Obama to D.C.: Toughen up!

By Robert Farley
Published on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 6:55 p.m.

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"In Chicago, school is never canceled" because of winter weather.

Barack Obama, Wednesday, January 28th, 2009.

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Ice coated the trees outside the White House on Wednesday, but President Obama questioned the need to close schools.

A veteran of many frosty winters in the Windy City, President Obama was incredulous to find out that classes at his daughters' new schools in Washington, D.C., had been canceled due to icy road conditions.

"Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly?" Obama told reporters in a light moment at a gathering with business leaders on Jan. 28. "And it has to do with Washington. My children's school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?"

"As my children pointed out, in Chicago, school is never canceled," Obama said. "In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that (during a winter storm) you'd go outside for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors. So, I don't know. We're going to have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness."

We checked with Chicago schools and found he was pretty much on the mark .