Obama gets around to Fox News at a news conference

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By Christina Bellantoni

CHICAGO

President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday finally called on Fox News as he continued his record-setting number of press conferences and marked 31 total questions he's taken since winning the election.

He also goofed and revealed what many had suspected - announcing to the group that he had misplaced his list of preselected questioners.

"Let's see who we got here," Mr. Obama said, searching his lectern for the list of reporters an aide had placed there before the press conference began. "The problem is, do we have - do we have - is it somewhere around - around here?"

The reporters in the room laughed heartily and Chicago ABC affiliate's Andy Shaw teased the president-elect, who said the list had been "hiding" as his aide gestured that it was indeed before him.

"Andy, I was not going to call on you again," he said.

Mr. Obama began with Bloomberg's Julianna Goldman, calling her "one of the originals ... there every step of the way during this campaign."

When Mr. Obama chose Fox's Wendell Goler, the network's first question in six press conferences, the surprised reporter responded: "Thank you for calling on me."

Mr. Obama has beaten his predecessors as far as access goes. Bill Clinton held three press conferences before his Jan. 20, 1993, inauguration. George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan held just one each as presidents-elect.

Mr. Obama so far has fielded three questions each from the Associated Press and Reuters news agency.

He has taken two questions each from NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Bloomberg News, Chicago Tribune and New York Times.

He also has taken one question each from Fox, Telemundo, McClatchy, the Chicago ABC affiliate, Chicago Sun-Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, National Public Radio and USA Today.