September 10, 2010

Everyone's talking about Obama not wearing his wedding band at the big press conference today.

"A White House spokesman tells POLITICO that Obama's ring is being repaired, though it's unclear what needed to be fixed."

Aw. Come on. What could need fixing on a wedding band?

ADDED: You know, if they were just staying together for the sake of appearances, he'd be sure to wear the ring. In the comments, XWL thinks the repair might be a size change:
Maybe he's losing a lot of weight... He was skinny to begin with, trending towards bone thin for a man in his late 40s can't be a sign of improving health. Don't remember any shirt off pictures from his recent spate of vacations, might be that he's looking sickly. He certainly looks more haggard facially, of late.
Meanwhile Palladian says:
Maybe it was dropped in the fires of Mount Doom...

89 comments:

Anonymous said...

My theory: He and Michelle had a big fight over his b-day party with Oprah invited, because M doesn't like O any more. Oprah does kind of adore him too much, you know? So this is a continuation of that, like the big trip to Spain.

Joe said...

I don't wear a wedding band because I loathe wearing jewelry. I know several people who are the same and so think nothing of it.

Irene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
XWL said...

Anyone else notice how poorly his suit seemed to fit?

Maybe he's losing a lot of weight, effecting his band size. He was skinny to begin with, trending towards bone thin for a man in his late 40s can't be a sign of improving health.

Don't remember any shirt off pictures from his recent spate of vacations, might be that he's looking sickly. He certainly looks more haggard facially, of late.

Palladian said...

Maybe it was dropped in the fires of Mount Doom...

Synova said...

The size could need adjusting if he's gained or lost weight, or he could have caught it in something and bent it.

Synova said...

"Maybe it was dropped in the fires of Mount Doom..."

Ha ha ha ha!!!

Chennaul said...

Well HuffPo has close-ups of his ring.

Link

You have to scroll down.

Chennaul said...

Actually in the second close-up, which was taken some time ago-it already looks too lose.

He's probably having it re-sized.

chickelit said...

Well HuffPo has close-ups of his ring.

What a girly ring.

Mine is solid platinum.

GMay said...

I know the Hostess doesn't like declaring thread winners, but Palladian wins by a mile.

The Drill SGT said...

I'd go with:

Stolen by the Free Peoples and Enroute to Mt Doom.


Sorry DBQ, unless O's ring has a stone setting, men's rings just don't snag and bend anything. Unless if course you lose a finger in an industrial accident. I don't think he lost a finger in a drill press this week.

Chennaul said...

Pollo Real-

I dunno if it's just me-but I swear I see snakes on it.

The Drill SGT said...

Sorry DBQ, the comment was for Synova

as for snakes?

nah, I see Koran verses :)

Chennaul said...

Oh gawd-I had to google-"Mount Doom".

I declare myself-loser o' da thread.

[wv:redurr]

Chennaul said...

Drill

I think in braille it feels out to the equivalent of-

S.O. S.

chickelit said...

Oh gawd-I had to google-"Mount Doom".

I declare myself-loser o' da thread.


Me too Madawaskan! *hugs*

Anonymous said...

Michlle Obama has told Barack Obama she will divorce him when he is no longer President. The reason is that he admitted to her that he cheated on her with Vera Baker.

Michelle took the news very hard, and after counseling from friends in New York (she took a trip there without Barack at the time he was signing into law the crowning liberal achievement of the last 60 years ... health care reform), she has in effect, ended their marriage.

She now takes only token vacations with him, and is spending her quality time with her daughters (vacationing, for example, in Spain without Barack).

His marriage is over.

And the press has been informed, but is keeping the story under wraps on the theory that this is private, and thus, not news.

I've been reporting it here on Althouse for over a year now ... and eventually it will break in the mainstream media.

But not yet.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Bwahahaha

Mt Doom!

Winna

Men who work with their hands will often not wear a ring for safety's sake. You do NOT want to have your ring catch on the underside of a car engine or in a tight spot while plumbing.

Moose said...

remember those halcyon days of "I hope he chokes to death on a pretzel"?

Moose said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chennaul said...

Thanx El Pollo. I feel better now. ;-)

Paul Kirchner said...

I wonder what Frodo carried it to Mount Doom? On the other hand, if you saw the picture of a leering Rahm on Drudge the other day, you know who the Gollum was.

Lincolntf said...

That ring looks ancient. Maybe it's an antique?
It's pretty cool looking, but I'd love to know what symbolism (if any) is behind the design.

As to New Ham's theory, it's as reasonable as anything else that has come out of this bizarre relationship between the press and the President.
Ann's "he'd never not wear it if they were hiding a break-up" logic is the best argument for the innocent repair story. Of course, Obama is like a petulant child in many ways and he could have just pulled it off in a huff.

Trooper York said...

Hey if he left his ring of power in the crack of Mt. Doom.....well Michele better have a doctor look at that....you just to be on the safe side.

MayBee said...

Most likely, that was an Obama impostor.

AllenS said...

I expect to hear that his dog ate it. Now that it's recovered, it will take time to clean it up.

Either that, or Michelle packed it up his ass so far, it took a long time to retrieve.

Remember, she went to Spain instead of being with him for his birthday.

Lincolntf said...

The more I look at the ring, the more I like it. I wouldn't wear it (I don't even wear my own), but it's definitely distinctive.
I don't know about repairs, but I bet all those nooks and crannies could use a serious cleaning after being crammed into a sweaty golfing glove for the better part of two years.

Humperdink said...

Folks, you have seen the ring for the last time. It is now part of the left ear of the Golden Calf.

Who says we don't manufacture anything in this country.

Chennaul said...

AllenS

or Michelle packed it up his ass so far, it took a long time to retrieve.

Brings a whole new meaning to Recovery Summer.

The Drill SGT said...

Lincolntf said...
That ring looks ancient. Maybe it's an antique?
It's pretty cool looking, but I'd love to know what symbolism (if any) is behind the design.


but does it have text on the inside that appears when heated?

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

chickelit said...

AllenS: or Michelle packed it up his ass so far, it took a long time to retrieve.

then madawaskan: Brings a whole new meaning to Recovery Summer.

Truly this has been Obama's annulus horribilus

David said...

"Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing . . . "

Ambrose said...

all those nooks and crannies

For some reason I read that as "crooks and nannies."

Lincolntf said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Dude said...

I don't wear mine, either. I sold it on eBay.

Methadras said...

Palladian wins the thread by a huge margin.

Mark said...

Remember "No Drama Obama?"

Me neither.

Humperdink said...

Not only does Palladian win the thread, his comment is the now the storyline on Instapundit.

Cedarford said...

Either that, or Michelle packed it up his ass so far, it took a long time to retrieve.

That is fortunate. Had Michelle packed it up her own humongous ass, instead, it never would have been found.

Lincolntf said...

I have to imagine any jeweler/goldsmith would put a rush on a repair job for POTUS. So are we taking bets as to when/if Obama appears wearing his ring?

Jason (the commenter) said...

"Everyone's talking..."

When "everyone" (the press) is focusing on insubstantial things, like a person's jewelry, it can only be because they don't want us to focus on what the person is saying.

And look, it works!

Reliapundit said...

truth:

he removes when golfing.

and lost it.

he's getting a replica made.

Anonymous said...

"Truly this has been Obama's annulus horribilus"

Nice, Pollo. Punning in Latin, are we?

Lincolntf said...

You don't think Obama's words /actions get enough discussion around here? It's what we do pretty much all day, every day.

Anonymous said...

It's being prepared for it's display case at the Cordoba Victory Mosque in New York.

Jason (the commenter) said...

Remember when the President was "so handsome" and we were all supposed to be swept away by every new dress the First Lady wore?

Well, I don't think either of them has deteriorated. Their beauty came from being new. Looking at them, as they have insisted we do at every occasion, has simply rubbed that newness off.

I suppose someone with a great personality or talent could have flourished in the spotlight. But if you don't have anything to give, it's better to keep a low profile and let rare glimpses build an aura of mystery about you.

Chennaul said...

Truly this has been Obama's annulus horribilus.

LOL!

******

crooks and nannies

The Democrat party in a nut shell.

MathMom said...

The Boyz at Hillbuzz say he did not have an affair with Vera Baker.

As to the appearance of the ring, being from Indonesia it's most likely at least 22k gold, might be 24k. Even 22k is very soft, and needs to be handled with care - you can make it into a ring, but it's prone to damage.

wv: Herrier. This story is getting herrier and herrier.

Dan said...

"Maybe it was dropped in the fires of Mount Doom... "

As I read this, "The Fellowship of the Ring" is playing on my television. I'm not sure what that might mean.

KCFleming said...

It's being made into a nose ring.

The question is, to be led around by whom?

Peter V. Bella said...

Preciousssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jason (the commenter) said...

Pogo: The question is, to be led around by whom?

It would be nice if for a change the people with the ideas would show their faces. All we get in America are figureheads. Our politicians are like floats in a parade, but there's no announcer telling us who's responsible for the decorations!

Mark said...

In how many ways is this an unforced error?

1. If Obama wasn't worried about the actual design being a political problem, the NYT would have run full-color 3-column photos of it.

2. If the ring was actually being cleaned (or re-sized) the White House wouldn't be in flail mode, and would have told reporters the ring was being professionally cleaned and was expected back on Tuesday.

3. Ditto if he'd just lost the damned thing. The response would be "The President misplaced his ring after some feat of physical derring-do, and efforts are being made to recover it."

4. Let's assume the rumors are true. As Ann points out, the most stupid thing possible is to quit wearing the ring.

5. The Story of the Ring is now a story, and because of botching the first four points, it's a story that isn't going to go away, because anything that happens from here on out is going to reek of damage control. (Which is what happens every time Flail Mode is engaged.)

garage mahal said...

In how many ways is this an unforced error?

LOL

KCFleming said...

"Aw. Come on. What could need fixing on a wedding band?"

The bass player?


Sorry.

chickelit said...

Jason wrote: It would be nice if for a change the people with the ideas would show their faces. All we get in America are figureheads.

You mean like what did Edith Head look like?

Here you go: linkage

KCFleming said...

Nah, this is Edith Head.

Mark said...

And Garage once more shows the quality of his character.

Seriously, this is a "ICanHasCheezburger" Administration, so why not make "LOL" the official motto?

It's at least as good as "Possumus".

traditionalguy said...

I have heard that there are some religions against men wearing jewelry. Maybe his Moslem heritage is coming out again.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Being President looks hard. W. really suffered for eight years. He was nothing like the candidate he was in 2000 by about 2006.

I'm sure Obama is suffering at least as much. And that's actually sad.

The presidency punishes those you seek it, and devours those who attain it. It really is like the One Ring.

Misty said...

It has not been thrown in Mount Doom, for if it had been, we would all be free again. However, if this is all we have to do to fix things....

traditionalguy said...

It appears to be true that Gold Jewelry is forbidden to Moslem men, but not women, because of pride issues from men wearing "swagger clothes".

LakeLevel said...

Here's a theory: Being a family man, The Prez always takes off his band whenever he get's felated by someone who is not his wife. The White House Press Corp(se) has been journalistically felating him since he took office. He just got a little confused.

Unknown said...

Mount Doom?

As Mike Church would say, it's in Modor-on-the-Potomac

David said...

You Obama bashers and rumor mongers are a sad bunch. It's really not fair to make assumptions about the President's marriage based on a single harmless photo.

The truth is far more practical. Obama is not stupid, especially about the economy. He can see that trust in our government and currency is getting shaky. He hears what G. Gordon Liddy has been saying for years now on TV. Gold! Buy Gold! That clever Obama, he's going to melt down all the gold he can find and put it in his personal lock box.

Milwaukee said...

So Dust Bunny Queen: Do you really think President Obama has done any physical work with his hands? Has he ever replaced a broken garbage disposal, or changed an oil filter? No.

So is there nothing so vile that the cracks in the Mount of Doom won't consume it? I figure Michelle is more like a Balrog figure.

Andy said...

Everybody knows Obama didn't drop the ring in Mount Doom:

http://chawedrosin.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/one-ring.jpg

Dust Bunny Queen said...

"So Dust Bunny Queen: Do you really think President Obama has done any physical work with his hands? Has he ever replaced a broken garbage disposal, or changed an oil filter? No."

Absolutely not. I would be surprised to find that he wipes his own ass.


As to Michelle's enormous behind.....Steatopygia...AKA Hottentot Butt.

jungatheart said...

Really, DBQ? What style is your ass? Inquiring minds want to know.

chickelit said...

Really, DBQ? What style is your ass? Inquiring minds want to know.

Asked and answered here I believe: linkage

jungatheart said...

Christ, what a hottie.

William said...

The Clintons, both of them, did quite well with their memoirs. People were not dying to get the inside story on welfare reform. It was the dynamics of their marriage that excited interest in their books.....In the not so distant future Obama will be writing the next installment of his autobiography. Not so many people want the inside skinny on how he handled the BP oil spill. But an honest discussion of a rocky marriage would really keep the book on top at Amazon. Michelle's version of events would also sell well. Maybe the missing wedding band is foreshadowing.

jungatheart said...

I'll go with the weight loss angle. Remember when he went on Ellen and when he hit the punching bag, his wristwatch flew off?

Still if that was the case, it should have been done much more discreetly. A president losing weight doesn't sound good.

chickelit said...

A president losing weight doesn't sound good.

I so agree. Why he could just dry up and blow away.

Peter said...

Personally I would like it if the President had to pee in the bottle like the entire Armed Services do. He is an admitted druggie from back in his youth, now he has a serious income along with almost total immunity from the Narcs. If he were to be using again (still?) it could explain weight loss, plus his forgetting how to talk.

Whether or not this theory is valid in this case, we should really all be pushing for the President, VP, Supreme Court, etc, having to pee in the bottle. A President has a lot more power and is a lot more open to blackmail than a PFC in the Army.

DaveW said...

I didn't have to google Mount Doom but I did just check for "Steatopygia".

A lot of men don't wear their rings. I don't, I don't like wearing jewelry at all and I am especially averse to having something on my fingers. But presidents usually wear them to keep up appearances.

My bet is he just forgot to put it on.

Big Mike said...

He's an absent-minded (law) professor and he forgot to put it on.

My wife saw the press conference. I came home late from work and found her dripping with contempt for such an inarticulate dork.

My take is that the chattering classes are chattering about his ring in lieu of chattering about the fact that his second favorite word (after "I") is "um."

As for Michelle, you could land a helicopter on her butt.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

"Christ, what a hottie"

LOL. Deborah....um....that's actually not me. Trooper York making fun. Although that is my body type.

Seriously, the reason that Michelle has Steatopygia (anthropological term) or a larger hips, legs, rear also popularly known as "junk in the trunk" is not because she is eating too much or not excercising. It is genetic and there is nothing she can do about it....except learn to deal with it and dress better.

Obama is definitely losing weight. He was already pretty skinny. The office of President is really hard on the office holders. The stress has to be incredible and that Obama is for the first time in his life facing criticism, ridicule, hard work and not getting his way, I imagine that the experience is burning him up....literally.

Kirby Olson said...

There doesn't seem to be any love between them. George and Laura were always cooing about one another. You never see this with BO and Michelle. One of her only comments about him is that he stunk in the morning, and threw his socks everywhere.

Leon said...

i would go with the simplest explanation. i looked at the pics in the link and the second one looks very thin on the back side. you really need at least 1.5mm to hold up to daily use that a wedding band would see. bottom line i think he bought a cheap ring.

mtrobertsattorney said...

What's with those weird symbols on that ring?? Forget Kenya, This guy's from someplace on the other side of the galaxy.

luagha said...

As has been mentioned, a 22k or 24k gold ring is very easy to damage. Swing your hand against the edge of a desk or something simple like that, and it can easily take a massive dent.

Milwaukee said...

William, do you really think he wrote his own autobiography? Perhaps the sentence should not be "In the not so distant future Obama will be writing the next installment of his autobiography." But, "In the not so distant future Obama will be discussing the next installment of his memoirs with with ghost writers."

Christy said...

I had the inside of an 18K ring tear completely through when it caught on a door handle. Probably much thinner than the President's wedding band, but as noted, malleability goes up with caret. I can see it happening, though I prefer Palladian's response.

What nine make up the Fellowship? What adventures and battles will they fight getting the Ring to Mount Doom? Is Limbaugh Samwise Gangee, the real hero of the tale? Is George W. Bush Gandalf, the Grey? Who in our tale is Palin? Beck? Does Althouse play a role?

JAL said...

@DAveW 7 AM My bet is he just forgot to put it on.

People take them off?

Erik said...

DBQ said: "Men who work with their hands will often not wear a ring for safety's sake. You do NOT want to have your ring catch on the underside of a car engine or in a tight spot while plumbing."

So true. I too take mine off at work. Wouldn't want to catch it on the keyboard while performing a complex CNT-ALT-DEL manuver.

Jammy Harbin said...

DBQ said: "Men who work with their hands will often not wear a ring for safety's sake. You do NOT want to have your ring catch on the underside of a car engine or in a tight spot while plumbing."

Or catch your wedding band between the positive battery post and the fender, or have 32,000 volts arc from a TV HV transformer to your necklace... I'll never wear jewelry again.

sgtfhelm42 said...

muslims are not allowed to wear any jewelry during ramadan he is not a christian like he says he is a muslim if you notised he is not wearing his watch either