As if this Were Necessary: Volume I

Quickchange infiltrated the White House briefing room on Tuesday, looking for some non-verbal cues from President Obama during his daytime press conference. We have our suspicions that Mr Obama may be a Red Leader plant, or possibly even a more-advanced version of the Romneybot 3000.

But instead of subtle hints, Quickchange was witness to outright propaganda:

After the obligatory first question from the Associated Press, Obama treated the overflowing White House briefing room to a surprise. "I know Nico Pitney is here from the Huffington Post," he announced.

Obama knew this because White House aides had called Pitney the day before to invite him, and they had escorted him into the room. They told him the president was likely to call on him, with the understanding that he would ask a question about Iran that had been submitted online by an Iranian.

...Pitney recognized his prompt. "That's right," he said, standing in the aisle and wearing a temporary White House press pass. "I wanted to use this opportunity to ask you a question directly from an Iranian."

Pitney asked his arranged question. Reporters looked at one another in amazement at the stagecraft they were witnessing. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel grinned at the surprised TV correspondents in the first row.

Whole thing here. It appears former President Bush's press-handling playbook was not among the items removed when the Obamas took up residence in the White House.