Just over a week into his new digs, and Barack Obama is already shaking things up in the White House. He's changing up the dress code and having a small shindig for Congressional machers.

President Obama in a meeting last week in the Oval Office, where his predecessor required a coat and tie at all times.

He's ditched the jacket-and-tie-only rule for the Oval Office that his predecessor George W. Bush mandated , while also instituting a weekend business casual dress code for the White House staff. Time to open up that L.L. Bean catalog, Obama staffers, and pick out your perfect Saturday khakis.

Obama has also using the space to entertain a little. On Wednesday evening he held a cocktail gathering for some House and Senate movers and shakers of both parties he'll desperately need in the coming months was reportedly a success. According to Slate, he's part of a long tradition of presidents who gets things done by unhitching a notch or two in the evening hours :

" Harry Truman favored bourbon and branch water. (As vice president, Truman had just arrived to have a bourbon with House Speaker Sam Rayburn when he got the call that FDR had died.) When he was president, LBJ came to the Capitol on several occasions for an after-work drink with Senate Republican leader Everett Dirksen. [...] FDR won the presidency on a platform of ending Prohibition. Every evening, including during the war, Roosevelt mixed drinks in the Oval Office from behind his desk, before him a tray equipped with whatever he needed for the martinis or old fashioneds he was mixing. "

While it may be traditional, Obama is now taking some lumps for sipping libations while the economy burns. News that wagyu beef was served at the cocktail party has raced around the conservative blogosphere today, raising questions of why the president would serve something that can cost up to $100 per serving when hundred of thousands are losing their jobs. Typical is this comment from ThatSamIam at Michelle Malkin's blog :

" Anyone surprised? Of course they will spend big on everything. That’s what socialist progressive liberals do because they consider our money their money. "

If the Obama White House is going to be a more casual affair, could we suggest maybe something a bit more low-key for the next shindig? Some deviled eggs and one of the Safeway vegetable plates, perhaps.

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Freeze and thaw ... a man passes by an ice sculpture entitled "Main Street Meltdown," in New York in 2008.

Diehard ... an elderly man holds a placard protesting against President Bush outside the White House in Washington on January 17.

Collector's edition ... people line up outside the Washington Post newspaper to purchase special election editions.

Welcome to the party ... an invitation and tickets to the presidential inauguration to be handed out to Congressional members on view at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Keep your friends close .... Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was tapped by Barack Obama to lead the State Department after he defeated her in the Democratic primaries last year.

V for victory ... a doll of Barack Obama is displayed for sale ahead of his inauguration at a shop in Washington.

Under fire .. Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner looks on as Barack Obama meets members of his economic team at his transition office in Washington.

Family first ... Mr Obama with daughters Malia and Sasha as they meet at the Honolulu Zoo on December 30, 2008 .

Tarred by the same brush ... a Lebanese leftist protester, is seen between two anti-US posters featuring USPresident George W. Bush, and US President-elect Barack Obama.

On the shoulders of giants ... President-elect Barack Obama speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during an inaugural concert in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009 .

Crowd pleaser ... people listen and watch the "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial" at the National Mall in Washington DC, January 18.

Bestseller ... Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope on display at a publishing house in Beijing on November 14, 2008, where young Chinese editor Han Manchun was responsible for the book's domestic release.

High flyer ... Barack Obama's stepmother Kezia Obama is presented with a birthday cake by Virgin Atlantic staff Candice and Sam as she leaves London's Heathrow Airport to travel to Washington where she will watch her stepson become the new President of the United States.

Law maker ... former US Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to be Attorney General, is sworn in for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington January 15, 2009.

Popular culture ... this undated handout photo provided by Marvel Comics shows the cover of "Spidey Meets the President!" a five page story featuring Spider-Man and Barack Obama on inauguration day in "Amazing Spider-Man #583."

Double B ... Barack Obama's room is labeled on the Georgia 300, a private rail car owned by John "Jack" Heard, from Fernandina Beach Flag, Thursday, January 15, 2009, at the rail yard in Washington.

Headlong ... The brand new office portrait of Barack Obama.

Day one ... Barack and Michelle Obama get their daughters Sasha and Malia ready for their first day of school at Sidwell Friends in Washington, January 5.

World of thanks ... Mr Obama spoke by telephone with the leaders of nine US allies to express thanks for their congratulations .

The long walk ... days before handing the reins to Barack Obama, US President George W. Bush leaves after delivering his final farewell speech to the nation at the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 15.

Shatterproof ... Mr Obama waves as he makes his way onto the stage to address supporters at the War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore on January 17.

Safeguarding the future ... Barack Obama and Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan, his nominee for secretary of education, talk to school children at the Dodge Renaissance Academy in Chicago December 16, 2008.

Out with the old ... a wax figure of Mr Obama, right, is on display at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, as workers carry a wax figure of George W. Bush outside the building in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 15. Five days prior to his inauguration, Obama's figure was also unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London, Berlin, New York and Las Vegas.

Old ties ... USA Democratic Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton after they arrived for a Democratic debate at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Centre of attention ... Mr Obama speaks to the media after a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and vice president elect Joe Biden at the US Capitol in Washington.

Historic words ... Barack Obama's speech on the great American conundrum of race bearing his signature, is on display at the new black history exhibit, "AmericaIAm: The African-American Imprint" at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Life in miniature ... historic scene depicting Barack Obama taking the presidential oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in Miniland Washington DC, in Legoland park in Carlsbad, California.

Vision of the Future ... "Barack Obama," a mixed media collage by Shepard Fairey, is installed in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Fairey's large-scale, mixed-media stenciled collage was the central portrait image for the Obama campaign and was previously distributed as a limited-edition print and as a free download.

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1. Mara Carfagna (Italy) :
Position: Member of Chamber of Deputies (Campania 2), Minister for Equal Opportunity
Party: The People of Freedom
Having ditched a career as a show girl on Italian TV, Mara is now what Monica Lewinsky could only dream of becoming: successful, relevant, and hot. With reports that her meteoric political rise was fueled by sexual favors to the prime minister, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi went on national TV and proclaimed that if he weren´t married, he would marry Mara in a heartbeat. Bravo !

2. Sarah Palin (U.S.A) :
Position: Governor of Alaska, GOP VP nominee
Party: Republican
After being crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984, Sarah Barracuda snatched up the mayoral seat 12 years later, garnering a groundswell of 616 votes. Looking to shake up his presidential campaign lure away Hillary supporters , McCain picked as his running mate the only person keeping our 49th state from being annexed by the Russians.

3. Ruby Dhalla (Canada) :
Position: Member of the Canadian House of Commons, Brampton–Springdale
Party: Liberal
Dhalla has been money in Parliament as a twice-elected member of the Liberals. So much so that the opposition tried to woo her to their side in order to court the all-important woman, immigrant, and horny-male vote.

4. Nicole Parra (U.S.A) :
Position: California State Assemblywoman (30th Assembly District)
Party: Democratic
Nicole has the looks to mask her ferocious bite. She recently gave her party the ol´ eff you after refusing to vote for a Democratic budget bill that screwed her hometown out of a better water supply. Her punishment? The assembly speaker has now moved her office out of the Capitol building.

5. Yulia Tymoshenko (Ukraine) :
Position: Prime Minister of Ukraine
Party: BYuT (Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc)
Yulia first broke onto the political scene in 1996, squeaking out a parliamentary seat with 92.3 percent of the vote. She then achieved Princess Leia hotness by braiding her hair and becoming prime minister. Rumors of a vacation home on Naboo are so far unsubstantiated.

6. Belinda Stronach (Canada) :
Position: Member of the Canadian House of Commons, Newmarket-Aurora
Party: Liberal
There´s a reason why her initials are B.S.: This lady takes none of it. Despite her business background, Belinda temporarily deferred her aspirations as CEO of Magna International to test the turbulent political waters. In 2005, she rocked Canadian politics by switching parties, then was allegedly embroiled in a scandalous affair with former Toronto Maple Leaf Tie Domi.

7. Mary Bono Mack (U.S.A) :
Position: Congresswoman, 45th District of California
Party: Republican
She´s been nothing less than a maverick in the House, voting with her party on economic and education issues and against it on issues of LGBT and stem cell research. Ah hell, we´re even willing to give her a pass for sticking with Sonny Bono despite the knowledge that he´d been in Cher for six years.

8. Gretchen Whitmer (U.S.A) :
Position: Michigan State Senate, 23rd District
Party: Democratic
If the Democrats hope to take Michigan in this year´s November election, they´d do well to enlist the services of the state´s finest legislator. She currently serves in four standing committees—Judiciary, Finance, Education, and Agriculture—and could very well add more as soon as we get our Leering Committee finalized.

9. Stephanie Herseth (U.S.A) :
Position: Congresswoman, South Dakota´s At-Large District
Party: Democratic
It can get cold and lonely in the fifth-least populated state in the Union, but keep your chin up South Dakotans, because your one—and only—voice in the House could set the roof on fire. Stephanie has been reppin´ the 605 since 2004, when she won a special election to grab office (and our hearts).

10. Segolene Royal (France) :
Position: President of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council
Party: Socialist
French President Nicolas Sarkozy may have one of the hottest wives in the world (oft-nude former model Carla Bruni), but he´d be better off switching parties for a woman who really knows how to impose her political will. Ségolène earned notoriety when she pushed Sarkozy to a runoff in the last election, garnering over 46 percent of the vote.

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Barrack Obama wins : The US wakes up tomorrow to a new - and its first black - President. But will it change anything for the rest of the world? Will he be able to turn around the US economy? Will he close down Guantanamo Bay? Will he stop America's holy War againstTerror?...

Safety first ... taking politics into the bedroom is never a good idea, but politically-inspired novelty condoms always.

Sneaker peeker ... the singer Taboo's shoes with an Obama paint job. The singer teamed up with George Pajon Junior from Black Eyed Peas and Andy Vargas to record a Spanish version of 'Yes We can' to attract Latino voters to go with Obama.

No to O ... Republican Rick Black wears his 'No Bama' t-shirt at a John McCain rally in Roswell, New Mexico.

Trick or treat ... two Halloween pumpkins carved into portraits of Barack Obama and John McCain, by New Yorker Hugh McMahon, are displayed.

Multiple messages ... a pile of Republican and Democratic badges lie on a table for sale in New York.

City limits ... a downtown New York store displays an image of Barack Obama and announces an Obama sale.

 

Strike it lucky ... a Colombian woman holds up a lottery ticket being sold in the city of Medellin. The tickets have been printed with Obama's face to remind Afro-Colombians of the Democratic nominee's African heritage in an attempt to sell more tickets.

Stamp duty ... two Muslim women look at an image made up from mosaic tiles of Barach Obama, during the Asian International Stamp Exhibition in Jakarta.

Light up my room ... a super-sized sign screaming 'Vote Obama' shines off the side of New York's famous Domino Sugar building .

Stars and sparkles ... Linda D Buckles shows off her collection of tasteful Republican themed jewellery during a John McCain rally in in Blountville, Tennessee.

Angel of Harlem ... New Yorkers walk past a stall selling T-shirts showing Democratic hopeful Barack Obama as president, although he looks more like a boxer than a politician.

Bend and flex ... Evelyn Moats of South Port, Indianapolis user her McCain placard as an improvised sun shade during a Republican rally at the airport in Indianapolis.

Duck and cover ... two Democratic supporters use their Obama towels to shelter from the sun before a rally at Judy K. Cameron Stadium at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas.

Aerial support ... artists Hilary Ross and her husband Jim Lennox have recreated a giant version of the Obama HOPE campaign poster on their property in rural Shickshinny.

Hope on ... the now iconic image of Barack Obama on a pile of button badges for sale by a sidewallk vendor in New York City.

Town crier ... a man in the city of Kisumu, Siaya district of Kenya shows off his Barack Obama hat.

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