Washington - Apparently, Barack Obama is quite good at impersonating himself. A Republican congresswoman from Florida hung up on the US president-elect - twice - when he telephoned to discuss policy, believing it was actually a hoax from local pranksters.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen received a call on her mobile phone Wednesday from an aide to Obama, who asked her to hold for the president-elect.
"A gentleman sounding like Obama introduced himself when Ros- Lehtinen cut him off and said that 'Im sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks' and hung up," according to a press release from the congresswoman's office.
Soon after, she received a call from Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who promptly told her: "Ileana, I cannot believe that you hung up on the president-elect."
Unconvinced, Ros-Lehtinen proceeded to hang up on Emanuel, too.
It eventually took a call from Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to convince her this was no joke. But even Berman was first made to recount a personal story only the two of them would know.
Finally, Obama called back. They discussed Cuba and Israeli policy and she congratulated him on his election victory, but not before both lamented the success of local pranksters in Florida and Obama's hometown of Chicago.
"Saturday Night Live could use a good Obama impersonator like you," Ros-Lehtinen quipped, according to the press release.
She had some reason to be suspicious. Shortly before the November 4 general election, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was fooled by comedians from a Canadian radio station who impersonated French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
