RUBBING ELBOWS

Obama Prefers to Dine With Intellectuals

As his presidency nears its end.

President Obama apparently prefers dining with the great minds of art, business, sports, and philosophy more than his fellow politicians. The New York Times reports that as Obama nears the end of his presidency and his teenage daughters spend more time away, a president known for his family dinners is shifting towards salons with the international and intellectual elite. The president recently hosted documentarian Ken Burns and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki at the White House and dined with architect Renzo Piano in Italy. His evolving social calendar suggests the kind of intellectual life the president is hoping to have after his time in office. “He is a curious man," Piano said, "and even the president of America is sometimes struggling to explore, to understand, to search.”