Aug. 5: Let’s face it, turning 49 is no fun. Especially when your wife and children are not around to celebrate. But to have the birthday cake scratched by the Secret Service? On his last birthday before hitting the half-century mark, President Barack Obama found himself marking the occasion on Wednesday with all the surreal advantages and disadvantages that come with being the most powerful man in the world.
With his wife and younger daughter vacationing in Spain and his older daughter off at summer camp, Mr Obama was left to start the big day at an AFL-CIO meeting in Washington, only to discover that his security detail had refused to let the union present him with a cake. Still, deflating as that may be, what other bachelor birthday boy can salvage the day by hopping on Air Force One to fly home to Chicago and hang with friends?
The home-alone President planned to spend the evening at a private dinner with friends, and aides said he looked forward to spending the night in his own house for a change. He will spend the next day visiting a Ford Motor Co. plant near Chicago and attending fundraisers.
The Democratic National Committee held 600 birthday parties for him around the country to collect gifts in the form of campaign checks. Meanwhile, a new CNN/Opinion Research released on Wednesday, shows 41 per cent of Republicans believe Mr Obama was “probably” or “definitely” born in another country. The poll of 1,018 adults shows 27 per cent of Americans believe the President was "probably" or "definitely" born in another country, compared with 71 per cent who think he was born in the United States.