June 4, 2009 1:56 PM

Obama Checks Out Sphinx And Pyramids

By
Mark Knoller
Topics
White House
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Everyone says it when they see the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. And so did President Obama.

"It's awe-inspiring," he exclaimed as he gave those wonders of the world a final glance before bringing his one-day visit to Egypt to an end.

"Alright, I guess we got to go back to work," he lamented as he gathered up his senior staff and headed to his motorcade.

Giza was the last stop on the president's Egyptian drop-by. He was in-country for just over 9 hours, principally to deliver his speech about starting "a new beginning" in U.S. relations with the Muslim world. That was the centerpiece of his visit, but the drop-by the pyramids was the cultural highpoint.

Here's video of the Sphinx tour (no sound):



Serving as Mr. Obama's guide in Giza was Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. He led the way in and around the pyramids and the Sphinx, including a visit to the Tomb of Qar, who Hawass described as a well-known priest, scholar and judge in ancient Egypt. On the wall were hieroglyphs of Qar, primitive images engraved in the stone. He was a thin man man with big ears.

"That looks like me!" exclaimed President Obama. "Look at those ears."

An image of the hieroglyph:

(CBS)


The president summoned to his top aides to take a look, and repeated his observation about the Qar hieroglyph.

"Look, that's me," he told them. None of his senior staff was willing to disagree with the boss. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel smiled politely, if not knowingly.

Actually, the graven image bore more of a resemblance to Mr. Spock of "Star Trek" fame. Wasn't there an episode where the crew of the Enterprise went back in time to the Egypt of the Pharoahs? If there wasn't, there should have been. That might have explained a hieroglyph of Spock on the wall of an ancient tomb. Maybe President Obama went back in time. That'd be a good scenario for a pitch meeting in Hollywood.

Out of the tomb and into the 100-degree heat of Giza, the president and his staff posed for a picture with the pyramids and the Sphinx in the background. Just across the street from them, another icon. Not of Egyptian culture, but American: a KFC restaurant. It didn't make it into the presidential photo.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)


Obama's Trip: Complete Coverage


(CBS)
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

Add a Comment See all 28 Comments
by etcorngods June 7, 2009 5:39 AM EDT
The Obama sighting of his image at a Pyramid was preplanned by ET's -- the word "Pyramid" contains precoded facts about Obama.

See: http://ufoetblog.com/?p=453
Reply to this comment
by erb0087 June 5, 2009 4:31 AM EDT
"Obama has given the world another reason to consider us a bunch of unsophisticated bumpkins."
Posted by bothR2blame31 at 5:00 PM : Jun 4, 2009
===================

That was already a mission accomplished by George W. Bush.

When Bush met Queen Elizabeth in 2008, she told him she had been on the Throne for 50 years.

"Try a little Metamucil," he advised her.

That is a true story.

Jay Leno would never have dared report it on national TV if it weren't.
Reply to this comment
by randomlybanned June 5, 2009 2:14 AM EDT
Okay, what the heck is Theaz??? You libs never make any sense. So you will try to get me banned? What were you, like the hall monitor in grade school or something? You are no one until you have been banned by CBS!!!
Reply to this comment
by bajajohn1 June 5, 2009 1:11 AM EDT
Never fear, I am here. Looking at those photos of the pyramids and the Sphinx reminds me of when I traveled there back in the 70's; they still look the same. Both the pyramids and the Sphinx are right next to each other. The thing I remember most was that this guy from Dallas, who rode across the desert with me. he was a bit of a redneck. Anyway, we both got on camels, mine was named California and we rode around the pyramids swigging on an Egyptian beer--a big green bottle. But a few trinkets in Giza and stayed a hotel known as the Jollyville Hotel? Nice Place. Long ride back to NY, then on to San Antone.
Reply to this comment
by bluegrass101-2009 June 4, 2009 11:59 PM EDT
randomlybanned ++++++++++++++++++++We see that you are back Theaz, how long before you get banned again. I'll try to help .
Reply to this comment
by bluegrass101-2009 June 4, 2009 11:53 PM EDT
After four plus months of Obama, fewer people are willing to admit to being Democrats.

You should store his posts for the future. Fanatical left wing loonies like him might not be around much longer.
Posted by bothR2blame31+++++++++++++++++71% admit to being Dem or Independent---- 20% admit under torture to being a Repig. those are the Facts , Repig. Read em and Weep.!!
Reply to this comment
by bluegrass101-2009 June 4, 2009 11:52 PM EDT
The Repiglican Prayer for the month of June,-- " "Dear Beelezebub our Lord and Savior, we Repig's earnestly and urgently need your expert guidance to help destroy President Obama's Agenda to restore America's prestige in the World . We Repig's did all the damage we could in eight years but we still need your help. Please send Wallace, Rasputin, Himmler , Joe McCarthy and some of our best servants to help their clones-- Rove, Cheney, Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Kristol, and the members of the American Enterprise Institute./ Than You Beelze, Amen, sincerely, Boss Hog Limbaugh ,leader and spokesman for the GOP"
Reply to this comment
by randomlybanned June 4, 2009 10:32 PM EDT
and you are not a Dumbocrapt troll, bluegrass???
Reply to this comment
by bluegrass101-2009 June 4, 2009 9:27 PM EDT
George Bush would have said, " How bout them ar Pyriymids, Dag Nabbit.
Reply to this comment
by bluegrass101-2009 June 4, 2009 9:24 PM EDT
We must leave the Repig Troll's alone for awhile , It's all that the Repiglican Party has left.
Reply to this comment
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