Rooney On The Presidents He's Met

Andy Rooney Looks Back At Some Memorable And Not So Memorable Presidential Encounters

(CBS)  The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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We're going to choose a new president on Nov. 4th, which is pretty soon now. I hope it's an improvement.

I'm a little suspicious of both candidates. I'm always suspicious of anyone who wants such a hard job as being president of The United States.

Not only that, I think anyone who thinks he or she is smart enough to be president ought to be counted out because we don't want anyone who has that high an opinion of him or herself.

I have to say "him or her" now so people won't accuse me of being sexist. I am sexist of course. I just don't want to be accused of it.

I was counting them up and I've been lucky to have met eight of the last nine presidents of the United States. I just shook hands with most of them, but Dwight Eisenhower I really knew because I met him often in London when I was a reporter for The Stars and Stripes during WW II. A great American.

I grew up in Albany, N.Y., and I met Franklin D. Roosevelt when he was governor and he came to the school I went to. He spoke that day but I can't remember anything he said.

I met Richard Nixon with a bunch of other reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House years ago. I never liked Nixon but I pretended I did when I met him that day. You don't want to get in bad with the president. He probably knew what I thought though. You can usually tell what someone thinks of you.

I met Jimmy Carter several times - very friendly and it seemed to come naturally to him.

I've met Bill Clinton. I was sitting in a restaurant in New York eating dinner a few years ago when this guy slides into the banquette next to me, holds out his hand and says "Hello. I'm Bill Clinton". I already knew that of course but he couldn't have been friendlier. He wasn't even running for anything because he'd already been president. So, how do you think I feel about Bill Clinton?

One president I've never met is George W. Bush. I've seen him a lot on television, of course.

I'd really like to meet our next president, so I sort of hate to tell you this but I don't know who I'm going to vote for this year. You know why? I'm in this terrible position. I like both Barack Obama and John McCain. I don't think we can go wrong.

[forthinvader]

You Liberal Self-Hating Whities are funny knocking the Conservative Right-Wing "Racist" Whities. Obama will set both of you Whitey Groups straight. You will pay out of your Jew and Gentile noses for the Slavery you inflicted on the Black Nation of America. You should watch John Trevolta''''s movie "Whiteman''''s Burden" to see how your Whitey lives will be like in Black America come 2009. CHANGE IS COMING!!!!

[brisa2004]

Mr. Rooney,
I think your comments about choosing a presidential candidate are less insightful and more ironic than anything. Did you expect the millions of Americans watching to pity you that you didn''t have the chance to keep your record of meeting Presidents going? The facts are that we care less about some self-centered big mouth who touts his own horn and more about people who help others to make a difference. Why would you worry about who gets into office, because your position as a rich, old white man won''t change. The mistakes of the current Presidential administration have affected the middle and working class, not elites like you. I bet the economy looks pretty good from where you''re sitting too! Go ahead and remain undecided, so what? It''s the middle and working class that support this country and it will be us who demand change.

[ceceroyal]

Viewing the online rancorous chorus of responses to Andy''s contention that he remains undecided about casting his vote for McCain or Obama makes me believe he provoked the controversy he intended. With the US economy in a shambles, its standing in the world at an all-time low, and its continuing engagement in an unpopular war, Andy knows *** well this is an important election. I''ve got to believe his final remarks were tongue in cheek. I hope he at least sets the record straight even if he doesn''t tell us outright that he is voting for Obama.

[alice135]

Hat''s off to you Andy Rooney. You''re the BEST.

[antoniof123]

Now who''''''''s stupid?Posted by lilbeards1 at 10:10 AM : Oct 20, 2008

You are you are an idiot worst then the one in the Oval office.

[antoniof123]

I like Mr. Rooney he is so good about things. I also agree with him in voting you need to get all the facts.

[cpreve-2009]

I would suggest that if Mr. Rooney is unable to decide between the candidates for President, he should consider which Vice Presidential candidate he feels is most qualified to assume the Presidency of the United States.

[kysusann]

I thoroughly enjoy your comments on the various subjects. However, this one was one of the best. I applaude you for not voicing your opinion of the candidates for president. I think that is a personal matter and should not be discussed in public. Thank you for not adding to the media coverage of one candidate.

[kelleew]

I was appalled at your commentary for multiple reasons. First, you don''t know who to vote for because both candidates are likeable? What does that have to do with where they stand on the issues that are important to you as a voter?

Secondly, you admit that you are sexist, but you just don''t want to be accused of it? Change the word sexist to racist, would you say that on the air? No, because you would be terminated immediately. You should be now. I would hope that someone on a reputable news program would be required consider their commentary before spewing such offensive remarks to the viewers.

[yrunuts]

There was a time when I enjoyed and agreed with most of what you said. You sort of tell it like is!!!!
Obama or McCain, "either one". Now it''s time you get off the show, your wimpy opinion is proof you DON"T tell it like it is.

[lilbeards1]

So, Mr. Rooney, you can''''t decide huh? Here''''s what YOU said about people who are undecided in 2004: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/08/60minutes/main648221.shtml?source=search_story

Now who''''s stupid?

[carlylaine]

Being undecided this late in the game and not having any clear position on policy is like stradling the fence. Once you fall just watch where that spike penetrates. You will get it in the end.

[bigdaddyhuah]

Andy, I am little fuzzy on how you are doing your math. You say that you have met eight of the last nine presidents, but not the current one George W. Bush. That means you met counting backward Clinton, Bush Sr., Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, and Kennedy. You also explicitly say you met Eisenhower, so that would make it nine out of ten, unless of course you don''t count Eisenhower because he was not yet president when you described that you met him. By that measure however Clinton wasn''t president when you met him either, although he was a former president by then. I suppose you could have meant eight of the last nine former presidents because that would not count the current Bush. If that is the case I sure there is a joke in there somewhere. Maybe you should have just said that you have met ten presidents, or is it eleven?

[ausus-2009]

The line of argument here seems to be that anybody who gave their answer as undecided at the last Gallup poll should immediately retire and move to a nursing home, no matter what age. What intolerance!

[dakotaclark]

Andy,

For many people it is a sorry state of affairs to realize that, %u201Cout of all the people in the USA, those two senators are the best we can come up with for presidential candidates!%u201D

If you did not know, and for the undecideds, there ARE other candidates running for president. In fact, for 2008, there are eleven %u201Cthird party%u201D candidates, six %u2018independents%u2019 and at least 62 to 400+ %u201Cwrite%u2013in candidates.%u201D

Trouble is, all of those candidates are in serious need of mental health intervention. Why? All of them suffer from presinoia.

That is a term I coined to describe someone who genuinely believes they have a chance to get elected POTUS (President Of The United States); when in fact their chances are the exact same as them becoming the next Tsar of Russia, or the next Pope.

It is very interesting to take a look at some of the other candidates. http://www.politics1.com/p2008.htm

I get the feeling that for some people the 2008 election will be the classic quandary of choosing good vs. evil.

[etaberprice]

Andy,
You can''t make up your mind who the more qualified candidate is to represent to the world what America really is and stands for? . . . Incredulous! I loved your biography, My War: yet after all your trenchant experiences in W.W.II, I can''t imagine how you could consider supporting a mendacious, reprobate veteran, and self-confessed ignoramus when it comes to economics. You really don''t have a clear idea of who is the more honorable, clear-sighted, perspicacious, and better educated? Get off the air Andy, it''s time to go. Your indecisiveness just feeds and encourages the sophistry of all the morons who brought us Geo. W. Bush.

[sljenkins1]

Andy, either you are lying about being undecided or you have lost it. Either way it is time for you to apologize and announce your imminent retirement.

[etaberprice]

Andy,
You can''t make up your mind who the more qualified candidate is to represent to the world what America really is and stands for? . . . Incredulous! I loved your biography, My War: yet after all your trenchant experiences in W.W.II, I can''t imagine how you could consider supporting a mendacious, reprobate veteran, and self-confessed ignoramus when it comes to economics. You really don''t have a clear idea of who is the more honorable, clear-sighted, perspicacious, and better educated? Get off the air Andy, it''s time to go. Your indecisiveness just feeds and encourages the sophistry of all the morons who brought us Geo. W. Bush.

[etaberprice]

Andy,
You can''t make up your mind who the more qualified candidate is to represent to the world what America really is and stands for? . . . Incredulous! I loved your biography, My War: yet after all your trenchant experiences in W.W.II, I can''t imagine how you could consider supporting a mendacious, reprobate veteran, and self-confessed ignoramus when it comes to economics. You really don''t have a clear idea of who is the more honorable, clear-sighted, perspicacious, and better educated? Get off the air Andy, it''s time to go. Your indecisiveness just feeds and encourages the sophistry of all the morons who brought us Geo. W. Bush.

[greenelinda]

Andy I think you should go with your initial gut feelings of "being a little bit suspicious of both candidates." If you think Eisenhower was great (I agree), then would you please google Eisenhower''s speech warning Americans to "beware the Military- Industrial Complex"? Just look at the cost of Life for a phony war and the loss of Freedom in The Patriot Act! Both candidates, against the will of most Americans, voted to bail out corporate greed and corruption in the trillions! Both candidates are now for endless war in Afghanistan! Both candidates are for dirty and dangerous coal and nuclear; there really is no such thing as clean coal or clean, safe nuclear! And don''t you know President Eisenhower would be mad as hell to see our elections stolen by electronic voting machines and scanners, all manufactured secretly by Republicans! Watch the videos "Stealing America One Vote at a Time" and "Hacking Democracy." Read the book "Hacked - High Tech Election Fraud," and be suspicious when you vote! If you are forced to use an electronic voting machine, you will never know who it voted for! Beware the Military-Industrial- Pharma Complex, and those candidates funded by it! I think when it comes time to vote, you might look into your conscience and consider Green Party candidate, Cynthia McKinney or Independent, Ralph Nader! They''re not suspicious!