Bo: The Obamas meet their dog
The Obamas' Portuguese water dog didn't come from a shelter, but he is 'repurposed'
Just looking at the Obamas' new puppy "makes you want to break out in baby talk," said Jimmy Orr in The Christian Science Monitor. The president's daughters, Sasha and Malia, must be thrilled with little Bo—a Portuguese water dog given to them by Sen. Ted Kennedy. Not everybody's happy, though—critics are upset because Obama promised to adopt a dog, and Kennedy is a Washington institution, but he's no animal shelter.
"We knew it wouldn't take long for the haters to come out," said Lisa Gutierrez in the Kansas City Star. But, technically, you could argue that 6-month-old Bo is a rescue, since Kennedy picked up the dog because his original owners couldn't keep him. But what really matters is that, rescue or not, Bo is going to have a good home, and he's "going to make two little girls very, very happy."
And Bo is hypoallergenic, so he meets another of the Obamas' requirements, said Lynn Sweet in the Chicago Sun-Times. Like everything in Washington, the pup has detractors—he's not a shelter dog—and supporters—he is "repurposed." But, like it or not, Bo is First Pup—his "appointment does not need Senate confirmation."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
Le Pen back in the dock: the trial that’s shaking FranceIn the Spotlight Appealing her four-year conviction for embezzlement, the Rassemblement National leader faces an uncertain political future, whatever the result
-
The doctors’ strikesThe Explainer Resident doctors working for NHS England are currently voting on whether to go out on strike again this year
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardonTalking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred