PHOTO: Obama and Medvedev out for a burger & fries

[quiet.american]

I don't know who the owner of Ray's Hellburger is, but could they have possibly imagined when they opened the restaurant that one day, the President of the United States, and the President of Russia would be sitting there chatting over lunch! WOW. God, I love this kind of stuff.

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NYT: Just a Couple of Guys Grabbing Burgers
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/just-a-couple-of-guys-grabbing-burgers/

Mr. Obama had a cheddar cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, tomato and bread-and-butter pickles, with a bottle of iced tea to wash it down. Mr. Medvedev also ordered the cheddar burger, but he added jalapenos, onions and mushrooms, and paired it with a bottle of Coca-Cola.

Translators stayed close at hand to keep the conversation going as the two world leaders sat down to eat in shirt sleeves (Mr. Obama even unbuttoned his cuffs). They all walked out afterward to cheers from the other patrons.

The two world leaders evidently worked up an appetite discussing bilateral issues at the White House in the morning; perhaps they decided that a hearty American lunch would fortify them to face reporters and cameras at a news conference scheduled for the afternoon.

Mr. Medvedev is traveling in the United States this week to promote economic cooperation between the two countries. Even so, Mr. Obama picked up the check.

[firedupdem]

1. Very cool! Thanks

[quiet.american]

3. Cheers, FiredUpDem. nt

[quiet.american]

2. Okay, guys - which BOG'er wrote comment #25 at the link. ;) nt

[quiet.american]

7. "Recommended by 106 Readers" - posting the text because it's such a great comment --

"From the "Beer Summit" to "Burger Summit", this president makes me enormously proud.

Imagine if your day began with a to-do list that included: two inherited wars, an inherited economic disaster, a European financial meltdown, an immigration fiasco in Arizona, a intransigent Party of No (and loony Party of Tea), a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf, an indiscreet American general in Afghanistan, a controversial finance reform bill (likewise the energy bill), the headache of rebuilding Haiti, facing down a belligerent Iran and North Korea and Israel and Hamas., etc etc etc etc etc etc.

Is there any other human alive who could manage these issues simultaneously with such grace and aplomb? (while somehow making time for his wife and daughters? and carving out an hour to actually shoot some HOOPS!!!?) I'm dead serious; I can't name ONE!

Regardless of his historic accomplishments thus far (passing the health care bill, shepherding the economy back from the brink, resuscitating GM, restarting START, confronting corrupt credit card companies, endorsing the dismantlement of the world's nuclear arsenal, etc), Superman he is not. And all mortals drop the ball from time to time; to expect otherwise is childish. That said, he has my complete trust and support. It's been a very long time since most of us have been able to utter those words about the President of the United States.

[sandnsea]

8. Now 108

Somebody else kicked in 107. That is an awesome comment.

[Cha]

15. That's a classic, QA...thank you

for getting it out here for us.

[treestar]

4. Can't decide if this comment is sarcasm or not:

Ray's? They could have gone to McDonalds where the burgers are much cheaper. Now the tax payers have to foot the bill for the difference. Yet another example of out of control government spending under the Obama adminstration

[quiet.american]

5. I think that one can definitely be marked as sarcasm. :)

But look for Fox News to run with it!

[FrenchieCat]

6. President has to pay for the food, not taxpayers. Period.

[demtenjeep]

13. I would hope it was sarcasm

but these days one never knows

[Cha]

14. That's a tough call...

[azmouse]

9. Wish I knew how Pres Obama stayed skinny eating burgers and fries?

:) I bet Bill Clinton wishes he knew too.

[treestar]

10. Hopefully the exercise and not smoking!

[grantcart]

11. We tend to forget just how bad it was two years ago.

We were well on our way to a second cold war with Russia.


Now we are heading in the same direction and having honest communication.


Thank you Mr. President


Here is a reminder of what has been achieved

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8695537

[Cha]

16. Thanks for the reminder, grant.

"Moscow - Russia is one place where US President Barack Obama's influence has perceptibly moved the needle away from Bush-era frostiness, dubbed by some a 'second cold war', toward a new dialogue and hopes for better cooperation."

[POAS]

12. Who got the tip? n/t