Who says Barack Obama doesn’t have a sense of humor?
There were some rumors during the Presidential campaign that Barack Obama didn’t have much of a sense of humor, but I am glad to report, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Anyone who can take being hung up on twice has to have at least a little sense of humor. According to The Associated Press, Florida Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen received a phone call from the President-elect and thinking it was a prank call, politely told him she enjoyed pranks, but was now going to hang up on him. And she did it twice.
She said Obama called to congratulate her on her re-election, saying he was looking forward to working with her as the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs committee.
But she assumed it was a radio station prank. Typically, when high-ranking officials call, an aide calls in advance to verify. That was the procedure recently when Ros-Lehtinen received a call from Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“But this one was just out of the blue he’s calling me. And I said, ‘Boy, you’re a much better impersonator than that guy on Saturday Night Live,’ and he’s laughing and he’s thinking I’m kidding,” she said.
Obama tried convincing her that he truly was the president-elect, but Ros-Lehtinen says she “wished him the best of luck and told him I was going to hang up on him.”
A few minutes later, Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, called the congresswoman with Obama on the line to tell her it wasn’t a joke.
“I said I really do appreciate it. I love these pranks more than anybody and I’m honored that you would prank me, but I’m gonna hang up.”
And she did.
It took a call from Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to persuade Ros-Lehtinen that Obama really did want to talk to her. She asked Berman to tell her an inside joke about a colleague that only they would know to make sure the phone call was legitimate.
When Obama finally called back, the congresswoman said they talked about policies on Cuba and Israel.
He told her “anytime my ego gets too pumped up, I think Michelle will remind me that you hung up not once, but twice on me,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
With all the cutthroat politics we are used to seeing in Washington, it is nice to see something like this for a change. It’s good for a laugh and to make us realize that business as usual may be going to change just a bit when Barack Obama takes office. I am sure I will not agree with some of the policies he enacts, but can we at least give the guy a chance? Even if you and I didn’t vote for him, he did win the election. That makes him Mr. President. If he doesn’t work out, we can always fire him in four years.
That’s my take!
Larry
Regardless of what everybody thinks about Obama and I didn’t vote for him either, but I hope he does good because if he does then that means our country thrives. If he does turn out to be as bad as we were afraid of, then this country is in trouble. So, for the sake of the Good ‘Ole USA, good luck Mr. President.