Obama feeling pressure of constant media scrutiny with his inauguration drawing near

Washington, December 29 (ANI): U.S. President-elect Barack Obama might have been very frank with the media in the recent past, but an analysis of his body language during his family vacation in Hawaii suggests the pressure of close scrutiny by reporters and paparazzi is mounting on him as his inauguration on January 20 is drawing near.

No doubt "the bubble"-the security detail and the constant presence of reporters that impose barriers to any spontaneous interaction with the outside world-has always posed some trouble for the country's Presidents in the past too, but Obama seems to be struggling particularly hard and particularly early.

He recently took his daughters to a water park leaving behind the pool of reporters assigned to follow him, which is suggested to be a breach of longstanding protocol between presidents or presidents-elect and the media-that a gaggle of reporters representing television, print and wire services is with his motorcade at all times.

The man who will become 44th U.S. President next month no longer gets out for an impromptu lunch, and the barber he has gone to for 15 years now comes to him. He may soon have to give up the BlackBerry he often kept attached to his hip during the campaign.

"There's still some things we're not adjusted to. You know, the small routines of life that keep you connected, I think some of those are being lost," CBS News quoted Obama as saying in a "60 Minutes" interview after the election.

Obama also appeared to have been irked by photographers as he warmed up before a round of golf last Sunday, when he said looking towards them: "OK, guys, come on. How many shots do you need?"

On Halloween, he grew testy with a Polish media crew as he took his daughter Sasha to a party at his campaign treasurer Marty Nesbitt's Chicago home.

"All right guys. That's enough. You've got a shot. Leave us alone. Come on guys. Get back on the bus," he said before breaking into a trot with Sasha still holding his hand.

Even people close to the Obamas have spoken to the media less and less since the election.

Calls and e-mails to close friends and associates of the Obamas were not returned. (ANI)