President Obama loves his BlackBerry. The nation's e-mailer-in-chief once said they'll have "to pry it out of my hands" when he fought government handlers over whether he'd be allowed to keep his treasured mobile device.

He won that battle. And now we have "Obama's BlackBerry" (Little Brown, $14), due Monday, to make fun of the president's tech obsession. Written by the comedy team Kasper Hauser, the 144-page book collects purported text exchanges between Obama and others via his BlackBerry.

The big surprise? Oprah Winfrey is secretly running the country. "Tell China to take a chill pill," she replies to Obama's plea for help. "They should be the last country lecturing us on money supply."

Other targets include former president George W. Bush, who apparently left his Tickle Me Elmo doll in the Oval Office, and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who forwards an exciting money-making opportunity from Nigeria. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton texts from her travels to complain about flying coach to Zimbabwe.

Although the author skewers across party lines, the humor will probably depend on readers' political affiliations. Messages also are less effective when they go beyond one page.

One of the best exchanges, between Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, is actually excerpted on the book's cover:

BidenMyTime: Hey U, watcha doin?

BarackO: M rly busy

BidenMyTime: Right Can I leave at 4:45?

There's also a text from Prince asking to appear at the next inauguration. It can't be reprinted here, but it involves "performing" with the Supreme Court justices, the Lincoln Bible and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

OMG.

Randy A. Salas • 612-673-4542