Obama holds first presidential interview on YouTube

Feb 1, 2010, 21:18 GMT

Washington - Barack Obama conducted the first ever interview of a sitting US President on YouTube Monday, answering text and video questions submitted by users and chosen in an online poll.

Obama last held court on the popular video site when he was running for president. Monday's interview took place amidst a concerted White House effort to incorporate the latest communications technology.

Last month for instance it launched an iPhone app for White House events, and convened a panel of technology leaders to advise on overhauling the government's use of technology.

YouTube users submitted over 11,000 questions for the event with some 640,000 votes cast to choose which questions would be submitted.

Seated in the White House library, Obama took questions that ranged from the situation in Sudan to the impasse over health care reform and the problems facing small businesses.

Users also asked Obama how he planned to reign in college costs, whether it was wise to close Guantanamo and about the challenges facing the US in Afghanistan.

'This was terrific,' Obama said at the close of the session. 'I hope we can do it on a more regular basis.'