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Obama, security aides, still debating Blackberry

Bush, Clinton didn't email while in office due to public records laws

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updated 1:17 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2009

WASHINGTON - For President-elect Barack Obama, parting with his Blackberry is such sweet sorrow.

In fact, it isn't yet certain that he'll give up his hand-held device once he takes office.

Obama acknowledged in a nationally broadcast interview Thursday that the Blackberry is a concern, "not just to the Secret Service, but also to lawyers."

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Asked in an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" show whether the issue had been resolved, Obama replied, "I'm still in a scuffle around that." He asked: "How do you stay in touch with the flow of everyday life?"

White House officials have worried that a president's e-mails can be subpoenaed by Congress and the courts and may be subject to public records laws. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton didn't e-mail while in office.

The Blackberry is made by Canada's Research in Motion Ltd.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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