President Barack Obama called in Tuesday to WTOP Radio’s “Ask the Governor” show with Democratic National Committee Chairman/Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. Obama wanted to congratulate Kaine for his time as governor.

Obama was introduced on the program as “Barry from D.C.," a man who wanted to complain about Northern Virginia traffic.

"Mark Segraves and the governor's staff have been working on this for four months," said WTOP News Director Mike McMearty. "We thought it might happen, and today we got a strong thumbs up from [the White House] and tried to work out the logistics of how it would work."

McMearty says it was Obama's idea to call himself "Barry from D.C."

Kaine "was genuinely stunned," said McMearty. "He's about the only guy" in the studio " who didn't know."

Obama was one of several VIPs who called in to thank Kaine. Others included Virginia Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell, musician Bruce Hornsby, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.