• First dog Bo takes his master Christmas shopping

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    U.S. President Barack Obama buys a bone for his dog Bo in Alexandria, Virginia December 21, 2011. Obama was in Alexandria doing some Christmas shopping and stopped in a pizzeria for lunch.

    By Rich Shulman

    Do you take your dog Christmas shopping?

    AP reports: ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Home alone at the White House, President Barack Obama headed on an impromptu Christmas shopping trip Wednesday with first dog Bo, searching for some holiday cheer despite the latest stalemate with Congress.

    The president's wife and daughters already are on the family's annual Hawaii vacation, leaving him behind to negotiate with Republican lawmakers to keep payroll taxes from going up in the new year. So Obama squeezed in time after calls with congressional leaders to hit a PetSmart and a Best Buy in this Virginia suburb before picking up pizza for lunch.

    Carolyn Kaster / AP

    President Barack Obama and his dog Bo visit with a poodle named Cinnamon as they check out at PetSmart, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011, in Alexandria, Va. Obama bought the presidential pup a toy bone and a bag of food while Bo played in the store with Cinnamon.

    Kevin Dietsch, Pool / Getty Images

    U.S. President Barack Obama shops for Christmas presents with his dog Bo at Petsmart on Dec. 21, 2011 in Alexandria, Virginia.

    President Obama greets people at a Virginia Best Buy store and reveals what he is buying for his two daughters.

  • Bill Tiernan / AP

    Members of the military leave after a United States Joint Forces Command Disestablishment Ceremony held on the parking lot of JFCOM in Suffolk,Va. The Defense Department formally disbanded one of its military headquarters on Thursday in an effort to eliminate bureaucracy and cut costs. U.S. Joint Forces Command was responsible for training troops from all services to work together for specific missions and had a $1 billion budget. The command had employed about 5,700 military and civilian personnel in Virginia, Nevada and Florida, with the bulk of those working at its headquarters in southeast Virginia.

    U.S. Joint Forces Command headquarters closed after Disestablishment Ceremony

    By Rich Shulman

    If you wonder what the debt crisis and smaller government look like, think about this image. AP photographer Bill Tiernan made this haunting image of soldiers going their separate ways after a major military command headquarters was shuttered.