September 21, 2009 5:08 PM

Obama Tells Letterman: I Was Black Before the Election

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
White House

Addressing suggestions that recent criticism of his health care reform efforts has been grounded in racism, President Obama this afternoon quipped, "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election."

The comment, which the president made in an afternoon taping of CBS' "The Late Show," prompted laughter from the audience and this response from host David Letterman: "How long have you been a black man?"

(Watch more clips from Letterman's interview with President Obama at the bottom of this post)

Mr. Obama said the notion that racism is playing a role in the criticism, which has been voiced by former President Jimmy Carter and others, is countered in part by the fact that he was elected in the first place – which, he said, "tells you a lot about where the country's at."

"One of the things that you sign up for in politics is that folks yell at you," the president said, noting that "whenever a president tries to bring about significant changes, particularly during times of economic unease, there is a certain segment of the population that gets very riled up." He pointed to the experiences of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan as examples.

Five Health Care Promises Obama Won't Keep
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

The Letterman interview, which comes on the heels of his appearance on five different networks on Sunday, marks the latest public relations effort from a president trying to win public support for his health care efforts. Perhaps in honor of the forum, Mr. Obama opened with a joking reference to Letterman's mention that an audience member had brought a heart-shaped potato to the taping.

The main reason he had come on the show, Mr. Obama quipped, was "to see that heart-shaped potato." After Letterman retrieved the potato, the smiling president deadpanned, "That's remarkable. This is remarkable." He then, with the audience member's consent, kept the potato.

The appearance was not all jokes; Mr. Obama said that the economy was improving but that employment was lagging behind.

"Unemployment is still going to be a big problem for at least another year," he said, though he insisted the economy would emerge "stronger than before."

On Afghanistan, the president said that he will not make a decision whether to send more troops until he decides on a strategy following a comprehensive review. The top commander in Iraq has warned that more troops are needed for the U.S. to have a chance to emerge victorious.

Asked by Letterman about the wisdom of the war in Iraq, Mr. Obama said, "because Saddam Hussein is not there, that's a good thing. He was somebody who certainly had aspirations to cause a lot of trouble."

Mr. Obama added, however, that "that given the enormous stakes we had in Afghanistan, we should have finished the job there."

The president, who appeared to a standing ovation, told Letterman that his kids had been doing well, and that "they basically just goofed off all summer, which I couldn't do." He said their lives had been relatively normal and that "people don't really give them too much of a fuss" when they go out.

Mr. Obama has appeared on the "Late Show" five times before, though never as president. The interview will air in full Monday evening.




Add a Comment See all 459 Comments
by markmarks1 March 3, 2010 8:57 PM EST
Letterman should have committed suicide right after this insane "apology" speech. That would have been the funniest thing he'd ever done! Seriously though...At first I did'nt get why this was any news at all. Why should anybody care about his sex life. He's smart and funny and on tv. If he's married that's his problem not mine. Then I read this and I guess it's not so simple.
<a href="http://ketiva.com/Entertainment_and_Music/letterman_a_ladies_man.html">http://ketiva.com/Entertainment_and_Music/letterman_a_ladies_man.html</a>
Reply to this comment
by MPHgrad September 24, 2009 4:12 PM EDT
by bellaanna-2009 September 22, 2009 10:02 PM EDT

Please indulge me... How does one choose to be black? That is hilarious. I'd think if it were a matter of choice, the millions of people of darker hues enslaved would have chosen to be non-black. Please don't insult my intelligence with an attempt to circumvent the issue by pointing to the obvious that he is bi-racial and can therefore choose. That is also insane. Have you not read the state laws of LA? Google Octoroon, Quadroon, Mulatto.
Reply to this comment
by MPHgrad September 24, 2009 4:01 PM EDT
by goku1965 September 24, 2009 6:59 AM EDT
Both of you have good points,but I wonder what would happen if there was a NAAWP or WET,ect

first it is etc. for et cetera.
second, I so tire of that argument from caucasians/WASPs.
Very few would care if there was a NAAWP or WET. Truth be told, there was a NAAWP for hundreds of years until the formal dismantlement of Jim Crow. Further, until the late Michael Jackson broke the barrier, MTV was in fact, in broadcast, and in effect WET.

Good Evening, and Good night.
Reply to this comment
by MPHgrad September 24, 2009 3:44 PM EDT
rightstuff4

wouldn't it have been much easier to simply say you don't like him?
Reply to this comment
by ChicagoCitizen September 24, 2009 12:01 PM EDT
Our President is gracious. President Obama does not want racial tension.

President Carter said what President Obama will not.
Reply to this comment
by pasmalltown September 24, 2009 8:31 AM EDT
by MadJayhawk September 24, 2009 7:22 AM EDT
"A week ago I chatted with an older Canadian guy and his wife about Canadian healthcare. During our conversation the wife sung the praises of their 'free' healthcare system. While she did this her husband was sitting across from me, almost crying from the pain his knee. He only had three more weeks to go before he could have his knee operated on. When I asked them about that she said that it had only been seven weeks since his consultation and that they originally had considered going to the US for the surgery or paying to have it done privately in Canada but decided to wait it out to get the 'free' operation. They were probably lying."
________________________________

Interesting story, but you fail to mention if the couple was black or white or any combination of the two.........
Reply to this comment
by MadJayhawk September 24, 2009 7:01 AM EDT
I was shocked to learn that Obama was black before the election. If he had told the country that before the election maybe he wouldn't have been elected and we wouldn't be bankrupt. I am hoping that with this world-shaking announcement that others will follow. Like Obama has had some really meaningful practical managerial experience in life like a job as Assistant Manager of the Shoe Department in a Wal-Mart somewhere. We have never had such an honest president.
Reply to this comment
by jimmie323 September 23, 2009 6:07 PM EDT
he's half white too people. but above all he is just a man
Reply to this comment
by cssrn September 23, 2009 5:37 PM EDT
So let me see if I get this. He is a "black man" because is skin is dark or black? But is he half a "black man" because he is half white? I'm so confused.
Reply to this comment
by soonerranger September 23, 2009 2:39 PM EDT
Just saying... Since Barack Obama was inaugurated President just over eight months ago, some 17,500 Canadians have come to the U.S. to receive health care. Just since the President?s health care legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives in March, about 12,500 Canadians have come here for health care. During that same period, how many Americans have travelled north to obtain health care in Canada because they couldn?t get it here in the States?
Reply to this comment
by tdye1958 September 23, 2009 3:00 PM EDT
You bring up a very good point. Elective surgeries or procedures have a long lead time. Also the United States isd well known for providing advanced medical treatments and people come from all over the world to be treated here. Inversely thousands of Americans travel overseas for medical treatments each month because in several countries the care is just as good at a fraction of the cost. Interesting thoise numbers keep being thrown around where did those numbers come from exactly? Can anyone find the exact quote? And what makes you think its because they couldnt get health care in Canada??? (I'm not trying to mbe cute I am just asking for the source of this information thats going around to determine if its factual or not)The reason I'm asking is because Canada same as the United States has medical privacy laws so real information is difficult to come by.
See all 459 Comments
.

Follow Political Hotsheet

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...