South Florida Obama supporters are cruising to the inauguration

Hey, you've got to give them credit for thinking outside the box.

Unable to find affordable transportation to and lodging in the nation's capital for President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration, one group of Obama supporters came up with a unique way to travel and stay in style: a ship.

Calling it the ''Yes We Can 2009 Inauguration Cruise,'' the group has rented a 500-room cruise ship to sail from Port Everglades to Baltimore, then take charter buses to the Washington Metro for the inaugural festivities.

''We were so caught up trying to get President-elect Obama elected that no one stopped to think about making any plans for inauguration,'' said Karen R. Phillips, an Obama volunteer who is helping to organize the Yes We Can 2009 Cruise. 'Literally the very next day it was all over the news that all the hotel rooms in Washington were booked. I got this whisper in my ear that said, `Karen, do a cruise.' ''

(snip)

The group is paying about $1 million for the eight-night cruise from Port Everglades aboard the Imperial Majesty line's MV Regal Empress cruise ship.

Best-selling children's book on Obama brings changes for young Texas artist

Great story about a local Texas artist. I added a link to his children's book in the carousel to the right or here. Mr Ford has alot ahead of him.

Few knew his name when he landed in the public eye, having banked on timing, a distinctive style and a staunch work ethic.

No, not the president-elect.

Now, AG Ford, a 23-year-old artist who grew up in Garland, finds himself on The New York Times' best-seller list with the publication of his first full-picture children's book, Barack.

The recent college graduate – whose workspace looks more like a poster-tacked college dorm than a professional designer's office – is adjusting to out-of-state book signings and regular calls from publisher HarperCollins.

(snip)

The 32-page book, written by Jonah Winter, profiles Barack Obama's track to the presidency and came out Sept. 30. It hit No. 6 on The New York Times' best-seller list for children's books the week of Nov. 23. It currently ranks 10th in children's book sales at Target and 50th among all books sold by the chain store.

(snip)

The book's stylized proportions and photo realism typify Mr. Ford's drawings, said Mr. Payne, as does hard work. The young illustrator spent 13 hours a day sketching, smudging and erasing Barack images for 2 1/2 months.

Former Pressies Warn President-Elect Obama Not to Go Crazy on Web

Bloody morons. "Too accessible"?

He used the Internet to break fundraising records and win the White House, and now President-elect Barack Obama is expected to expand his reach via a greatly enhanced Whitehouse.gov website. But before he makes any big moves, former White House press aides to several presidents have a warning: Don't become so Web-accessible that it devalues the president's message making. "There is a real challenge and risk," says Don Baer, a former Clinton-era communications boss and former U.S. News staffer.

The risk: "Cheapen the president's message."

(snip)

Baer, for example, suggested that using blogs, Web chats, and video conferences is a good idea, but he said that the White House has to make sure not to overdo it and thus make the president too accessible.

Who are these troglodytes?

Former Clinton aide Don Baer, former Ford spokesman Ron Nessen, former newsman Marvin Kalb, Brookings Institution author Stephen Hess, and former Bush spokesman Scott McClellan.

Oh now I understand.