Obama was mistaken for a waiter at a book party in 2003

A member of NYC's media elite reportedly mistook Barack Obama for a waiter at a 2003 event, when he was running for US Senate, it has been revealed.

With unprecedented candor, President Obama spoke about the prejudice he has faced as an African-American man - prompting Wall Street Journal reporter Katie Rosman to recall witnessing Obama being mistaken for a waiter at a Manhattan soiree 10 years ago, the New York Daily News reported.

Some of the best and brightest of the New York literati attended the shindig, hosted by British journalist Tina Brown, to celebrate Sidney Blumenthal's book "The Clinton Wars," Rosman recounted in a 2008 blog posting entitled "Before He Was President."

Rosman noticed Obama "as awkward and out-of-place...one of a few black people in attendance" at the party.

The embarassing encounter occured at a 2003 book party at Tina Brown's East Side apartment.

Feeling awkward herself, Rosman struck up a conversation with the aspiring statesman, describing him as "charismatic in a quiet, solemn way."

As she left the party, one of the intellectual invitees, identified only as "an established author," asked about her conversation partner, admitting that he had asked Obama to "fetch him a drink" assuming the man wasn't a guest at the party.