Barbara Walters Tries, Fails To Sell Her Dog to the Obamas

Clearly, the most pressing aspect of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition is what kind of freaking puppy he will be getting his daughters Malia and Sasha — and everyone’s weighing in with their opinion. Frequent watchers of The View know that Barbara Walters is borderline obsessive about imploring the Obamas to adopt a pooch similar to her Havanese dog Cha Cha (short for “Cha Cha Cha,” natch), so when it was announced that Walters would be interviewing the couple for a special to air this week, we immediately combed through the transcript to see if she would take the opportunity to push Cha Cha on them once more.

WALTERS: I have one final, very important question. Mrs. Obama, I sent you a picture of my dog, Cha Cha…

MICHELLE OBAMA: Uh-huh.

WALTERS: Who is a Havanese, and a very perfect dog, and…

BARACK OBAMA (suddenly stonefaced): Cha Cha?

WALTERS: Cha Cha. Cha Cha is a dog, he’s a Havanese, he’s from Havana…real name is “Cha-cha-cha.”

BARACK OBAMA: Cha-cha-cha.

WALTERS: Yeah.

BARACK OBAMA: What is a Havanese?

WALTERS: Oh, it’s like a little…it’s like a little terrier. And they’re non-allergenic, and they’re the sweetest dogs in the world.

BARACK OBAMA (practically recoiling): But, but it’s a…it’s like a little yappy dog.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Don’t criticize.

BARACK OBAMA: Yeah, it like sits in your lap and things?

MICHELLE OBAMA: Yes, it’s a cute dog. (Laughs)

BARACK OBAMA: It sounds kind of like a…a girly dog.

MICHELLE OBAMA: We’re girls. We have a house full of girls. (Laughs)

BARACK OBAMA (motioning with his hands): Well…well, we’re gonna have a big, rambunctious dog.

A deflated Walters demurred before she had a chance to pitch her backup mutt. Sadly, America will never know whether Sheetzucacapoopoo is, indeed, Barack Obama’s kind of dog.

[Photo Credit: George Burns for ABC News]

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