Saturday, January 17, 2009

Obama Won't Give Up His Blackberry

Perhaps Barack Obama has decided the law doesn't apply to him, or maybe he just thinks he won't ever send something that he doesn't want to be part of a Freedom of Information Act request. Either way, he's refusing to give up his Blackberry.

Interviewed by CNN Friday, Obama said the smartphone was among the tools that he would use to stay in touch with real Americans and avoid becoming trapped inside the presidential "bubble."

"I think we're going to be able to hang on to one of these. My working assumption, and this is not new, is that anything I write on an email could end up being on CNN," he said.

"So I make sure to think before I press 'send'," he said of his Blackberry, which was an ever-present fixture on his belt or in his hand on the campaign trail.

Obama did not divulge just how he will overcome legal constraints, given the requirement of the post-Watergate Presidential Records Act of 1978 to keep a record of every White House communication.

Nor did he say how he would persuade his Secret Service protectors that the Blackberry does not pose a security risk, for instance if it is hacked over the air.

Regardless of Teh One's personal belief, there are enemies who would love to hack into his e-mail and find out what's on the POTUS's mind (if anything).