Politics | President Obama As Presidential 'Bubble' Closes, Obama Pokes Back President-elect ditches the reporter pool to take daughters to a water park By Nick McMaster Posted Dec 28, 2008 6:29 PM CST Copied Hawaiian Police and Secret Service guard the beachfront near President-elect Barack Obama's beach house in Kailua, Hawaii, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson) There's a growing gaggle of press and Secret Service standing between Barack Obama and the outside world—not to mention the corner hotdog stand—and the president-elect is showing signs that the presidential "bubble" is wearing on him, Politico reports. Obama ditched the pool of reporters assigned to follow him on Friday, taking his daughters to a nearby water park unannounced. When the reporters caught up, Obama appeared mildly cranky, informing a Washington Post reporter that he “didn’t really need” to document his lunch order (tuna melt on 12-grain bread, duly noted). Bill Clinton famously chafed against the restrictions of the office, but Obama’s meteoric rise has meant that his family has had to adjust that much quicker: “You don't have a lot of privacy," Obama told a group of grade-school kids. Read These Next Iraq's national game of deception brings out the best bluffers. See the best BBQ cities in the US. A Texas man's disappearance is fodder for true-crime mania. A space capsule carrying ashes of 160 people crashed in the ocean. Report an error