The New York Times headline says he did, but we’re not so sure.
That’s because their article below, by Peter Baker, which ran today in The Caucus, a sub-category of the Times Online, is essentially derived from an earlier “canned” Associated Press report.
We covered the canned A.P. report earlier today.
It says only that Obama “played a little basketball,” which is a shade different from the notion that Obama “hooped it up” at Camp David. When someone “hoops it up” it implies they were playing extensively. “Played a little” could mean Obama just shot around by himself, played a little one-on-one, or even merely played a game of H-O-R-S-E.
Baker probably doesn’t play basketball a lot, or else he might have picked up (pun intended) on that distinction.
Obama Hoops It Up at Camp David
ELKHART, Ind. – Chalk up President Obama for more Camp David visits. After spending his first weekend there, the newly inaugurated commander in chief declared his appreciation for the bucolic getaway in the Maryland mountains.
“It was beautiful,” he told reporters on board Air Force One on Monday as it jetted to Indiana for his first real road trip as president. “The girls just had a great time. They had a lot of fun. You can see that during the summer it’s going to be a nice place to spend a lot of time. Hit a few golf balls. Played a little basketball.”
Mr. Obama said his daughter, Sasha, brought a friend along for the Saturday overnight visit and added that a friend of his and Michelle’s came along with two children. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Mr. Obama’s personal aide, Reggie Love, also made the trip, possibly serving as the president’s hoops partner during the weekend.
Camp David, founded as Shangri-La by Franklin D. Roosevelt and later renamed by Dwight D. Eisenhower after his grandson, can be a rare refuge for presidents who find themselves cooped up in the White House. Some presidents made much use out of the resort, both for the chance to wander around nature without a massive entourage and for political purposes to woo members of Congress or foreign leaders.
Not every president finds it charming. Harry S. Truman hated it and spent little time there. Bill Clinton did not care for it much either, particularly early on when his daughter, Chelsea, was still living at home and reluctant to leave town for the weekend. But Jimmy Carter used it for breakthrough Middle East peace talks, Ronald Reagan loved it for its rustic nature and George W. Bush retreated there after Sept. 11 to make war plans and later invited leaders like Tony Blair of Britain and Vladimir Putin of Russia for alone time.
So far, Mr. Obama has only announced more basketball. But it is early yet.
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