# Bush White House to Obamas: Maybe you can find a park bench to sleep on? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962 "2008-12-13T00:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/101 "2008-12-14T17:57:44Z")
My parents live off Embassy Row and have a spare room. They like kids and they have 2 dogs–it’s a win/win! I’ll go call mom and tell her to expect 4 for dinner… Nobody else thought of yet another scenario? They need time to remove all the Os on the keyboards and generally deface stuff and chip the china etc. It’s as reasonable as the others. I just hope the Obamas fumigate-that Cheney could be hiding in the basement. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/102 "2008-12-14T17:59:42Z")
The Obama’s wanted their kids ther at the start o fthe school year, not 10 days later. For this purpose, indeed, Mrs. Obama and kids could stay at a Hotel. It’s just that they’d have to move again, and the House is within the WH security cordon anyway. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/103 "2008-12-14T19:39:08Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > My parents live off Embassy Row and have a spare room. They like kids and they have 2 dogs–it’s a win/win! > > I’ll go call mom and tell her to expect 4 for dinner… Five. The First Granny is coming with them. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/104 "2008-12-14T20:46:19Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > What do you mean “hotels don’t count”? You live where you live. Or are you saying that if ypu live in a hotel you have no valid address? That makes no sense. I have no doubt that your address is where you live, whether it be a private residence (owned by you or your uncle or your friend, it does not matter), a hotel, a nursing home or a cardboard box. Where ever you live and sleep, that is your residence. You’re confusing “residence” with “primary residence” which is a legal term. Usually it’s defined as the residence where you spend the most time in any given year. You must declare a primary residence for tax purposes, for voting purposes…and for public school eligibility. Just because I spend the night in the Beverly Hills Hilton doesn’t mean that I can send my kids to Beverly Hills High. Just because I have a vacation home in Aspen doesn’t mean I can vote in Colorado. > **[Residence Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.](https://definitions.uslegal.com/r/residence/)** > > Residence refers to a place of adode that is more than merely temporary. > It is also used interchangeably with the term > [@DrDeth](#): > > The Obama’s wanted their kids their at the start of the school year, not 10 days later. For this purpose, indeed, Mrs. Obama and kids could stay at a Hotel. Since they are going to attend a private school, their residency is a moot point. But if they were going to attend a public school, a hotel might not be sufficient. It’s not in my district. This is because our schools are funded by property taxes. Here’s what my local district’s website says: Enrollment Requirements & Immunization Laws: Proof of the following must be submitted at the time of enrollment for all students new to Lakota regardless of age or grade level: Proof of residence, e.g. lease agreement, purchase contract, rent receipt, voter registration card, etc. [http://www.lakotaonline.com/students.cfm?subpage=144](http://www.lakotaonline.com/students.cfm?subpage=144) ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/105 "2008-12-14T21:23:47Z")
I would bet that if a purchase contract is a valid proof of intended residence, then having won a national election and planning to move into the White House in fifteen days would also count. 🙂 And as you said, private schools don’t usually have residency requirements anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/106 "2008-12-14T21:35:15Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > I would bet that if a purchase contract is a valid proof of intended residence, then having won a national election and planning to move into the White House in fifteen days would also count. School Secretary to husband: You wouldn’t believe this guy I had at work today. He insisted that he was moving into the district, but didn’t have any proof of residency. And, he gave me a fake address. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How stupid does he think I am? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/107 "2008-12-14T23:37:29Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > Five. The First Granny is coming with them. Oh, well-that was the deal breaker. No spare room for THEM! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/108 "2008-12-15T01:31:45Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > Five. The First Granny is coming with them. That would be the first MIL. First Granny would be Barack’s grandmother, who recently passed away. Not sure if Nigerian Granny is still alive, though. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/109 "2008-12-15T01:37:42Z")
Nigerian? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/110 "2008-12-15T05:46:15Z")
**John** must be scamming us. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/111 "2008-12-15T10:10:28Z")
I think I just got an email from her. If I help her get into the country she’ll pay me $10 million. I just have to send her my bank account info. I’ll keep you posted. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/112 "2008-12-16T17:22:46Z")
Wow, **Loach** , I just got the same e-mail. I never new it was so difficult to get out of Nigeria. Good thing she is loaded. Oh well, off to pre-spend my millions, gotta do my part to jump strart the economy. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/113 "2008-12-16T18:54:13Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I would guess that it’s more of an oversight than malice, but still: > > [Sorry, We’re Booked, White House Tells Obamas](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/sorry-were-booked-white-house-tells-obamas/?hp) If by your own guess it’s more oversight than malice, why bother with the thread? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/114 "2009-01-07T03:09:03Z")
I just read through this thread for the first time. lissener, you might have made your case a bit better if you’d pointed out that Blair House is actually bigger than the White House itself, meaning that there had to be room somewhere in there for the Obama family. From that Wikipedia link earlier: > [@](#): > > Blair House is now a complex of four connected townhouses, including the original Blair House. During the 1980s, Blair House underwent significant restorations, with a new wing added on the north. An adjacent townhouse, Trowbridge House, is being renovated to serve as an official guest residence for former U.S. presidents while in the capital. **The combined square footage of the four adjacent townhouses exceeds 70,000 feet, making it larger than the White House.** In any case, I just bumped this thread to note that the _only_ guest happens to be [John Howard](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2009/01/06/blair_house_mystery_solved_its.html?hpid=topnews), former Australian Prime Minister. > [@](#): > > The veil is lifted. We now know who is booked at Blair House, kicking President-elect Barack Obama and his family to the waiting list and across Lafayette Park to the Hay-Adams Hotel. > > The only overnight visitor at the presidential guest manse is none other than John Howard, a former Australian prime minister and leading member of President Bush’s coalition of the willing in Iraq. > > Howard and his entourage will be bunking at Blair House on Jan. 12, the night before he, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe are to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush, said Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush. The three current and former heads of state are longtime political allies of Bush, and Blair and Howard were key partners in the U.S.-led war in Iraq. > > Blair and Uribe also were invited to stay at Blair House, but declined Bush’s invitation, a second White House official said today. Blair, who traditionally stays at the British Embassy, and Uribe apparently found other accommodations, said the second White House official, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. Unless Howard’s entourage is huge and he has massive security, it looks to me like Bush could have let the family stay in one part of Blair House but said no out of petulance. Not that it matters to me one way or the other (though you’d think that Republicans would be upset at the $20,000 per night cost the taxpayers are paying for Obama to stay at his hotel, but I guess scoring points off Obama is more important than their pocketbooks). I just post to let people know the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/115 "2009-01-07T03:47:33Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I just post to let people know the outcome. It’s nice to see that at this late date you are still able to come along and kiss **lissener** ’s ass, as we here on the SDMB have grown accustomed to. Speaking of petulance. My understanding was that the White House stated that Blair House was booked primarily for end-of-term activities. Regardless, so what? It appears that neither Obama nor Bush nor anyone else except you and your ass-kissee gives a shit. I shall, of course, wait with bated breath to find whether President Obama allows his successor into Blair House before the traditional date. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/116 "2009-01-07T04:42:59Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > It’s nice to see that at this late date you are still able to come along and kiss **lissener** ’s ass, as we here on the SDMB have grown accustomed to. Speaking of petulance. What? I’m not kissing his ass. I think he was wrong to start this thread and only ever read the first few posts before I completely lost interest. I was agreeing with everybody else as I was reading. Then, now, I just found out that only one person would be staying at Blair House. It does seem kind of petulant on Bush’s part now that we know. Until we knew though, I thought it was a non-story too. Your snark is not warranted. Not that it is a story now, I just thought it was an interesting bit of knowledge to know the outcome. As it is, I think the Hay-Adams is really frickin’ cool. Just looking through [their photo gallery](http://www.hayadams.com/washington-dc-hotel-gallery.php), they have some amazing views of their future home. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/117 "2009-01-07T05:16:48Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > It’s nice to see that at this late date you are still able to come along and **kiss lissener’s ass** , as we here on the SDMB have grown accustomed to. Speaking of petulance. > > My understanding was that the White House stated that Blair House was booked primarily for end-of-term activities. Regardless, so what? It appears that neither Obama nor Bush nor anyone else except you and your \*\*ass-kissee \*\*gives a shit. > > I shall, of course, wait with \*\*bated breath \*\*to find whether President Obama allows his successor into Blair House before the traditional date. Um, given the context, wouldn’t that be _baited_ breath? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/118 "2009-01-07T15:08:52Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Not that it matters to me one way or the other (though you’d think that Republicans would be upset at the $20,000 per night cost the taxpayers are paying for Obama to stay at his hotel, but I guess scoring points off Obama is more important than their pocketbooks). Does the Hay-Adams really have a suite that expensive? My family of four can stay at The Ritz-Carlton on Central Park in NYC in a nice suite for considerably less than that… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/119 "2009-01-07T15:24:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > And it turns out every hotel is booked for a full week before the inauguration. The Obamas have had to get a room at the Fairprice Motor Court in Manassas, VA, though his mother-in-law and daughters share a room at Bruce Ephraim Schwule’s Mennonite B&B&Day Spa in Culpeper. Actually, I just this week booked a hotel room for January 14th/15th, which by my calculation is less than a week before the inauguration. It’s true that my hotel is near the Capitol (two blocks away) rather than near the White House, but if I can get a room I think the Obamas might be able to swing a room or two. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962/120 "2009-01-07T18:27:26Z")
Thank God those troglodytes will be out of there soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-white-house-to-obamas-maybe-you-can-find-a-park-bench-to-sleep-on/476962.md?page=7)