I can't speak to how they handle it at state/local level, though even there they would need some way to make fundraising and other campaign calls, emails, etc. without using governmental resources. In most cases, I imagine they could simply go off-site, but I wouldn't be surprised to know many larger states/municipalities might have aides who carry political phones in addition to anything issued by the government.

As a specific example, when I worked on Capitol Hill years ago, we had a database of people who had written letters the the Congressman I worked for. We could contact them for official purposes, but we could not then pass it on to the campaign during election season.

Obama could likely transfer the list INTO the government, but he could not then take an updated list back out for the 2012 campaign. The more likely scenario is that the list will be maintained for political purposes. The Obama campaign and the DNC can advocate on behalf of the President's policies, so the communications can be unfettered (for the most part) and parallel what his Administration is saying. Of course, that would be a harder list to grow for non-partisan communications.

That isn't to say it is a bad idea, it is just important to keep expectations reasonable. One of Obama's biggest challenges will be the monumental expectations that people have of him. He will almost certainly fail to meet them — even if through no fault of his own.

Typically lists can go into the White House, but it is trickier to bring them out. Effectively it is a one-way street — meaning you couldn't add to it then use it again in 4 years.

It's not quite that cut-and-dried, of course, but it gives you a sense of how much less flexibility one has in government to innovate.

I'm looking forward to how that will be implemented.

While we fall on different sides of the political issue, I do agree with this post. I think that the demographics that helped elect Obama would also enjoy to connect with him and his administration through these channels.

I also think that, given his campaign's understanding of these tools he has the opportunity to do something on par with the incredible feats he has already accomplished. He can involve people in politics and the political process like never before.

Can you imagine if he…not a spokesperson, but Barack Obama himself Twittered at the end of the day? Or wrote a blog post at the end of the day? Imagine the engagement that people would feel with the President and the country!

He obviously touched a nerve and found the keys to speak to people. I think that his great responsibility is to now continue that and he has an opportunity available to no President in history. With the tools now available, he has the chance to actually engage with people on a personal level. To break the barrier that so many feel to those in power.

Whether he chooses to use that opportunity will remain to be seen, but he's certainly in the position to do it.

Kevin