< Back to Front Page Text size – +

Obama's tourney picks

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor March 18, 2009 04:04 PM

The biggest hoops fan in the White House perhaps ever, President Obama couldn't help himself.

He took time out from trying to rescue the economy, quell the outrage over the AIG bonuses, and prosecute two wars to fill out his NCAA tournament bracket, just like anyone slaving away in a cubicle.

His handwritten predictions are posted on the White House website -- complete with cross-outs. Obama plays it rather safe, picking three of the four No. 1 seeds to make it to the Final Four in Detroit (No. 2 Memphis in the West is the exception).

In the final, he has UNC and Louisville. He seems to have initially picked Louisville to win it all, but changed to UNC, whose team he played with during the campaign.

  • CommentComment
  • EmailEmail
» Back to Front Page
.

Because, you know, he's elitist.

Posted by LM March 18, 09 04:54 PM
.

So, since so many Obamaniacs around the world will duplicate his picks, if you want to win your pool, you need to go in another direction altogether and pick a very different Final Fou.

Posted by rocketman March 18, 09 05:04 PM
.

my picks for the final four a marquette syracuse pittsburg and wake forest

Posted by dudemiester March 18, 09 05:27 PM
.

Who cares what is bracket is?

Posted by vze3twzx March 18, 09 06:27 PM
.

I love the Obamamaniac reference, rocketman. He picked 3 #1s and a #2. If anyone takes your advice to "pick a very different Final Four", there's your maniac!

Posted by Sid Weaver March 18, 09 08:15 PM
.

Obama has all 4 California teams ousted in the first round. That's a lot of electoral votes to be messing with!!

Posted by zitface March 18, 09 08:49 PM
add your comment *(If you put a URL in your comment, it must be relevant )
Required
Required (will not be published)

This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.

About Political Intelligence

Reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors about the Obama administration, the Massachusetts congressional delegation, and other national political happenings.
see all Globe blogs

News from the Washington Bureau

Medicare buy-in is latest hurdle for health bill

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leaders grappled for a health care deal behind closed doors last night, as a fragile and tentative agreement they announced last week threatened to collapse. (Globe Staff, 12/15/09)

Al Qaeda looking to Yemen as next base

As the United States steps up the hunt for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of the terrorist network’s veteran operatives are leaving the region and flocking to Yemen, where an escalating civil war is turning the nearly lawless Arab nation into an attractive alternative as a base of operations, according to US and foreign government officials. (Globe Staff, 12/12/09)

House passes financial overhaul bill

A sharply divided House yesterday passed the most dramatic overhaul of US financial regulations since the Great Depression, voting to establish a new borrower protection agency and give the government sweeping new powers to crack down on the types of Wall Street practices that caused last year’s economic meltdown. (Globe Staff, 12/12/09)

House Democrats seek $40 billion in defense bill for jobs

Massachusetts Representative Michael E. Capuano and other House Democrats are drafting an amendment to a defense spending bill up for a vote in the coming weeks that would provide $40 billion to create jobs, one of several proposals under development as lawmakers debate a second round of major spending on the economy. (Globe Staff, 12/12/09)

Obama gains popularity in poll of Israelis

WASHINGTON - President Obama is not as unpopular in Israel as has been previously reported, according to a new poll released yesterday by the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. (Globe Staff, 12/10/09)

Both sides dig in as vote nears on Wall St. rules

Republicans went on the attack yesterday as the House opened floor debate on a sweeping package of new rules for Wall Street banks and traders, calling the legislation an unwarranted intrusion by government that will stifle economic recovery and do more harm than good. (Globe Staff, 12/11/09)

Senate health bill stalls as costs are weighed

Senator Patrick Leahy told reporters yesterday that he his wife have canceled their plans to spend Christmas at their farmhouse in Vermont, reluctantly concluding that the Senate would probably be stuck in Washington working on its massive health care package right up until the holiday. (Globe Staff, 12/9/09)

Mass. congressmen push for monitoring of aid to Pakistan

Two Massachusetts representatives and witnesses at a House hearing yesterday said more safeguards may be required to make sure $1.5 billion a year in US development aid to Pakistan is not spent inappropriately or skimmed off in corruption. (Globe Staff, 12/9/09)

House votes to eliminate tax break for venture capitalists

The House voted by a wide margin and along party lines yesterday to eliminate a lucrative tax break for venture capitalists, private equity firms, and hedge funds. The measure moves to the Senate, which in past years has refused to eliminate the break. (Globe Staff, 12/9/09)

US’s long view in Afghanistan troubles many in Congress

Senior administration officials signaled yesterday that the United States will continue to commit a significant number of troops and substantial funding to Afghanistan for many years to come, despite a July 2011 deadline set forth by the president last week to begin a drawdown. (Globe Staff, 12/8/09)
archives