Barack Obama Wants to Keep his BlackBerry
Posted on January 8, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama is extremely likely to lose his BlackBerry when he takes office but he's still fighting the inevitable. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Obama says he's still clinging to his BlackBerry and "they're going to have to pry it out of my hands."
"I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry," Mr. Obama said Wednesday. "They're going to pry it out of my hands."Of all the fights facing Mr. Obama as he prepares for the White House, one of the most maddening for him is the prospect of losing the BlackBerry that has been attached to his belt for years. It is, he has vigorously argued, an essential link to keeping him apprised of events outside his ever-tightening cocoon.
"This is a concern, I should add, not just of Secret Service, but also lawyers," Mr. Obama said, speaking in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. "You know, this town's full of lawyers. I don't know if you've noticed."
President Bush had to sign off permanently from AOL when he took office. It's understandable that Obama wants to keep this last connection to the outside world but he will ultimately part with his BlackBerry for security and legal reasons.
Update: Obama was able to keep his BlackBerry according to NBC News. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he reached a compromise to keep the device but Gibbs didn't elaborate about what the compromise was.