To know Chicago is to love her. And President-elect Barack Obama is using his new position to share some of the city's treasures with the world.
Last week, reporters at his press briefing were divided into Cubs and Sox sections.
Today, as Obama announces his National Security Team, the media was divided again, this time as food favorites Garrett Popcorn and Frango Mints. The items are often sent by Chicagoans to out-of-towners for the holidays. No word on plans for a post-presser buffet.
Not everyone in the press pool is enjoying the effort by staff to mix up the seating chart. Steve Thomma, a reporter for the McClatchy Newspapers chain, wrote how he ended up on the wrong side of the Monday's Cubs/Sox division.
"In a crime against nature, your pooler—a genuine White Sox fan, a man who attended his first twi-night doubleheader at the Old Comiskey in 1963, who sat behind third base for the 50th anniversary All-Star Game there in '83, who knew Bill Veeck and the wonders of Disco Demolition night, who saw the great Ozzie [Guillen] play before he managed—has been assigned a seat in the Cubs section."
We'll see if reporters share the same passion for popcorn or mints.
