WASHINGTON (AP) —President Barack Obama turned and said, “Let me take one more look at this thing” moments before he exited the House chamber Tuesday night.
Obama moved slowly up the center aisle to the doors of the House after his nearly hour-long speech. He shook hands, chatted and hugged a lawmaker or two. They had staked out spots on the prime seats to greet the president. He signed autographs for some.
The president wanted one final look after delivering his last State of the Union address.
Obama has skipped the State of the Union tradition of singling out special guests invited to watch the address from the House gallery.
The White House invites guests each year whose background or work illustrates a theme the president hopes to promote. This year was no exception. A Syrian refugee was among about two dozen guests invited to sit with first lady Michelle Obama.
Other guests included a plaintiff in the Supreme Court’s gay marriage case, a formerly homeless veteran and an aspiring teacher. Obama also left a seat empty to honor gun violence victims.
During the televised address, cameras occasionally panned to the guests when Obama mentioned issues related to their life stories. But in a departure from usual practice, Obama didn’t call out any of them by name.
