Obama lauds Kennedy honorees

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- This year's Kennedy Center honorees were feted at the White House Sunday evening with President Obama saying they "possess a staggering amount of talent."

The select group included country singer Merle Haggard, Broadway composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, choreographer-dancer Bill T. Jones, former Beatle Paul McCartney and television talk show star and executive Oprah Winfrey. They received their awards later in the evening at the Kennedy Center.

"The arts have always had the power to challenge and the power to inspire -- to help us celebrate in times of joy and find hope in times of trouble," Obama said. "And although the honorees on this stage each possess a staggering amount of talent, the truth is, they aren't being recognized tonight simply because of their careers as great lyricists or songwriters or dancers or entertainers. Instead, they're being honored for their unique ability to bring us closer together and to capture something larger about who we are -- not just as Americans, but as human beings."

Obama called Haggard a "poet of the common man" and marveled at how Herman "never took a music lesson" but "could play anything by ear."

Winfrey, he said, "was once a girl with a funny name who came to move an entire nation."

The president said Jones earned acclaim and inspired others while "battling poverty, homophobia and racism."

And he called McCartney "a man widely considered to be among the greatest songwriters in history."

The president's basketball injury came into play as he stumbled on pronouncing "superfluous."

"You try it with 12 stitches," he said, drawing applause when he finally got it right.

A slew of stars were on hand, including Wilie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Diana Ross, Angela Lansbury, Julia Roberts, Sam Waterston, Sydney Poitier, Caroline Kennedy, Gwen Stefani, Florence Henderson, John McEnroe, Barbara Walters, Alex Baldwin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.