**** Heads Up: POTUS Holds Town Hall with Young African Leaders 2pm EDT ****

[Clio the Leo]

Should be fun....

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-holds-town-hall-with-young-african-leaders

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1

More Info
A Preview of the President's Forum With Young African Leaders
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/02/a-preview-presidents-forum-with-young-african-leaders

[tabatha]

1. Nice to see such a variety of dress.

[Clio the Leo]

2. aren't they lovely....

.... traditional African dress (or the kind we regard as such, Africa is very diverse) is my fav. clothing after the Indian Sari. I love all the bright colors.

[Spazito]

3. Thanks for the heads-up and the links...

Watching now!

[Clio the Leo]

4. The Obama has arrived....

.... international rock star that he is! #Compliment

[Clio the Leo]

5. Welcomes "Even our friends from Ghana who beat us in the world cup!"

"It was close!! .... We'll see you in 2014"

[Clio the Leo]

6. Reminds them his father was a young African leader just like them.

You know this has to be a special event for him.

[Clio the Leo]

7. This is the 50th anniversary of his father and others coming from Africa....

.... to study in the US.

And what happened next is, as they say, history.

[Clio the Leo]

8. "Sometimes change makes you feel lonely."

awww .... he didn't sound sad when he said that .... just kind of matter of fact.

[Clio the Leo]

9. Very few people can answer the broad range of questions he gets at these town halls...

.... this current question deals with Liberian expatriots who want to take skills they learn in America BACK to their home and face challenges in doing so.

And, of course, the President is speaking as if he's the expert on the subject.

[Clio the Leo]

10. And THIS is why I trust him a bit more than the average pol....

.... his knowledge is perhaps broader than any President we've seen in our lifetime (and Bubba was pretty smart in his own right.) And if President Obama doesn't know about something, he studies it until he does.

We can debate whether his decisions are the correct ones but no one can question that they are ill-informed.

[Spazito]

11. I agree, he is always very knowledgeable about each subject about...

which he is asked. It is, imo, very impressive.

[Clio the Leo]

12. When he's out of office I want a game show called, "Stump The Obama"

.... would be awesome. lol

[Spazito]

14. LOL! The man retains data like few others I have seen...

although, if the topic were to be empty, superficial celebrity gossip, he could be beat on occasion, lol.

[Clio the Leo]

15. True, and he didn't know what a dried hydrangea was....

... I remember when Oprah toured the WH at Christmas. She was in the Oval with him going on and on about the dried hydrangeas on the Christmas tree ... "that's what those are, right?" she said. "I dunno." he shruged.

Only time I've ever heard him NOT knowing something.

But you can BET he had someone talk w/the WH florist to confirm and then everyone else who came to see him he said, "ya know, those are dried hydrangeas... they're native to the southeastern US" lol

[impik]

19. There's no subject he can't deal with. Easily the smartest president in decades. Maybe ever

[Clio the Leo]

13. "My critics have the right to stand and criticize me no matter how wrong they may be...."

I may have misquoted that a bit but that's the essence of it anyway.

[Spazito]

16. I am VERY impressed with the questions these young people are asking...

very serious, knowledgeable questions demanding, and getting, a serious, knowledgeable answer.

Excellent question from the young woman from Somalia, imo.

[Clio the Leo]

17. yep.

And you know he enjoys this kind of thing. A little birthday present to him from his staff perhaps.

[tabatha]

18. The last questioner

so intelligent, so accomplished, made me cry for Somalia.

Actually, Obama got one thing wrong - Korea probably had better educated citizenry than Kenya at time he was talking about.

[Clio the Leo]

20. lol, getting bum rushed as he leaves, he's ok though...

.... Secret Service having to pull some eager visitors away from him though.

The day that he goes back to Kenya .... whenever that may be .... will be a sight to behold.

[jenmito]

21. That was one of his most substantive Q&R sessions...

and that's saying a lot. I'm not surprised that Obama's constant critics avoided this thread and that the media ignored the event.