That was before Ali converted to traditional Islam which has absolutely nothing to do with the Nation Of Islam (NOI). It was Malcolm X who made Ali think about his association with the NOI. Malcolm X went to the pilgrimage in Makkah and saw people of all colours wearing the same clothes and mixing with each other as equals. After experiencing this Malcom X could no longer believe in the superiority of one race over another or that races should be segregated. At first Ali was skeptical but eventually he followed Malcolm X's example. And as for Obama, Ali has been seen with Obama many times just google Ali and Obama. There's even a famous Vanity Fair cover featuring both of them.