Obama picks Indiana for NCAA men's title

Obama talks about his Final Four bracket. / ESPN

President Obama just touched down in Tel Aviv for a visit with Israel's prime minister - but not before ranking Indiana as his top pick to win the NCAA championship this month.

According to the president's bracket, which he filled out for ESPN, Mr. Obama is predicting Florida, Indiana, Louisville, and Ohio State will make it to the Men's Final Final Four.

• March Madness: Hack your NCAA bracket
• 2013 NCAA Tournament Brackets

For the women's championship, the president - a onetime coach of his daughter's team - included Baylor, California, Connecticut and Notre Dame in his Final Four bracket.

This is the fifth year Mr. Obama has filled out a bracket for the NCAA tournament; last year, according to ESPN, he ranked 2,347,421 out of 6.45 million entries.

Obama seems more optimistic about his prospects this time around.

"I'm feeling good," he told ESPN's Andy Katz. "I'm ready to win some money here."

[highlndr55]

Nobody begrudges Obama a chance to recreate and relax. What we want him to do though is his job. It looks like all he has been doing is recreating and relaxing. He needs to do his job. Be the PRESIDENT of ALL the people. Produce a budget. A budget that even the Dems would vote for. They have not voted for one of his previous one. Not 1 Dem vote.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

Paul Ryan should put his budget in the form of a bracket, then maybe Obama would find it easier to read.

[TooScruffy]

His laser focus on jobs is now focused on the brackets. He likes the title of "President", he doesn't like the job of "President". It is a job. You have to work at it. Maybe the Hawaiian lifestyle, combined with the pot smoking made him just a little bit lazy?

[unclec18017]

Isn't he president and busy trying to solve dangerously high deficits, high unemployment, a stagnant economy, health care, nuclear proliferation, etc.? But he's not worried... he's got what's his and to hell with the rest of us.

[littleredtop]

This obsession with basketball that President Obama has is consistent with research identifying why various businesses fail, and it all has to do with leadership. Those that have lead once successful businesses down the drain share several characteristics. Those characteristics are: one or more obsessions - some are obsessed with a sport like Obama is, and others are obsessed with motorcycles, cars, airplanes, sex etc.; another characteristic is what I call the blame game - rather than identifying the systemic source of a problem and taking corrective measures, those playing the blame game first blame other people for the issue and never take responsibility as a true leader would; next on the list is constantly playing favorites - because of their unrealistically high self esteem (another characteristic often leading to failure), they seek out persons with like characteristics focusing on religion, race, educational background and like obsessions; lastly, and most difficult to recognize, is the hidden agenda - which may be a personal agenda or something business related. While there are many other characteristics on the list, including the know it all syndrome and mental illness, the top four, when in combination, are usually most destructive.

[skeezix06]

Kansas will win it all. Go Jayhawks!

[Bouillabaisse]

Get back to work, you over-privileged dirt bag.

[anzianok]

A better analysis is here - http://www.kimballrankings.com

[zmonkee]

doobiedotoo replies: Lighten up bozo - every president has chosen his final four picks

ahhhh, name calling-- what every lib resorts to when they have no argument--
hey doobie-- was every other president late submitting a budget 3 years in a row?? No? I didn't think so! But did obo get his brackets submitted on time? You betcha!

[Barry-been-inhalin]

I have beat Obama every year at the brackets........which means he sucks at that also.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

Doobiedotoo
Stop whining. Bush vacationed more than any other President in history.

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Some of the foreign dignitaries that Bush hosted at Crawford, while he was fulfilling his official business.

November 14-15, 2001 Russian President Vladimir Putin

April 5-7, 2002 British Prime Minister Tony Blair

April 25, 2002 Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah

August 27, 2002 Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar Bin Sultan

October 25, 2002 Chinese President Jiang Zimen

February 21-22, 2003 Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar

May 2-3, 2003 Australian Prime Minister John Howard

May 22-23, 2003 Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi

July 20-21, 2003 Italian Prime Minister Silvo Berlusconi

March 5-6, 2004 Mexican President Vicente Fox

April 12, 2004 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

November 24, 2004 King Juan Carlos And Queen Sofia Of Spain had a brief lunch at the ranch

March 23, 2005 Mexican President Vicente Fox, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in a Trilateral Summit held in Waco, Texas at Baylor University then headed to the ranch for lunch

April 11, 2005 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stayed overnight at the Hilton Hotel in Waco, Texas and went to the ranch for lunch

April 25, 2005 Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah met at the ranch for lunch after receiving dignitaries at his Dallas hotel, the Gaylord Texan (now King Abdullah)

August 4, 2005 Colombian President Alvaro Uribe

I don't recall Obama doing anything other than playing golf while on vacation. Have not heard of any foreign leaders visiting him at the Vineyard or Hawaii.

[Bouillabaisse]

What the hell does Bush have to do with this? Why not tell us about us what Martin Van Buren and William Howard Taft did instead of their jobs.

Obama is president now. Bush is irrelevant.

Can't stand a little fair criticism of your precious idol?

[Barry-been-inhalin]

exactly...what does Bush have to do with it, right doobiedotoo. Bush was bad but we are scraping the bottom of the barrel now.