Obama Ingratiates Himself to Press
Jul 31, 20202.1K Shares179.5K Views
Further evidence that the sometimes frosty relationship that existed between President-elect Barack Obama and the press covering him during the campaign has thawed considerably emerges in a pool report from Obama’s flight home to Chicago today from the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia.
“„Obama boarded plane at 12:11 pm.
“„At 12:15 he came back, saying hello to the regular press he knew and meeting people on his plane for the first time.
“„He got some congratulations and then said the following.
“„“Kind of like old times but not really,” he said.
“It doesn’t have that breathless pace … just one city a day!”
“„Asked about future cabinet selections he pantomimed a zipped lip.
“„As [Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm] Emanuel came back, introducing himself as “Rahm,” Obama laughed.
“„“My minder here is getting nervous,” he said, snacking on a handful of nuts.
Such back-of-the-plane visits were a rareoccurrenceduring the campaign, and indeed, once Obama assumes the presidency they will likely be again.
But as The Washington Timesreported last week, Obama has thus far ran the most open transition in recent history, holding five press conferences and submitting to two sit-down network TV interviews — and Obama is scheduled to do another press conference tomorrowand a third TV interview Sunday, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”with Tom Brokaw.
As if all this press love wasn’t enough, as Marc Ambinder pointed out yesterday, Obama is no doubt scoring big points with his plan for a Christmas vacation in Hawaii.
White House correspondents never had it so good.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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