Obama Struggles To Adjust To Intense Glare

The Early Show: Ultra-Close Press Attention Given Presidents-Elect -- And Presidents -- Tough To Get Used To

(CBS)  President-elect Obama and his family can't seem to go anywhere on their Hawaiian vacation without causing a stir.

His stay on Oahu has been a bit of a reality check as to how little privacy Mr. Obama now has, CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reported on The Early Show Tuesday.

Tracy says Mr. Obama "at times bristles at the constant media coverage, yet at others, offers to buy reporters dessert. And the media are trying to strike a balance between covering the man who is about to be the most powerful person in the world and giving him his space to just be himself."

Poliitico.com reported that the president-elect "took the unusual step Friday morning of leaving behind the pool of reporters assigned to follow him, taking his daughters to a nearby water park without them. It was a breach of longstanding protocol between presidents (or presidents-elect) and the media, that a gaggle of reporters representing television, print and wire services is with his motorcade at all times."

And CBS News consultant Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary to President Clinton, says Mr. Obama is trying to get comfortable being in the constant media bubble, with his every move being watched.

"From the time now President-elect Obama was a serious and likely winner," Myers told substitute co-anchor and regular Saturday co-anchor Chris Wragge, "he has had with him a pool of reporters -- (from the) networks, the wires, some photographers who go pretty much everywhere he goes when he leaves his home or the office where he works every day."

"(When Mr. Obama went to the water park without the press pool) They weren't assembled. They weren't expecting him to leave. It's a very big deal, because that pool goes with him in the hope that nothing happens, but in the possibility that something does happen. So that raises a question: Is this something he's gonna to try to do again, or was it an anomaly? Is he testing the limits as a new president on vacation? Is this something we're gonna see more of? I think it's unlikely that he'll try to slip the pool very often. He may do it once in while. Most presidents don't, because it creates a bad relationship with the press."

What if he chooses not to cooperate with the press corps?

"Then the press will stake him out 24/7," Myers responded. "Networks will get together and have a collective effort to make sure he never leaves the White House without somebody knowing that he's left. That's an uncomfortable situation for everybody. It's exhausting and expensive for the press. It's not very much fun for the Obama family.

"What's probably more likely is that they'll try to create a relationship, much the way the Clintons did where, particularly when they're traveling around town for family events to their children's school or perhaps church, they take a very small group of reporters who agree to stay back and not take pictures but be there in case, God forbid, something happens.

"It is always an adjustment. It's difficult for new presidents and their families to give up their privacy, but it's something that has evolved over many years, given the threats that all presidents face.

"In the Clinton administration, we sat down with the press and worked out an agreement where we'd have a very limited pool -- we called it 'the family pool.' When the Clintons were traveling to school or to some event involving Chelsea Clinton, it would be a very, very limited situation. They would be allowed to travel with the president while he was moving through the streets of Washington, through public spaces, but they would keep their distance once they were on campus at her school, for example.

"I think the Obamas will look for a very similar kind of relationship. And I think that's in everybody's interest. The president honors the press' responsibility to cover his travels, particularly through public streets and public spaces, but it also says to the family, 'We understand that you have young children that you need some privacy and we're going to do our best to honor that.' I think they can reach some accommodation, but it always takes some time in building of trust between the new White House press office and the existing press here in our nation's capital."

[jilln3]

Oh my GOD did you see that, Obama just picked his nose, that is the coolest pick, reporting by MSNBC

[credibility2]

It''s a tad bit naive for the Obamas not to have expected this type of under the microscope frenzy. Thankfully, they can at least relieve themselves in the privacy of a room where hopefully there aren''t any hidden cameras.

[antizion]

While Obama plays golf, his zionist handlers are murdering hundreds in Gaza while Obama is silent. That is Change?

Time to impeach DC and the people that control it through the money system designed to keep your families slaves while the Jews on wall street and Israel live on our sweat and blood.

Screw Obama and the Cabal he and this congress rode in on.

[abrame]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Pierce

[abrame]

Franklin Pierce the fourteenth President of the United States.

Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" (a Northerner with Southern sympathies) His inoffensive personality caused him to make many friends, but he suffered tragedy in his personal life and as president subsequently made decisions which were widely criticized and divisive in their effects, thus giving him the reputation as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. ... Pierce was not renominated at the 1856 presidential election and was replaced by James Buchanan. After losing the Democratic nomination, Pierce continued his lifelong struggle with alcoholism as his marriage to Jane Means Appleton Pierce fell apart. His reputation was destroyed during the American Civil War when he declared support for the Confederacy, and personal correspondence between Pierce and Confederate President Jefferson Davis was leaked to the press. He died in 1869 from cirrhosis.

[abrame]

...Calling everyone who didn''t go along with you a "liberal" isn''t going to cut it anymore...

Posted by irmcvet971

Liberals are fine. libtards like you are ignorant and meant to be ignored or chuckled at. LOL!!

[boru54]

Again we all want to be right. Don''t work that way. I was in the military 24 years, like Obama or not he is the Commander in Chief. Let him do his job. If he doesn''t we vote again in 4 years. For those that didn''t like Bush, you had two elections to get rid of him. We have more problems than this BS.

[dagrandma]

Xlib: "Don''t you leemings just love the way you lap up what your media feeds you?? You will only read/hear what they want you to hear."

For somebody who thinks the media is in the pocket of the left, you certainly spend a lot of time on this site. Why call it "your media" when it apparently is also your media?

[irmcvet971]

A word of advice for all you "Neocon''s" out there! You seem to be under the Impression that you can now just go back to the same tired old garbage you used to GAIN POWER! Now IF you will study your history you will find that YOUR counter parts in the past, the one''s NO ONE knows or talks about? You know the one''s who supported Child Labor and Opposed every safety standard ever proposed?? Yeah those creeps! If you wish to NOT end up like them, OPEN your tiny little minds and ACCEPT the fact that you are no longer in control.. you are no longer the majority BECAUSE you FAILED!! Calling everyone who didn''t go along with you a "liberal" isn''t going to cut it anymore...

[irmcvet971]

now that he is elected he backing off every thing he was going to do for the people when he gets in office

Posted by agidoi at 01:16 PM : Dec 30, 2008

I don''t see that but let''s assume he can''t deliever on all he promised BECAUSE of this TOTAL FINANCIAL MELTDOWN, please don''t tell me you are suggesting we should have voted for the MAN and the PARTY that DELIEVERED that MELTDOWN... Come on PLEASE tell me you aren''t suggesting we should have elected MR. De-Regulation? Mr. Let the Banks do whatever they want? THAT''s INSANE!!

[irmcvet971]

Don''''t you leemings just love the way you lap up what your media feeds you?? You will only read/hear what they want you to hear.

Posted by Xlib at 01:13 PM : Dec 30, 2008


Well I''d say MOST American''s would feel a LOT better about what you fascist fed us in the Elections of Bush IF you would explain to us WHY you failed so badly?? I mean it''s about as low as you can get to do what the FASCIST REPUBLICAN''S did with this nation then come on an start pointing the same TIRED old Fingers at the SAME American''s... you know the one''s who were 100% RIGHT about leaving Afganistan? About Bush and his LIES! About leaving the Clinton Economic Plan? DO you freaks know that IF we listen to those you are slinging your mud at, we aren''t in this god awful condition!! ROFLMAO DO YOU PEOPLE know just how STUPID you look to the rest of us???

[irmcvet971]

say what you want we will all be socialist soon

Posted by agidoi at 01:20 PM : Dec 30, 2008

Joe?? Joe McCARTHY?? Is that you? Wow! They say evil never really dies, guess that''s so!! By the way agidoi, can you give us ONE MONTH... helll make it a WEEK when the Fascist Republican''s and their TRICKLE DOWN Economics has been successful? JUST ONE MONTH when it was NOT running this nation into debt and causing more RED INK that China can ever produce?? It''s time for you fascist to grow up and realize that YOU are the FAILURE! YOU are the one''s who took OVER a BALANCED BUDGET and SURPLUS from a PRESIDENT of the other party!! YOU lead us into this mess... lets stop calling OTHERS names and address YOUR failures for a change!! Sieg Heil Bush

[agidoi]

say what you want we will all be socialist soon

[xlib]

hey, suzyku-you need to point out specifics on how your media gave a complete pass to Bush. You belie every study that has ever been done on your media. As for being called unpatriotic, well, your own politicians, such as pelosi and her court jester reid said some pretty umpatriotic things during the war. Things like "the war is lost, etc,etc" and let''s not forget murtha who tried our soldiers in the media and has yet to apologize.
As for your media now, they are so in the tank for the chosen one (I point to the daily puff pieces)and the fact that there is nothing on the blago scandal. There is however, a piece on Bush and Katrina.
So, explain away, can''t wait.

[agidoi]

now that he is elected he backing off every thing he was going to do for the people when he gets in office

[agidoi]

whats the big hoopla just another president

[xlib]

While this site is runny drivel like this "story" to keep the faithful riled up, blago is set to name the chosen one''s replacement (AS IF!!)and it isn''t the messiah''s pick. But hey, no blago stories here but there is a Palin and Katrina story.
Don''t you leemings just love the way you lap up what your media feeds you?? You will only read/hear what they want you to hear.

[bobs1066]

"Respect your President while you still have a country is what I say about it all."
The O''dude isn''t President yet.

[bobs1066]

Can''t millions of dollars of illegal foreign campaign contributions buy him some privacy?

[suzyku]

Some real jerks posting here again, seems to attract the wingnuts! The media has turned into nothing more than "tabloid" vultures for the most part. Ever since they ran scared and gave gw bush a complete pass on everything for fear they would be called unpatriotic, they''ve been useless, absolutely no credibility. No wonder people don''t respect the media, if they have nothing to report they make stuff up and attract the idiots like johndevinejr!