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Oh 'Bama: 'Roll Tide'

by Christi Parsons

Hours after the Alabama Crimson Tide national championship win, President Barack Obama was on the phone with Coach Nick Saban this afternoon offering congratulations and inviting the team to the White House for a visit.

The president told Saban he was "proud" of how the team played all year, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says, and the president predicted a strong 2010 season with key players set to return.

Obama may have also agreed to shoot hoops with Saban and/or the team -- which includes Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram -- possibly on the White House court.

The phone call took place as Gibbs, a native of Auburn, Ala., was conducting his daily news conference in the White House briefing room, where he was obliged to acknowledge -- if not celebrate -- the Tide victory.

"I did get a few e-mails from friends wondering if I would mention my excitement at the newly crowned national champions," said Gibbs, who was pulling against the Tide in the championship game. "So consider that having checked that box."

(The scoreboard, above, at the end of the national championship game between the Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide at the Rose Bowl: 37-21. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Obama Takes Responsibility For 'Systemic Failure'

The Obama administration has released its report detailing security failures that allowed a Nigerian man to board a U.S.-bound plane carrying explosives. The president said that improving the flow of information within the intelligence community will be the way to prevent more attacks. And he said he ultimately bore responsibility for what he's calling a systemic failure leading up to the attempted bombing.