Obama wants to wear 'fake mustache' and mix with regular folks in Israel

President Obama has often lamented how restrictive the so-called presidential “bubble” can be.

But in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 that aired on Thursday, Obama took it a step further, talking about how he has a “fantasy” of putting on a disguise — complete with a faux mustache — so he can converse with Israelis.

“Sometimes I have this fantasy that I can put on a disguise, you know, wear a fake mustache, and I can wander through Tel Aviv and go to a bar and have a conversation, or go down to a university and meet with some students in a setting where it wasn't as formal,” Obama said in the interview. “And we're going to try and find as many opportunities as I can to interact directly with the Israeli people.”

The answer came after Obama — who hasn't been to Israel since before he was elected president — was asked if there was anything he'd like to do on his visit next week to Israel.

A dip in the Dead Sea, he was asked? A visit to a falafel kiosk, perhaps?

“All of the above,” Obama said. “You know, I'd love to sit at a cafe and just hang out. The last time I was there as a senator, I still had the option of wandering through the Old City in Jerusalem. That option, I think, becomes a lot trickier once you're actually president.”

Obama, who leaves for the Middle East on Tuesday, said he would like to talk to Israelis to learn “how they're feeling, what they're thinking about the world, about life.”

In the interview, Obama summed up his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, explaining that he's met with him “more than any other world leader.”

---