Obama takes more questions from kids

Obama takes more questions from kids

http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/1208/Obama_takes_more_questions_from_kids_.html

Following today's press conference, Obama met for 15 minutes with a group of first to fourth graders, according to a pool report from The NY Times' Helene Cooper. There, he took more questions than earlier.

After a few minutes of chit chat in which he asked the kids what they were studying--(when one child said "decimals" mr obama replied "decimals! Wow, Joe doesn't even know his decimals!") Then he told the kids he was opening the floor to questions, and proceeded to take more than double the number of questions than he took at his press conference. Plus the kids got to raise their hands and ask.


He may even have made news. One child ask him about iraq and he said he plans to have troops home in.a year and a half.

Cooper may have been alluding to the fact that reporters don't raise their hands to ask questions in Obama's press conferences because they are often selected beforehand. And here's a few more questions. (Pool reports written quickly for the press corps may include a few typos, which I left in below).

What are you gonna do as president?
A--make sure all kids get a good education In 2009 are you going to the white house?
A-- after replying yes, mr obama volunteered that he's getting a dog for malia and sasha, and added: "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."
Will you go to other countries?
A--mr obama said yes, adding that he even expects to meet some kings and queens.

He also told the kids he's thinking about longer school days, which did not seem to go over well.

He took some photos with the kids, and we left the school at around 1126. Mr obama is back in his transition office, and we have a lit until 6 pm