President Obama joins San Francisco’s Batkid craze

The odyssey of 5-year-old Miles, known across the Internet as the SF Batkid today, just took an even more surreal turn when President Barack Obama got in on the action Friday. The president sent the kid a congratulatory message via Vine.

“Way to go, Miles. Way to save Gotham,” Obama said in a message recorded from the White House.

Miles, who has leukemia that is currently in remission, had requested a day as Batman from the San Francisco chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When the charitable organization’s request for help with Miles’ wish went viral online, 12,000 volunteers ended up raising their hands to aid in making the child’s superhero journey a memorable one.

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The boy’s adventure around San Francisco (which became Gotham City for a day) involved getting escorted by an adult Batman, a ride in a donated Lambourghini standing in for the Batmobile and even a call from San Francisco’s chief of police.

Along the way, the caped crusader defeated the Riddler, the Penguin and “rescued” many citizens in need.

At the end, Miles arrived at San Francisco’s City Hall, where he was given the key to the city by Mayor Edwin M. Lee.

All the interest in Miles’ adventure managed to bring down the Make-A-Wish website and made him an Internet star. Obama’s Vine message is the latest twist in a saga that keeps getting more fantastical.

First Lady Michelle Obama got in on the act, tweeting, “Thanks for catching all those bad guys #SFBatKid! You’re an inspiration to us all. -mo”

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