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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx</link><description>From NBC's Alex BeinsteinPer ESPN, the new status symbol in D.C.&amp;nbsp;these days is playing ball with the president. 
Among friends and colleagues alike, there is a strong demand to get in on the action. ESPN notes:

“The invites to play with the Baller-in-Chief</description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><generator>CommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)</generator><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970556</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:41:44 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970556</guid><dc:creator>Mike Thompson, Maryland</dc:creator><description>Ben Stein is right. For all the photo-ops Obama has, when does he ever have time to get anything done? Economy - Sinking fast. Unemployment - Rising faster. Middle-east - soon to have a civil war in Iran, will it spread? - Barack though doesn't want to meddle. North Korea - Obama still hasn't responded to the first missile they launched months ago. But Obama has time for the photo-op, and time to keep telling us &amp;quot;I won&amp;quot;. The man is a bore and is very boring.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970557</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:43:02 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970557</guid><dc:creator>Salis Paul, NYC</dc:creator><description>When's the next date night? What's the budget on those things? Do they try to keep it under a million?</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970559</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:44:34 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970559</guid><dc:creator>Alie Rajakeim</dc:creator><description>Throw a hard pick into Barry and the next thing you know you're being waterboarded down at Gitmo.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970565</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:47:19 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970565</guid><dc:creator>Anita, Birmingham, Alabama</dc:creator><description>this is cool...great physical, mental and cardio exercise, especially for a smoker...so cool</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970566</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:47:48 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970566</guid><dc:creator>Community Organizer</dc:creator><description>Might as well play basketball. He's no good at being president.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970567</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:48:28 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970567</guid><dc:creator>Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL</dc:creator><description>It’s nice to see someone athletic in the White House for a change… lord knows we’ve had too many years of flabby couch potatoes! &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Way to go Mr. Prez… what better way to burn off the stress that comes with that job!&lt;br&gt;</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970577</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:55:16 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970577</guid><dc:creator>Jonathan, Flint MI</dc:creator><description>Yay! A puff piece. &amp;nbsp;Just what I wanted. &amp;nbsp;Who needs to have more discussion on the grossly expanding powers of the Fed the white house just proposed yesterday, because we get to talk about how Obama likes to play basketball. &amp;nbsp;Why he's a regular Teddy Roosevelt. &amp;nbsp;Who cares if he is blatantly ignoring the Constitution with his economic policies and empowering the very institutin that ruined our economy to begin with because he is making the old white guys FEED HIM THE ROCK!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;can somebody on this &amp;quot;political team&amp;quot; please hit the on switch on your brains?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Thank You,&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Mgmt.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970578</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:56:12 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970578</guid><dc:creator>Anita, Birmingham, Alabama</dc:creator><description>And “by Executive Fiat, the White House tennis court is being retrofitted for basketball.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Oh I saw the jest and got the jest. At least they are donating it to the Peoples House. Chrysler got help from the CIC and is this so bad? Chrysler was saved wasn't it.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970579</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:56:46 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970579</guid><dc:creator>Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL</dc:creator><description>The man is a bore and is very boring.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Mike Thompson, Maryland (Sent Thursday, June 18, 2009 4:41 PM)&lt;br&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Any you Mike are redundant!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970582</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:59:22 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970582</guid><dc:creator>Jack Lalanne</dc:creator><description>It’s nice to see someone athletic in the White House for a change… lord knows we’ve had too many years of flabby couch potatoes! &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;===================&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Bush II - Is a very serious runner.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Bill C. gave jogging a try, then focused on working out with the interns.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Bush I - Stayed in great shape, but didn't make his workouts public. The man just skydived at age 85.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Reagan - Stayed in shape - Good enough shape to beat the commies.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Carter - Former Navy man - Not much of President, but did get physical with a wild rabbit using a canoe paddle.</description></item><item><title>The new influence game: Basketball</title><link>http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/18/1970534.aspx#1970586</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:04:35 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1970586</guid><dc:creator>Anita, Birmingham, Alabama</dc:creator><description>Mike Thompson, Maryland:&lt;br&gt;Ha, ha, ha, ha..are you quoting Ben Stein? The doom gloom whiner? You have got to be kidding me! You should have been ashamed to even post this. lol lol</description></item></channel></rss>