Two Passages from the Obama Photo Book

Michelle, Ma Belle
Paul McCartney had been awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in a ceremony in the East Room. For most of the evening, other artists performed his songs. But for the conclusion, McCartney went onstage to sing some classics. Then he sang “Michelle” to Michelle Obama. I didn’t realize how special the moment was until the next day, when I was talking to the President. What were the odds, he said to me, that an African-American girl from the South Side of Chicago would one day be sitting in the front row of the White House, as the First Lady of the United States, while a member of the Beatles sang her name? Wow, just wow, I thought. June 2, 2010

The Raid on bin Laden
Several minutes later: “Geronimo, KIA” came over the audio feed. “Gerinomo” [sic] was the code name for bin Laden; “KIA” meant “killed in action.” May 1, 2011

 


–Pete Souza, Obama: An Intimate Portrait
Mr. Souza was the former chief official White House photographer.

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