More questions for the President-elect from school kids today than reporters

[bigtree]

December 16, 2008 02:43 PM

President-elect Barack Obama took more questions from elementary school kids than from reporters today.

He and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met with the students after announcing Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan as his education secretary and answering a handful of queries from the assembled press.

One student said they were studying decimals. "Decimals! Wow, Joe doesn't even know his decimals!" Obama joked.

Asked what he plans to do as president, he said he wants to make sure all kids get a good education, and he mentioned he's thinking about longer school days, which made the children frown.

Asked about visiting other countries, he said he expects to meet some kings and queens.

read: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/12/kids_say_the_da.html




A pool journalist traveling with Obama reported that when a student asked, "In 2009 are you going to the White House?" Obama affirmed and added that he'd also be getting a new dog for his daughters Malia and Sasha. But the president-elect went one step further and said:

"I want to make sure my daughters take care of this dog, and if they do their business, and you've got some poop, you don't just leave it there."

Wise words from a man who, by all accounts, will be busy with a lot of cleanup of his own when he takes office.

read: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/12/barack-obama-ta.html




Not all the children's questions were lighthearted. One child, who said a cousin was serving in Iraq, asked Obama about the troops overseas.

"One of the things that I promised I would do is to try to bring this war in Iraq to an end," Obama said, adding that he hoped to have them home in about a year and a half.

Another asked Obama what he would do to represent the efforts of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Obama said not just presidents, but everyone could do their part to honor King's work by treating people with respect and listening.

"Dr. King used to talk about the fact that, you know, no matter what your job is, you want to do your best," Obama said. "And right now you're job is to learn, so when you guys are in class you got to make sure you're working as hard as you can."

read: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gS17ry_eRozIPXhqmERaY-v88E4wD9540D2O1

[FLAprogressive]

1. * did his business and left a LOT of poop. nt

[bigtree]

2. oh yeah

[izquierdista]

3. Did he say that?

Or did he say "your job is to learn"?

I would think that someone who was an editor (of the Law Review) would know a possessive from a contraction.

[stillcool]

4. He said You're, but meant to say Your...

the author obviously heard the error.