Thread: Obama Gives Highest Award, Medal Of Freedom, To Oprah And Bill Clinton [Watch]

Obama Gives Highest Award, Medal Of Freedom, To Oprah And Bill Clinton [Watch]

Posted by Dom The Conservative On November 21, 2013 0 Comment

50 years after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, President Obama bestowed the highest award given to U.S. civilians, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This year’s recipients, however, may be the most diverse and questionable bunch to receive this award yet.
Of the 16 total recipients, 2 in particular, President Bill Clinton and famous former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, have sparked a wide range of reactions.
The ceremony marks the start of a day honoring Kennedy’s legacy two days before the nation pauses to remember the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Later, Obama will pay a visit to the eternal flame that marks John F. Kennedy’s gravesite. He’ll be joined by first lady Michelle Obama and the Clintons at the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, according toFox News.
Obama opened by saying, “Today, we salute fierce competitors who became true champions.”

USA Today reported that during the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room, Obama praised Clinton for a journey that took him from a small town in Arkansas to the White House and cited his predecessor’s post-presidential humanitarian work, saying, “He doesn’t stop.”
Obama also paused to thank Clinton for his “advice and counsel…on and off the golf course.”

Winfrey, whose talk show transformed television interviews, reached “the pinnacle of the entertainment universe,” Obama said of his fellow Chicagoan and longtime political supporter, according to USA Today.

The president made a point of highlighting those who had overcome additional obstacles and stigmatization because they were gay, black, female or Asian. He noted that early in her career, Oprah’s bosses suggested she change her name to something more relatable. “I got the same advice,” Obama said, according to Fox News.

The other medal recipients awarded at the ceremony include baseball legend Ernie Banks, Washington Post’s Ben Bradlee, psychologist Daniel Kahneman, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, country music star Loretta Lynn, chemist Mario Molina, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, basketball coach Dean Smith, women’s liberation leader Gloria Steinem, Civil Rights Movement leader Cordy Tindell ”C.T.” Vivian, and U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia chief judge Patricia Wald.
Posthumous recipients include, Japanese-American congressman Daniel Inouye, astronaut Sally Ride, and Bayard Rustin who served as an adviser to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.



http://universalfreepress.com/obama-...clinton-watch/