沒有妻女陪伴 奧巴馬孤身過49歲生日
Alone on his 49th birthday, President Barack Obama fled the empty White House mansion and headed for a more intimate celebration with longtime friends in his Chicago hometown.
Obama has been living a bachelor's life for the past several days with first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha visiting Spain and daughter Malia spending the month away at an undisclosed camp.
Before leaving Washington on Wednesday afternoon with the family dog, Bo, Obama got a couple of presents he didn't have to unwrap and which the White House described as being the highlight of his day: telephone calls from the women in his life.
Mrs. Obama and Sasha phoned in their happy birthday wishes, followed by a lunchtime call from Malia.
"Needless to say ... both those calls were the highlights of his day," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters who traveled with Obama aboard Air Force One.
Obama's Secret Service detail got him a present, though Gibbs would describe it only as "heartfelt."
As the presidential motorcade pulled closer to his house in Hyde Park, neighbors lined the street to welcome him home with waves and signs, including "Happy 49th Birthday President Barack Obama" and "Happy Birthday Mr. President."
Obama's birthday — though a year short of the milestone 5-0 — also was viewed in this election year as a prime fundraising opportunity for Democrats, who fear losing their hold on both houses of Congress come November.
美國總統貝拉克·奧巴馬日前獨自迎來49歲的生日。當天，奧巴馬離開空蕩蕩的白宮官邸，前往芝加哥老家與老友們團聚，共慶生日。
這幾天奧巴馬一直過着“單身”生活。第一夫人米歇爾•奧巴馬和小女兒薩莎正在西班牙度假，大女兒瑪麗亞本月在外地某處參加夏令營。
本週三下午在與白宮第一犬“波”一同離開華盛頓前，奧巴馬收到了兩份不用打開的禮物，白宮稱這是奧巴馬生日當天最激動的時刻：接到妻女打來的電話。
米歇爾和薩莎打來電話祝他生日快樂，午飯時分瑪麗亞也打來了電話。
白宮新聞發言人羅伯特•吉布斯告訴跟隨“空軍一號”一同前往芝加哥的記者們說：“毫無疑問，接到這兩個電話是他這一天中最開心的時刻。”
奧巴馬的特情組人員爲他準備了一份禮物，不過吉布斯僅透露這份禮物“很有心”。
當總統車隊駛抵奧巴馬位於海德園的居所時，鄰居們站在街道兩旁揮手致意，並舉着“奧巴馬總統49歲生日快樂！”和“總統先生生日快樂！”等標語歡迎他回來。
奧巴馬這次的生日還被視爲民主黨募款的好時機——儘管離50歲“大關”還有一年時間。今年美國國會將舉行中期選舉，民主黨擔心在11月的選舉中會失去對參衆兩院的控制權。
Vocabulary:
Secret Service detail: 特工處，detail在此處表示an appointment or assignment, as of a small group or an officer, for a special task（特遣隊、小分隊）
motorcade: a procession or parade of automobiles or other motor vehicles（車隊）
