Obama walks tall - and bumps his head

(REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

The head of state was a little bruised today after President Barack Obama misjudged either his height or that of the door to a waiting helicopter.

In a scene reminiscent of one of his predecessor's noted mishaps, Mr Obama struggled to get his 6ft-plus frame into Marine One.

It is not the first time that a door has thwarted a US commander-in-chief - President Bush appeared flummoxed after trying to exit through a locked door during a press conference in Beijing in 2005.

"I was trying to escape, it didn't work" the then-president said. But a grimace pulled while yanking the door's handle ensured that the moment went down as another Bushism.

Mr Obama's mishap occurred on entry to the presidential helicopter. Having waved goodbye, he attempted to enter the helicopter but misjudged the height by some inches.

After a slight bump, the president resorted to bending down to get his frame into the aircraft.

Unfortunately the moment was captured by the waiting photographers and could go down as the first "Obama-ism", if the trend continues.