In the age-old battle of Coke vs. Pepsi, the country's ultimate authority seems to have declared a winner.
Key White House staffers under President Barack Obama are loyal Coca-Cola drinkers who refuse to drink Pepsi, Time magazine reported.
Meetings in the West Wing are stocked with Coke -- not Pepsi -- and most cabinet members guzzle one or two cans of diet Coke during briefing sessions.
Obama's top economic adviser, ex-Harvard president Lawrence Summers, is rarely seen without a can of diet Coke in his hand and Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag polished off multiple cans of Coke products at a recent White House briefing, the magazine reported.
Six cans of Diet Coke and one can of Sprite Zero, another Coca-Cola product, were found in White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' recycling bin last week.
Even when Pepsi products are readily available, some Washington political players refuse to drink the brand -- during the transition into Obama's presidency late last year, staffers stocked a refrigerator with Coke brand sodas when they realized their vending machines only served Pepsi.
The health-conscious President stays away from soda, usually chugging water or iced tea to quench his thirst. He is, however, a fan of Honest Tea -- a brand that is 40 percent owned by Coca-Cola.
