奧巴馬攜全家赴夏威夷度聖誕
Obamas begin Christmas Eve with workout
US President-elect Barack Obama offered appreciation to the country's military on Christmas Eve in a recorded message and then asked children of uniformed troops if they had their wish lists ready.
Obama and wife, Michelle, made their early morning trek to Marine Corps Base Hawaii just northeast of Honolulu as they had done during the last three days. After about an hour at the base on Wednesday where he went inside a gym for a workout, he walked over to greet more than 60 people who waited for him. The president-elect shook hands while onlookers took pictures with their cell phones and digital cameras.
"You guys got your Christmas list?" Obama asked one person standing in the makeshift ropeline. He asked another: "Hey man, what's going on?"
Earlier in the day, his aides released a recorded message of appreciation to the military "serving their second, third or even fourth tour of duty."
"This holiday season, their families celebrate with a joy that is muted knowing that a loved one is absent, and sometimes in danger," Obama said in the message, set to air Saturday morning.
Obama, his family and his close friends are spending 12 days on the island of Oahu, staying at a rented $9 million beachfront estate. Aides say the Obama would have no public events during the trip, although he has received his intelligence briefings and met with aides.
Later Wednesday, Obama played golf with friends Marty Nesbitt and Eric Whitaker, friends who are neighbors of Obama in Chicago. Aide Eugene Kang also joined them.
The Obamas during past years spent the December holidays visiting Obama's maternal grandmother, who died Nov. 2, before Obama's historic Nov. 4 victory. The Obamas on Tuesday had a private memorial service for Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise him.
美國當選總統奧巴馬在聖誕節前夕發表了一個錄音講話，他在講話中感謝美國士兵爲國家做出的貢獻，並詢問這些士兵的孩子們都有哪些聖誕願望。
週三一大早，奧巴馬和夫人米歇爾跟前三天一樣，長途跋涉至檀香山東北部的“夏威夷美國海軍陸戰隊基地”。在陸戰隊基地的健身房鍛鍊了大約一個小時後，奧巴馬便走出來與在外等候他的60多人打招呼。奧巴馬與大家親切握手，圍觀的人們則紛紛拿出手機和照相機拍照。
奧巴馬問站在警戒線外的一位民衆：“聖誕節到了，你們都有些什麼願望啊？”之後又問另一位：“嗨，哥們，近況如何？”
當天早些時候，奧巴馬的助手發佈了他的一個錄音講話，主要是感謝“爲國家服役多年”的士兵們。
奧巴馬在講話中說：“在這一年一度的聖誕佳節來臨之際，這些士兵們的家人在慶祝節日的同時，心裏還在默默掛念着他們遠在他鄉、時時都有危險的親人。”這個講話將於本週六早上播出。
奧巴馬全家及他的好友將在瓦盧島度過一個12天的“悠長”假期，他們花900萬美元在島上租了套海景別墅。奧巴馬的助手說，在度假期間，奧巴馬將不參加任何正式活動，不過他還是收到了智囊團簡報並會見了助手。
當天晚些時候，奧巴馬與兩位朋友馬蒂•奈斯比提和埃裏克•惠特克一起打高爾夫，兩人是奧巴馬在芝加哥的鄰居。助手尤金•卡恩也加入了他們。
往年聖誕節，奧巴馬全家一般會去拜訪奧巴馬的外祖母。奧巴馬的外祖母已於上月2日，他贏得總統大選兩天前去世。奧巴馬全家於週二舉行了一個家庭紀念儀式，悼念撫養他長大的外祖母瑪德琳•佩恩•鄧漢姆。
