Washington: I didn't wake up to October 28 thinking there shall be a first today. But the President of the United States did get addressed as "Dude" soon after.
On a 30-minute television interview - where Barack Obama was happy to handle some needling from popular host Jon Stewart for the larger political good of connecting with the latter's committed young audience - Stewart said: "You don't want to use that phrase, Dude!".
First, I shall have to enter the word in my dictionary of acceptable usage and stop frowning upon the kids using it as standard address for everyone on Facebook or out of it.
Second, can't help wonder if our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh or President Pratibha Patil would be able to handle "Dude" with as much equanimity as did Obama. Obama winked winsomely. But then I guess there is a generation gap there.
Stewart's interview is the stuff that is making the Web buzz. It was after all history in the making as Obama became the first US president to be interviewed on Comedy Central's satirical The Daily Show.
Jon Stewart will gather some more fans the world over after this one, though some people are less than pleased with what they term disrespect to the President and his office. Watch highlights of a fun, startling, expectedly teasing interview that Barack Obama emerges out of reasonably unscathed and having said his piece, despite the banter: Though he does get riled in places. And is he a tad too serious?
