President Barack Obama's administration showed off its social-media savvy today by holding an unorthodox town-hall meeting on YouTube. The president answered several questions chosen by online voters from 14,479 questions submitted by YouTube users.

Dozens of Minnesotans submitted questions to the website — most prominently regarding the environment, education and foreign policy — but none were specifically chosen by voters for inclusion in the online town hall meeting.

While the president didn't directly answer any questions submitted from the Land of 10,000 Lakes in the town hall, he touched on several topics Minnesotans contributors raised in their questions.

At least two Minnesota voices contributed to the call from many questioners on why the president has not closed down all US operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president responded that the government is being careful about deciding which of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners are the most dangerous, which are low-level fighters and which were wrongly imprisoned. He did, however, say that he still plans to close the base and that doing so will allow the United States to "regain the moral high ground."

In the YouTube interview, Obama reinforced his commitment to passing health care reform and to job creation. He also addressed a multitude of other issues such as net neutrality, college tuition costs, the war on terror and the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Something the president didn't address? The dozens of questions submitted into the "Other" category of questions that championed the legalization of marijuana.

It is the internet, after all.

Hayley Tsukayama is an intern at the Star Tribune's Washington bureau.