Obama calling... Answer? Reject?
Published: 06 March, 2009, 17:15
US President Barack Obama appears to be an eager caller, grabbing the phone whenever he has a few spare minutes.
Obama loves the phone and cannot do without at least two dozen calls a day.
The New York Times says it's his way to stay connected to the outside world and glean information from it.
One of the first to learn about the habit and receive quite an unexpected call from Barack Obama last week was his predeccesor George W. Bush.
Obama called to let the surprised Bush know the administration is planning to withdraw most combat troops from Iraq over the next 19 months.
The White House press secretary says his boss most appreciates the instant feedback he gets when making calls.
Obama's been an eager caller ever since he was senator when his attachment to the phone leaked in an interview he gave on December 16, 2005.
“Everybody takes your phone calls,” Obama said in the interview. “If there is a topic I'm interested in, I can call the smartest people in the world on that topic and talk to them about it. If I'm interested in finance, I can call Warren Buffet.”
Now two facts to compare.
According to the White House archives President Woodrow Wilson made his first transcontinental call from the Oval Office on January 25, 1915, almost two years after assuming the top job.
Obama's first came within an hour after stepping into the office for the first time on the morning of January 21 – and that was the very next day after the inauguration.
So if you are a first-class specialist in some field there's no reason why you shouldn't pick up a phone one day and hear “Hello, this is President Barack Obama calling.”
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