Hanging up on Obama

Excellent story on the Crypt blog.

President-elect Obama wanted words with Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. But the representative was playing hard to get:

According to Ros-Lehtinen's flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, "I'm sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks." Then she hung up.

Moments later, Obama tried again, this time through his soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. 

"Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the President-Elect," Emanuel said. And then--yes, you know what's coming--she hung up on Emanuel saying she "didn't believe the call was legitimate."

A short time later, Ros-Lehtinen received an urgent call from Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who informed her that she indeed hung up on Obama.

So, Obama tried again and this time he was successful.

Comments

[Greg]

Barack Obama makes mistakes but forgets that he's only human thanks to the world hanging very unrealistic expectations on him. Next time, have someone on the staff say, "The President is on the line. Would you talk to him?"

[Candadai Tirumalai]

As true stories go, this one is very good. Some years ago Tony Blair was taken in by someone doing a very convincing impersonation of William Hague, then the leader of the Opposition, on the telephone. More recently Sarah Palin did not discern for a few minutes that a Canadian from Montreal was pretending to be the French president.
The Florida Representative may indeed have been playing hard to get but I wouldn't be so sure.

[BOB]

Excellent point Greg...

[Kevin]

I would not have hung up. I would have tried to sell him some waterless car wash for the presidential limo.

[isy]

My only disappointment is that Ileana ended up taking the call. She should have taken the call, and then hung up...again. Sorry, Mr. Annointed One.

[Bianca]

If the president called and wanted to talk to me...i'd be like "wait, what, why?"

[Dispolitico]

I would have tried to sell him some muffler bearings for his limo or Airforce One.

[Steve D.]

Barack Obama won 52% of the popular vote in the U.S., not nearly the landslide of Obamania the media would like to portray.

[Andrew Pandap]

Nor does the media like to point out that the Obama "landslide" consisted of 52% of the 67% of those eligible to vote who actually voted.

[pol scep]

He won with just over 20% of the adult population voting for him.