Barack Obama isn’t exactly known for making himself accessible to the press in a press-conference format. The last time he had a press conference was in December, at the APEC summit. However, the three-month drought will come to an end today:

President Obama will hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a tweet Monday.

Normally, Obama holds press conferences to respond to emergencies or to push his legislative agenda.  So what’s the purpose of today’s presser?  ABC’s not really sure, but they have a pretty good idea:

President Obama will hold his first news conference of the year at the White House Tuesday afternoon, as his Republican rivals face off in 10 “Super Tuesday” contests.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced the news conference via Twitter this morning. The White House has yet to announce the timing of the event.

Expect the president to field questions on the 2012 presidential race and the state of the economy.

The state of the economy?  I doubt that Obama wants to talk about that, after getting the worst durable-goods report in three years and the worst report on factory orders since October 2010.  Obviously, Obama wants to steal some thunder from all of the attention that Republican candidates will get tomorrow by grabbing sixty minutes for himself.

Sounds like someone needs a hug.

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