Very Strange: Is White House Abusing The White House Web Site?

This morning, I Googled the White House and clinked on the Google link to the White House: Whitehouse.gov.
What I got instead was a picture of a smiling President Obama and the web site saying that if you wanted to stay in touch with the government and it's officials, you had to provide your e-mail.
The most startling thing is that the page provided no links to the main web page of the White House or any other link and you could not navigate away from the page unless you refreshed the web page or closed out of the Internet.
So, why is the White House doing this?  It wouldn't be using the White House web site for solely political reasons or a way of getting your e-mail address, would it?
The scandals of the White House continue.