On Nov. 7, 2008, during the Q&A portion of a news conference Obama news conference (YouTube video of C-SPAN, Nov. 7, 2008) carried live on all major U.S. television networks, the then-president-elect allowed a handful of reporters to ask questions. Then, looking at the list of potential questioners on his podium, Obama smiled and called out, "Where is John McCormick?".NBC Nightly News Clip (NBC Nightly News, November 7, 2008) McCormick's question was about the Senate seat Obama was vacating and whether he had any advice for the Illinois governor who, by statute, would be naming Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate.
