万花筒 2009-01-29&01-31 出售白宫（在线收听）

The White House, it's a place presidential candidates dream of calling 'home'.

 "Thanks for having us."

 Fred Milani is no politician, but he does have a penchant for presidential politics. In Atlanta, back in 2002, this Iranian-born real estate developer was in the market to build, and his wife had one request.

 "All she wants the house with the column, five minutes later, we decided to build the White House."

Milani's Georgia home encompasses 16,500 square feet, exactly one third of its Washington counterpart. Here, he too has a West Wing with his very own Oval Office.

 "Why would you want an Oval Office in your home?"

 "If you build the White House, you want to have an Oval Office."

 Complete with the presidential seal on the ceiling.

 "So this is...?"

 "Lincoln bedroom."

 In this room, the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation hang on the wall.

 "A lot of people come here. They want to stay in this room."

 "Why's that?"

 "I guess Bill Clinton was charging 50,000 dollars a night."

 "How about you?"

 "It's free."

 But it's Milani's landscaping that doesn't exactly get his neighbours' vote.

 "I think it's gaudy and it's disrespectful to the White House. And I have to look at it every day."

 Nevertheless, Milani, like thousands of Americans, has fallen victim to the housing market crash. Twice, he says, he's avoided foreclosure.

 "The economy's doing bad. Really, everybody in the construction, they suffer it. And I'm one of them."

 As a result, this White House is for sale. The presidential price tag? 9.8 million dollars.

 "So what's next, the Taj Mahal(1)?"

 "No, I just wanted to build maybe Congress. Always, I am in this building business."

 Mr. Milani's home has been on the market for a month and a half. So far, no buyers. But he says a few are interested from California and as far away as Dubai. And for all the former presidential candidates out there, it may not be 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue(2), but it's pretty close.

 Brooke Baldwin, CNN, the 'White House', in Atlanta.

 Notes:

(1)Taj Mahal: The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. (From Wikipedia)

(2)1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: The White House, the United States presidential residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC. (From Wikipedia)