Obama’s Online Chat Session

Obama’s Best Answers, on Everything From NASA to Beer, From His Reddit Q&As

The president went online today to participate in Reddit’s popular Ask Me Anything interview program. Read some of his best responses.

Forget speculation over who is speaking Thursday at the Republican National Convention—the President is speaking today. Well, he was typing today, participating in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) interview on the popular social networking site Reddit.

In a thread titled “I Am Barack Obama, President of the United States – AMA,” the commander-in-chief answered questions from the message board’s community of users, many of which were understandably baffled that the president took the time to participate and dubious that it was actually him. (The user handle PresidentObama provided a tweet from Obama’s official Twitter account and a photo of the president typing away at his laptop as proof of his identity, and Reddit’s moderators and administrators confirmed it was him as well.)

The thread became so popular that Reddit quickly crashed under the traffic—but not before we could round up some of his most interesting responses. From his views on Internet privacy to NBA greats, here are some of his best—and most fun—answers:

On increasing funds to the space program: Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on Mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting edge research that can take us to the next level-- so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to an asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight. (from ormirian)

On his first act Nov. 7, win or lose: Win or lose, I'll be thanking everybody who is working so hard--especially all the volunteers in field offices all across the country, and the amazing young people in our campaign offices. (from Dave for America)

On the most difficult decision he made this term: The decision to surge our forces in Afghanistan. Any time you send our brave men and women into battle, you know that not everyone will come home safely, and that necessarily weighs heavily on you. The decision did help us blunt the Taliban's momentum, and is allowing us to transition to Afghan lead-- so we will have recovered that surge at the end of this month, and will end the war at the end of 2014. But knowing of the heroes that have fallen is something you never forget. (from FifthSurprise)

On his favorite basketball player: Jordan-- I'm a Bulls guy.

On Internet privacy: Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the Internet remains the open forum for everybody--from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although their [sic] will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle-- and it will be reflected in the platform." (from Sharkgirl)

On when we can drink his White House beer recipe: It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty. (from silent1mezzo)

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