Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

Obama accused of being Obama impersonator

When Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen got a call in November from someone claiming to be President-elect Obama, the Republican Congresswoman thought she was being pranked and hung up. Then Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, called Ros-Lehtinen to let her know she had actually been speaking with the future president. Ros-Lehtinen, still convinced it was a hoax, hung up on Emmanuel, too. Finally, California Representative Howard Berman called the Congresswoman, who asked the Democrat to recount a story only the two of them would know. Berman did and then informed Ros-Lehtinen that she had, in fact, hung up on Obama. When the president-elect called again, Ros-Lehtinen said he was either "very gracious" to reach across the aisle or "had run out of folks to call — if you are truly calling me." And if not, she said, Saturday Night Live "could use a good Obama impersonator like you."