence. And dreads make you think that? Strange.

[Blufftonian]

Already been nominated for an Oscar.

[masha2009]

this while the robinsons )michelle's brother;s family) get to ride presidential planes to go on luxury trips to europe.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

Yes, you see Michelle and her brother as well as Obama and his sister were raised together. This woman and Obama were no more than people who had the same bio father. There are lots of people who can make that claim, probably many who no one even knows about. His father was that kind of guy.

However, to compare this to the bonds of real siblings is silly.

Let me ask you. If someone knocked on your door and said that you shared the same father would you treat that person the same as your siblings?

Obama is being gracious to people who are not his family by anything other than a link through a man who was often married and more often strayed.

http://www.squidoo.com/mikabrzezinski

[noudidnt]

She and the President have been friendly over the past decade. She's not a stranger.

[joewalters]

they were pretty close. they met many times for the last 20 years or so. other than his indonesian sister (can't spell her same), Auma and Barack often call and write each other. you just don't hear that on the news, so that's why this meeting seems a little ackward to you.

[KingMidas]

If the person is your sibling, would YOU not treat them as such? And what is this weird definition of family you have. Blood relations are Family. Living in the same house with people for 100 years does not make them FAMILY except in the very widest sense.

[Jay04]

What is your problem?

[lioness39]

Auma is the sister that first hosted him in Kenya. She is very close to him.

[LovelyGirl]

I don't know if I believe this story. The President has said he's very close to Auma and mentioned her when he won the Presidency along with the sister he grew up with. There's something strange about this story.

[KingMidas]

What's strange? That she turned up on a whim and had to pass security? That's strange? Even at my house, if my brother just turns up and I have servants who do not know him, he has to give his name.....duh!

[HeartT]

If she was his sister, I hope she had a nice visit. If she wasn't, I hope the SS found her out. In any case, I don't recall the public being privvy to every relative that visited the White House during previous administrations.

[Dupree]

It is because all rules of protocol and respect has been suspended for this particular First Family. I can imagine what would have happened if during a town hall meeting someone showed up with a gun with any of the previous administra­tion...rep­ublican or democrat. But somehow it is perfectly acceptable for them to practice and exercise their second amendment at a town hall meeting about health care. It makes perfect logic to them and apparently to the others in the law enforcement. Trust me, if someone showed up with a gun strapped to his leg when Bush was president ....that person would have been arrested and facing charges.....and rightly so. But for some strange obscure reason...family visits....the dog making a boo boo on Air Force ...is news.

[MrPragmatic]

Who knew that Obama's sister is Whoopi Goldberg!?

[mairs]

How tiresome. They all look alike to you.

[lioness39]

lol.

[Matt7]

Who knew you could type with your knuckles?

[Dupree]

Especially since it is scraped and bruised from being dragged from the days of the Neanderthal.

[paganmist]

Hey. I'm black, and a major fan of Obama.

But my momma taught me to speak truth to power, and that woman sure does look like Whoopi. It's not just her skin tone, it's her hair style, the glasses (CLASSIC whoopie from the late 80s, early 90s), and even the shape of her face.

That's just weird.

[SpoxLogic]

Auma looks a lot like their father. Search for pictures of Obama's dad and you will see it.