Michelle Obama Surprises White House Visitors

"It's wonderful to meet you," the first lady said repeatedly as the guests, who ranged from British tourists to Washington DC residents, streamed in. She chatted and greeted as Bo stood next to her, often attracting the attention of the children on the receiving line. One student, who had come on a class trip, grinned at Mrs. Obama and told her he had seen her on television.

Mrs. Obama spent about 45 minutes greeting and sometimes hugging the roughly 400 White House guests.

The surprise greeting, which was Webcast live on the White House Web site, comes one year after Mr. and Mrs. Obama became president and first lady and moved into the White House. In an email to reporters announcing the event, the White House tied the event to the Obamas' "commitment to creating a more open and accessible White House."

"The President and First Lady have sought to not only increase the number of visitors, but also enhance each visitor's experience at the White House," the White House said. "The China Room is now open to public tours and tourists are frequently invited out to the South Lawn to watch the President depart or arrive on Marine One. When possible, United States Secret Service now lead guided tours of the Executive Residence in the morning, giving guests a better understanding of the history as they walk through."

The White House says that more than 614,000 visitors have toured the White House in the past year. As the release notes, it is the only building that houses both a head of state and the executive office of a head of state and is also regularly open to the public for tours.

Watch a portion of the Webcast of first lady greeting guests this morning above.

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