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Town hall, French-style

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor April 2, 2009 05:26 PM

How will a Barack Obama town hall come off in France?

We'll find out Friday, as the new president holds a town hall meeting at Rhenus Sports Arena in Strasbourg with students and local residents. The town hall, even of the online variety, has been the favored forum for Obama during the campaign and since he took office to sell himself and his agenda.

The town hall, announced by the White House this afternoon, is part of a busy schedule on Friday, which also includes a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Palais Rohan, a quick jaunt across the border to Baden-Baden, Germany, where Obama will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Rathaus.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will also attend a NATO concert. And in an appointment that will be closely watched by fashion mavens, Michelle Obama wil do lunch with her French counterpart, former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

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