It appears that President Barack Obama is not going to be Prof. Obama in 2017.
A Columbia University campus publication dropped a bombshell Monday that the liberal university would welcome President Barack Obama back to his alma mater after the end of his second term as President in 2017.
University President Lee Bollinger and the White House quickly went into “rumor control mode” and scotched the reported remark by Bollinger at a student event that he will welcome Obama back at the campus.
A statement Monday night clarified that Bollinger was referring to the Barack Obama Foundation and to the president himself.
According to the statement:
[Bollinger] only reiterated the May 12 statement by the Barack Obama Foundation that it ‘intends to maintain a presence at Columbia University for the purpose of exploring and developing opportunities for a long term association’ and reflected no further developments concerning President Obama’s plans.’
White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman stated:
The President has long talked about his respect for Columbia University and his desire to continue working with them. However, at this point no decisions have been finalized about his post-Presidency plans.
Last May, when President Obama sat down with retiring “Late Show” host David Letterman, he suggested that after both men retire they could “play some dominoes together – go to the local Starbuck and swap stories.”
Letterman said, “I play dominoes. I’m pretty good. I know you think I’m not good at dominoes.” Obama then told him during a commercial break that he intends to take a month off after serving as president for eight years.
Letterman responded, “Are you kidding me? After eight years of this, you’re only taking a month off? I plan to teach law at Columbia.”
Obama said:
I’d be interested in sitting in on that class. That would be a hoot.
So if Letterman teaches law, will Obama be Professor of Dominoes?