Obama loved New Yorker walking on water cover

By Garance Franke-Ruta
Score one for a sense of humor.

New Yorker editor David Remnick, chatting with The Post's Howard Kurtz on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday, revealed that President Obama loved the magazine's cover of the president walking on water -- and then starting to sink -- so much that the White House requested a signed copy of it.

KURTZ: A couple of months ago The New Yorker ran a cover cartoon by Barry Blitt of Barack Obama walking on water, but then starting to slip into the water. And, apparently, David Axelrod's office called you about that?

What happened?

REMNICK: Well, they wanted a signed version of the cover. And, you know, there were other covers maybe they didn't like as well. But I think they got over it. In fact, they got over it a lot faster than some other people.

KURTZ: What did Axelrod's office tell you about Obama's personal reaction?

REMNICK: I think Axelrod and Obama were laughing hysterically over this cover. And the fact to their credit, within a matter of weeks, that they reversed the really sinking trend that they were experiencing, and they passed health care. And the White House certainly reversed its downward trend pretty quickly after that cover. I'm not saying the cover was anywhere near responsible for it.