Obamas welcome surprised tourists to White House

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his wife are personally welcoming surprised tourists to the White House.

First dog Bo joined the welcoming committee Tuesday as Obama decided to spend part of the first full workday of his second term chatting up people taking the White House tour.

Mrs. Obama put out word about their surprise receiving line in the Blue Room by tweeting: “Shhhh! Barack, Bo and I are about to surprise folks on @WhiteHouse tours! I love doing this.”

Visitors congratulated Obama on the inauguration, chatted about the weather and admired Bo. Most got hearty handshakes; a few got hugs.

Discussing Monday's fairly mild weather for the inaugural, Obama told one guest, “We dodged a bullet.”

Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Tags: news, government, travel, updates