Washington, Jan. 27 : A Cleveland fire fighter band member John Coleman's acknowledgement of President Barack Obama's wave during the inaugural parade, has not sat well with his superiors, and has landed him with a six week-long suspension.
"He waved and I just gave him a wave and a little nod and moved on," claimed Coleman, a member of the Cleveland Firefighter''s Memorial Pipes and Drums.
What may seem as a small patriotic gesture and also included what seemed like a wink - did not sit well with Coleman''s superiors.
Washington, Jan. 27 : After poking fun at George W. Bush for eight years, political cartoonists are finding Barack Obama a more elusive target.
Bush''s emotive facial expressions, easy-to-caricature physical features and, most of, all his deeply unpopular political decisions were fodder for liberal-leaning cartoonists. But the cool and detached Obama enters the White House at a time of considerable economic anxiety, bolstered by wishes of goodwill even from some political opponents.
Washington, Jan. 27 : A comment appearing on a blog in the United States has suggested that there is a change in the pecking order at the White House.
It suggests that after President Barack Obama, the number two man is not Vice President Joe Biden, but White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel. Biden, it claims is number three, which could leave him pretty unhappy.
Washington, Jan 27 : While President Barack Obama would be keeping his BlackBerry, experts have raised concerns that the device might fail to provide enough security for the president.
On January 22, a White House spokesman addressed the media saying the President will keep his BlackBerry "to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends in a way that use will be limited and that the security is enhanced."
Chicago (Illinois, US), Jan. 27 : Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has told ABC''s Good Morning America that he considered offering the Illinois senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama to talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
According to the BBC, he told ABC that Winfrey, one of America''s wealthiest women, would have been unlikely to accept.
"She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators," he said.
Washington/Canberra, Jan. 27: Unlike the Bush administration, which went out of its way to project Australia as a key ally, the Barack Obama presidency is yet to get in touch with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
In the last week, Obama has made telephone calls to leaders in the Middle East, Britain, Russia, France, Germany and Canada, but is yet to pick up the phone to Kevin Rudd, reports the Daily Telegraph.