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President's BlackBerry will stay on

WASHINGTON - President Obama is keeping his cherished BlackBerry, becoming the first sitting president to use e-mail. Obama has been reluctant to part with his ever-present handheld device. He will limit its use, and security has been enhanced to ensure he can communicate in a protected way, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

WASHINGTON - President Obama is keeping his cherished BlackBerry, becoming the first sitting president to use e-mail.

Obama has been reluctant to part with his ever-present handheld device. He will limit its use, and security has been enhanced to ensure he can communicate in a protected way, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Only a small number of senior staff members and personal friends will be given his e-mail address.

"I've won the fight, but I don't think it's up and running," Obama said as he walked through the White House briefing room yesterday evening.

The BlackBerry victory is a big concession. Obama said earlier that he was working with the Secret Service, lawyers and White House staff to keep the device.

Gibbs joked during an afternoon briefing that the development was "almost as exciting as the presidential dog."

Previous presidents chose not to use e-mail because it can be subpoenaed by Congress and courts and may fall under public-records laws.

The presumption from the White House counsel's office, Gibbs said, is that Obama's e-mail will be subject to the Presidential Records Act, which requires the National Archives to preserve presidential records.

But he also said there were exceptions for "strictly personal communications."

Gibbs said the president believed that using his BlackBerry was an effective way to keep in touch with people without "getting stuck in a bubble."

Those who have access to Obama's e-mail, Gibbs said, will be briefed about appropriate communications.