Yes he can: "Clever boy" Obama returns to Indonesia for family vacation

[webfact]

Yes he can: "Clever boy" Obama returns to Indonesia for family vacation

By Jessica Damiana

 

Former President Barack Obama (C) waves while walking with his daughter Malia during a visit to the 9th-century Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Pius Erlangga

 

JAKARTA (Reuters) - From white water rafting in Bali to visiting temples on Java, former U.S. President Barack Obama's private family holiday is being closely tracked in Indonesia where he spent four years as a child.

 

Obama was six when he moved to Jakarta after his American mother, Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian man following the end of her marriage to Obama's Kenyan father.

 

"I feel proud that my friend became a president," said Sonni Gondokusumo, 56, a former classmate of Obama at the Menteng 01 state elementary school in Jakarta.

 

Gondokusumo showed a class photograph of himself standing behind a young Obama, who was wearing a school beret.

 

"He was a clever boy. Whenever a teacher asked him to solve a problem in front of the class, he could do it," Gondokusomo told Reuters, adding he hoped to meet the former president again.

 

Obama remains popular in the world's most populous Muslim nation and his trip has been splashed across the media during an extended public holiday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The Rakyat Merdeka newspaper carried a headline "Obama loves Indonesia".

 

Obama returned for an official visit as president in 2010 with his wife, Michelle, but this time has brought daughters Malia and Sasha as well.

 

Indonesians are avid social media users and snaps of the former U.S. president walking with his family in rice fields and rafting on Bali's Ayung River have gone viral.

 

Obama kicked off the holiday on the island of Bali, where he stayed at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Bali near the cultural centre of Ubud.

 

On Wednesday, Obama and his family arrived in the city of Yogyakarta on Java island, and visited the ancient temple of Borobudur.

 

According to CNN Indonesia, Central Java police deployed 700 officers to secure his visit to Borobudur, a Buddhist temple dating from the 8th and 9th centuries.

 

Obama is due to meet President Joko Widodo on Friday at the palace in Bogor, south of Jakarta, and visit the capital on Saturday.

 

(Additional reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-29

[Stargeezr]

I am gad to see Obama spending some of his own money to holiday since his retirement.  Obama spent enough of USAs money while in power,  that is for sure,  so did G.W Bush, these two Presidents were not anybodys heroes. Certainly not mine.  Trump is still new , so let him spend several million flying around on those 2 special B747 jets, and America will go deeper in debt as well. Good  Luck

America..  Happy Summer!

Geezer

[pegman]

9 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I am gad to see Obama spending ome of his own money to holiday since his retirement.

Obama spent enough of USAs money while in power,  that is for sure,  so did G.W Bush, these two

Presidents were not anybodys heroes. Certainly not mine.  Trump is still new , so let him spend several million flying around on those 2 special B747 jets, and America will go deeper in debt as well. Good  Luck

America..  Happy Summer!

Geezer

Not your money.

[humqdpf]

6 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I am gad to see Obama spending ome of his own money to holiday since his retirement.

Obama spent enough of USAs money while in power,  that is for sure,  so did G.W Bush, these two

Presidents were not anybodys heroes. Certainly not mine.  Trump is still new , so let him spend several million flying around on those 2 special B747 jets, and America will go deeper in debt as well. Good  Luck

America..  Happy Summer!

Geezer

Of course you prefer if Obama had not gone for the so-called "quantitative easing" and other measures that cost tax-payers. I am sure you could live with the almost complete end to the American car industry (remember - they had to be bailed out), the collapse of the American banking system and a repeat of the 1930s depression with hunger marches, unemployment rates between 30 and 50% in places and deflation (deflation makes it impossible to grow).

 

Don't get me wrong - this would have had a big effect on the international economy but over time the world economy would have eventually recovered as those economies that did use quantitative easing would have managed to pull out of the depression cycle. But it would have left the USA in permanent depression, until they decided to do something about it, that is.

 

Remember that the bailing out began with President GW Bush!

[johnnywishbone]

Obama should stay in Indonesia.
Or Kenya.


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[ujayujay]

1 hour ago, johnnywishbone said:

Obama should stay in Indonesia.
Or Kenya

....the echo from a appalachian hillybilly.......

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

[mesquite]

OP, please don't call him "boy."  It is racist and disrespectful.

[bill59]

All he does is vacation. The most useless President in our history!


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[55Jay]

52 minutes ago, mesquite said:

OP, please don't call him "boy."  It is racist and disrespectful.

OP quoted President Obama's 56-year old Indonesian former classmate, who coined the term "clever boy".  In that context, it had no racist undertone, and was the complete opposite of disrespectful. 

 

Perhaps your misplaced, faux outrage should be directed elsewhere.

 

19 hours ago, Enoon said:

By "Cheetohead" do you mean "The Man with the Aspergers Smile"?

 

1 hour ago, ujayujay said:

....the echo from a appalachian hillybilly.......

 

[ilostmypassword]

2 hours ago, bill59 said:

All he does is vacation. The most useless President in our history!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I know what you mean. That's why the current president criticized him for wasting so much time golfing. Trump swore he wouldn't do that.

[Jonnapat]

I've read a lot of the anti Obama replies. I'm not from USA but this was a president with great style and integrity, unlike the present White House incumbent.

 

Liked and respected around the world as many polls have confirmed.

[Mansell]

There has been much hatred about Obama mostly from Americans. I believe a lot of it was because of his colour......though of course the haters won't admit that. We all have our opinions on him, but personally I think he and his family are a class act. Then you have the ignorant ones calling them monkeys and other rubbish right out of South African apartheid. Pathetic losers. Funny how the losers always want to call others derogatory names probably thinking it makes themselves superior.

[jb61]

Then we learn that this president with "integrity" had been ILLEGALLY spying on millions of Americans for years and lied about it.

There must be several different definitions of the word "integrity".

[theoldgit]

Off topic and inappropriate remark removed.

[brewsterbudgen]

Much missed by the rest of the world.

[KunMatt]

37 minutes ago, Mansell said:

There has been much hatred about Obama mostly from Americans. I believe a lot of it was because of his colour......though of course the haters won't admit that. We all have our opinions on him, but personally I think he and his family are a class act. Then you have the ignorant ones calling them monkeys and other rubbish right out of South African apartheid. Pathetic losers. Funny how the losers always want to call others derogatory names probably thinking it makes themselves superior.

 

Yeah it can't have anything to do with him being a warmongering President who was at war for his entire presidency and invaded and bombed more countries than Bush ever did.

 

Must only be because he's mixed race, right?

 

Love the hypocrisy of your last sentence too! ?

[Andaman Al]

2 hours ago, jb61 said:

Then we learn that this president with "integrity" had been ILLEGALLY spying on millions of Americans for years and lied about it.

There must be several different definitions of the word "integrity".

Probably as many definitions as there are of a "President Illegally spying on millions and lying about it".     

[tifino]

 

he'll no doubt take a wide berth from his relatives there,

 

otherwise the stereotypical hands come out for handout from rich farang dam

[stephen tracy]

2 hours ago, KunMatt said:

 

Yeah it can't have anything to do with him being a warmongering President who was at war for his entire presidency and invaded and bombed more countries than Bush ever did

Must only be because he's mixed race, right?

 

Love the hypocrisy of your last sentence too! ?

Bush and his lap-dog, Blair, launched the war on Iraq based on a pack of lies, which has lead to the Middle East being in the situation it now is. Bush effectively created ISIS. Al-Qaeda did not have an Iraqi affiliated before the invasion.  Now, following the AQ-ISIS divorce the latter has "provinces" stretching from Northwest Africa to Southeast Asia.  Not to mention loyalists in almost every part of the world who think nothing carrying out so-called "lone wolf" attacks on unarmed civilians. The Bush government ha a lot to answer for.

[johnnywishbone]

 
Yeah it can't have anything to do with him being a warmongering President who was at war for his entire presidency and invaded and bombed more countries than Bush ever did.
 
Must only be because he's mixed race, right?
 
Love the hypocrisy of your last sentence too! [emoji3]

He was elected. A free election.
I wished for him nothing nothing but success.
His devicive racist corrupt and spineless behavior
I found to be a little disappointing.
The world is better of with President Trump running the show.


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[Scott]

Off-topic posts removed.  

[bendejo]

Calling him "boy" just rolls off his back.  The guy was president of the US for 2 terms.  No peckerwood terminology is going to diminish him at this point, he had it all dumped on him while in office.  People like Glen Beck and Alex Jones have made their fortunes denouncing him, they should kiss his miscegenated feet.

If it wasn't for Bill Clinton and Obama, Rush Limbaugh would still be doing drive-time radio in a provincial town in Indiana.

 

 

[sirineou]

A dignified well spoken family man, spending some well deserved R&R with his family after eight years of hard work.

History will judge him kindly.

[KunMatt]

19 minutes ago, sirineou said:

A dignified well spoken family man, spending some well deserved R&R with his family after eight years of hard work.

History will judge him kindly.

 

He has great PR, nothing else.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he spent his entire presidency bombing the Middle East and causing the chaos which is currently destroying Europe.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he was elected to end the Afghanistan war but ended up bombing 7 countries instead.

 

Nobody seems to remember that it was Obama who proposed Trump's travel ban.

 

Hopefully history will remember him for his true actions and not the spin.  He was a warmonger who killed millions as part of the usual Military Industrial Complex.

 

The only thing he had was PR so good that you think he was a saint for all of this.

[sirineou]

Just now, KunMatt said:

 

He has great PR, nothing else.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he spent his entire presidency bombing the Middle East and causing the chaos which is currently destroying Europe.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he was elected to end the Afghanistan war but ended up bombing 7 countries instead.

 

Nobody seems to remember that it was Obama who proposed Trump's travel ban.

 

Hopefully history will remember him for his true actions and not the spin.  He was a warmonger who killed millions as part of the usual Military Industrial Complex.

 

The only thing he had was PR so good that you think he was a saint for all of this.

All arguable points,. What is not arguable is that he was dignified, articulate. and a good family man.

as for the politics......... as I said History  well after you, me and all the players with their thumb on the scale are gone.

[Srikcir]

23 hours ago, 55Jay said:

OP quoted President Obama's 56-year old Indonesian former classmate, who coined the term "clever boy". 

To be fair Obama was a clever boy as he was a child at the time he attended school in Indonesia versus a clever man. His classmate now looking back to when he was a school boy thought that of Obama. They were both boys. His statement was biologically correct for the time period he was speaking.

Sheesh.

[55Jay]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

To be fair Obama was a clever boy as he was a child at the time he attended school in Indonesia versus a clever man. His classmate now looking back to when he was a school boy thought that of Obama. They were both boys. His statement was biologically correct for the time period he was speaking.

Sheesh.

Thanks for adding that bit.

 

The guy I was responding to (TVF member Mesquite) cherry picked the word "boy" out of the OP, attributing to derogatory/racial meaning.  It can be, of course, but not in this context.

 

Might be that English isn't his first language. Or he thought he was being clever.  Or an overzealous, wannabe Alt Left liberal who cherry picks as a means to virtue signal.

[Mansell]

8 hours ago, KunMatt said:

 

He has great PR, nothing else.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he spent his entire presidency bombing the Middle East and causing the chaos which is currently destroying Europe.

 

Nobody seems to remember that he was elected to end the Afghanistan war but ended up bombing 7 countries instead.

 

Nobody seems to remember that it was Obama who proposed Trump's travel ban.

 

Hopefully history will remember him for his true actions and not the spin.  He was a warmonger who killed millions as part of the usual Military Industrial Complex.

 

The only thing he had was PR so good that you think he was a saint for all of this.

"Millions" I think some hyperbole in that statement. Show the evidence. Perhaps you are confusing him with Idi Amin! After a few drinks black people probably all look alike......sarcasm for the uninitiated. 

[7by7]

On ‎30‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 5:54 AM, bill59 said:

All he does is vacation. The most useless President in our history!

Who do you mean; Obama or Trump?

 

Trump's Family Trips Cost Taxpayers Nearly As Much In A Month As Obama's Cost In A Whole Year

Quote

In total, Obama's eight year travel bill came to $97 million and unbelievably, Donald Trump is on pace to outspend him in less than one year. The Washington Post says "the elaborate lifestyle of America’s first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for previous presidents."

 

Before he became America's commander in chief, Trump frequently criticized Obama's travel expenses on Fox News and via his Twitter account.