Guards abandoned their Sciences Library posts, and studiers ran down from the stacks. Sports teams crowded the sidewalks of Waterman Street at the corner of Thayer on their walk back from the OMAC. A RIPTA bus stood stalled on Thayer, and passersby stopped and stared. All for what? A 30-second drive-by by at least 20 vehicles, 12 motorcycles and one limo with tinted windows, with President Obama waving from inside.

At approximately 6:35 p.m., on his trip back from a speech at the Rhode Island Convention Center, Obama and his motorcade flew down Waterman Street on their way to a dinner and jack-o-lantern making event at a home on the East Side.

Earlier in the day, Obama spoke at a buckle factory in Woonsocket, R.I.

In time for his visit to the Ocean State, he announced he would not endorse a candidate in the state’s gubernatorial race. Democrat Frank Caprio was hoping for a nod, but Obama “decided against issuing an endorsement in the race for Rhode Island governor due to his feelings toward ‘his friend Lincoln Chafee,’ ” independent candidate and former U.S. Senator, according to the Providence Journal. “I never asked President Obama for his endorsement,” Caprio said, in a radio interview this morning. “He can take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I’m concerned.”

Check tomorrow’s Herald for more on Obama’s Lil’ Rhody appearance.

You might have heard that President Obama gave a speech two nights ago entitled “The End of the Combat Mission in Iraq.” Here it is if you haven’t already watched it and want to start off the semester by impressing that Political Science professor.

In the video, President Obama said that he made a promise during his campaign, and that this was his fulfillment of that process. He also said that all U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year. He discusses the future involvement of the U.S. with Iraq, and what this means domestically, as well.

Last weekend, the annual White House Correspondents Dinner was held in D.C. For those of you who don’t know, this is an opportunity for the president and comedians to make fun of themselves and headline-grabbing stories. So here is Obama playing the comedian, followed by a (less funny) performance by Jay Leno. With this overview of the last year in news, you’ll be able to pretend to your friends you were paying attention all along.

Retro-style “Diamonds and Coal” from The Herald’s issue on October 13, 2006:

A cubic zirconium to Sen. Barack Obama, who spoke to a filled-to-capacity Salomon last night. We appreciate his delivering a heartfelt speech after sitting in four hours of I-95 rush-hour traffic, but if you’re going to show up late, you should at least quote Abraham Lincoln correctly — we’re pretty sure a house divided can fall just fine.