For a few moments yesterday, the White House was black and gold.

"I have to say, you know, I wish the Cardinals the best," President Barack Obama told reporters in the Oval Office. "But I am a longtime Steelers fan."

Just a week into his new job, Mr. Obama is facing a slew of tough choices on the economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an $819 billion stimulus plan that's wending its way through Congress. Yet when it comes to Super Bowl XLIII, Mr. Obama shows no hesitation.

After a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Mr. Obama expressed his respect for Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, saying he was a "great story" and "closer to my age than anybody else on the field."

But he noted that prominent members of the Steelers Nation supported his upstart candidacy last year, including Dan Rooney and Franco Harris.

"Coach signed up with you, too," Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a Scranton native who is also rooting for the Steelers, reminded Mr. Obama.

"Right, Coach [Mike] Tomlin was a supporter," Mr. Obama said. "So I, you know, I wish the best to the Cardinals. They've been long-suffering; it's a great Cinderella story. But other than the Bears, the Steelers are probably the team that's closest to my heart."

Mr. Obama spent most of his adult life in Chicago. He even pronounces "Bears" like a native of the Windy City. But he was born and raised in Hawaii, thousands of miles from the hometown of any NFL team. He has told interviewers that, as a teenager in the 1970s, he became a fan of the Steelers of Harris and Bradshaw.

Dan Rooney, a lifelong Republican, returned the favor last year.

"This is the greatest speech I've seen since John Kennedy," Mr. Rooney told his son, Jim, in a phone conversation after watching Mr. Obama's victory rally following the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. "This guy connects with people like no one I've seen since John Kennedy. He convinced me that this is more than just a good politician. I want to stand up and say something for this guy. I want to be involved in this."

He publicly backed Mr. Obama in April, going against Art Rooney Sr.'s warning that Steelers fans are Republicans and Democrats.

In his formal letter of endorsement, Mr. Rooney said that Mr. Obama "has inspired me and so many other people around our country with new ideas and fresh perspectives."

"True sports fans know that you support your team even when they are underdogs," Mr. Rooney wrote. "Barack Obama is the underdog here but it is with great pride that I join his team."

Mr. Rooney stumped in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia, riding on campaign buses on most Saturdays with his son Jim. At a rally before 15,000 people in the Mellon Arena in October, Mr. Rooney presented Mr. Obama with a black Steelers jersey emblazoned with the candidate's name and the number 08.

Last week, Mr. Rooney traveled to Washington, D.C., to present Mr. Obama with a game ball from the Steelers AFC championship victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

A debate is churning on the Internet about whether Mr. Obama's open support for a Pittsburgh team reflects the 2008 political map. He won Pennsylvania in November, but he lost Arizona, home of his GOP opponent, Sen. John McCain.

"Think of it this way. Pennsylvania is a very Liberal, BLUE state. Arizona is much more Conservative, a RED state," said a posting on politicomafioso.blogspot.com, a Web site that is highly critical of Mr. Obama. "We may not have won the election, but we are going to win the Super Bowl!"