By Bree Hocking
President-elect Obama’s first press conference just wrapped up, and I’m still reeling.
I could understand everything he said.
He spoke in clear, concise English (I had almost forgotten what it sounded like), and when a word occasionally escaped him, he paused to search for a coherent substitute. There were no new details. He addressed the direness of the economic situation and the need to “set politics aside for awhile.” He reiterated his desire to see a second stimulus package and tax cuts for middle and working-class Americans, and acknowledged the morning’s gloomy economic news: 240,000 more jobs shed in the month of October alone. As for cabinet appointments, they would be announced in the coming weeks, he said. He talked about his transition team and the choice of Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff.
Most stricking was the personal transformation wrought by his election. He seemed tougher, more commanding, more direct than he has on previous occasions. The phalanx of middle-aged economic advisers behind him paled in his presence. When he didn’t want to answer a sensitive question, he said forcefully: “I’m going to skip that.”
Still, Obama retained hints of humor. Asked by a reporter if he’d consulted any ex-presidents for advice, he said that all had been helpful, the living ones, that is. ”I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances,” he joked. (Update: Obama’s reportedly already called to apologize to the former first lady, who was once widely mocked for consulting an astrologer during her husband’s presidency.)
Of course, he also addressed the “major issue” of what sort of dog he’d be buying his daughters Sasha and Malia. Malia is allergic, he said, so the future White House dog would have to be a hypoallergenic breed.
“Our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” he deadpanned.
