Obama: It's not about changing the f---ing light bulbs in my house; it's about changing the f---ing light bulbs in *your* house

Solar Dreams and Reality at the White House - NYTimes.com

The White House appears to be boxed in on energy and climate in a host of ways. One sign came over the last few days, as I repeatedly tried to get answers to a simple set of questions related to solar panels and energy initiatives. Here are the questions:

- When was the last energy audit of the White House? (Please provide details if there has been one.)

- Has the administration assessed the merits of returning solar panels to the White House roof, either for hot water or electricity?

- If the assessment has concluded this doesn’t make sense, what’s the reasoning?

- If this hasn’t been assessed as part of a general energy audit, why not?

The only on-the-record responses have been to cite the administration’s broader work toward greening government, which is the country’s biggest user of energy, or to point to a passing comment by Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, last February. No answers are forthcoming, I was told.

Flashback: Behind The Scenes: Newsweek On McCain In The Dark, Obama Threats, And More

[Obama] So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."