14 DAY TRIAL // Even the President of the United States, Barack Obama, has days when he dreams he could be more of a regular Joe instead of the most mediated and, according to some, most powerful, men on the planet.
Having an instantly recognizable face and so much security around him at all times does have its drawbacks, especially if you want to enjoy the smaller pleasures of life as well.
These days, to get even a semblance of that, of a normal life, he’d probably have to wear a fake mustache, Obama says in a recent interview taped at the White House and cited by ABC News.
It’s when he travels that he misses the anonymity more, he admits, because being instantly recognized no longer allows for “spontaneous interactions” with other people.
“Sometimes I have this fantasy that I can put on a disguise, wear a fake mustache and I can wander through Tel Aviv and go to a bar and have a conversation,” the President says.
If you don’t have a mental picture of how Obama would look with a fake mustache, the photo attached to this article should be of some help.
“I'd love to sit at a cafe and just hang out. The last time I was there as a senator, I still had the option of wandering through the Old City of Jerusalem. That option becomes much trickier once you're actually president,” Obama muses.
The security detail always on him makes this even harder, as if not being anonymous isn’t enough.
“You can't just slip out and interact with people without having a bunch of guys with machine guns with you,” Obama explains.
In the same interview, the President stressed that even discussing about the topic “chafes” him, though he noted that he would be doing his best to interact directly with the Israeli people whenever he gets the chance.