A big, stuffed, black spider dangled in a web of string from the top of the portico, and pumpkins had sprouted up around the columns.
The loot handed out was just part of the treat for the children, ages 6 to 14. “He touched my hand,’’ said a beaming Tiera Thomas, 11, of Washington, after she picked up her candy from the president.
The Obamas spent about a half hour distributing candy.
The president, dressed in casual clothes, was one of the few not in costume. Even Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was dressed as Darth Vader.
It was the first White House Halloween for the Obama daughters, 8-year-old Sasha and 11-year-old Malia. But the White House refused to say where Sasha and Malia Obama were celebrating Halloween and what the two girls were wearing.
Obama upbeat on latest economic reports
WASHINGTON - President Obama said yesterday that reports that the economy is growing again and that more than 1 million jobs were saved or created by his stimulus plan show “we are moving in the right direction.’’
But he tempered his upbeat message with a cautious word about further job losses and progress yet to be made.
Unemployment hit a 26-year high of 9.8 percent in September, and the October report due next week could show it topping 10 percent.
The government reported last week that the economy grew 3.5 percent from July through September, the first signs of growth in a year and unofficial confirmation that the economic slide that began in December 2007 is over. Separately, the White House said Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan - a mix of spending and tax cuts - had saved or created more than 1 million jobs.
“It is easy to forget that it was only several months ago that the economy was shrinking rapidly and many economists feared another Great Depression,’’ the president said.
Boehner says GOP has health care answers
