White House Holds Door Open for Celebs

Tiger Woods, Toby Keith, Usher, and Forest Whitaker have all visited the White House—in the past week, reports Politico, noting that Barack Obama hasn’t hesitated to pal around with celebrities at a pace unmatched by even Bill Clinton. And whereas Clinton’s celebrity calls were mostly fundraising efforts, Obama seems to be consulting the glitterati on actual issues.

That’s in part because celebrities have become more politically engaged. George Clooney scored a meeting with both Obama and Biden thanks to his Darfur expertise, while buddy Brad Pitt’s work for Hurricane Katrina victims scored him a meeting. Kal Penn, of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle fame has even joined the Office of Public Liaison. “It’s almost as if [the White House] has concluded Obama’s own celebrity will outshine any celebrities,” said one Variety editor. (More Barack Obama stories.)