Barney Shows Off The White House

There's nothing quite like the White House at Christmas: huge trees, shiny decorations, and that gingerbread house!

But for most Americans, the fence is as close as you're going to get to the inside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, says CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante. Public tours were canceled following the Sept. 11 attacks. But you can still get a tour, of sorts.

"The theme this year is all creatures great and small," says first lady Laura Bush.

No, not from Mrs. Bush - who always gives a preview of what's inside. But instead from one very unusual tour guide, the president's Scottish terrier Barney, whose exclusive look behind - and below - the scenes has this year become part of an elaborate online White House tour that captures nearly every aspect of the holidays inside the president's home.

Barney's video runs second in popularity only to his master's tour of the Oval office.

"The most hits now on the Web site is the Oval office tour from the president, but No. 2, which has surpassed everyone else respectfully, is Barney and the Barney Cam," says White House Web master Jimmy Orr.

But the creation of Barney Cam wasn't so easy.

"Barney was going to wear a little video camera on his collar," says Mrs. Bush.

"But Barney wouldn't move," says Orr. "He was glued to the floor. His ears went down, he looked to the ground. It looked like he was getting punished."

Adds Mrs. Bush, "So, instead, a person had to run around behind Barney holding the little bitty camera."

And the day it debuted on the Web site, no fewer than 24 million visitors checked it out. On any given day, the White House Web site gets about 13 million hits, which means that online tours are certainly here to stay.

But if you want to catch the Christmas decorations, you'd better hurry. When the holidays are over, most of the Christmas stuff will be gone, but not Barney Cam. It is so popular, White House sources say to expect a lot more from the pooch.