Nov. 14, 2008
Obama Pledges Foreclosure Help
President-Elect And Wife Sit Down With Steve Kroft For First Interview Since Election Day
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Play CBS Video Video Obamas React To Victory When did it sink in that her husband would become the nation's 44th president? Michelle Obama and the president-elect speak with Steve Kroft, this Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
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President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, speaking with 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft on Friday, Nov. 14, 2008, in Chicago. This was the Obamas first interview since Election Day. (CBS)
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Interactive Election Day 2008 Images, results and reaction from the historic election.
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Photo Essay Accepting The Mantle President-elect Barack Obama addresses the nation and the world after his victory.
Obama and future First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft on Friday yesterday in a wide-ranging interview to be broadcast this Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
He also said he would make cabinet appointments soon and would name a Republican.
In the interview, Obama tells Kroft about the change in his life the election victory has caused, the need to set his priorities and talks about a variety of issues, including the economic crisis, the failing auto industry, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and America's prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
On Helping Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure:
STEVE KROFT: Once you become President are there things that you'll change?
BARACK OBAMA: We have not focused on foreclosures and what's happening to homeowners as much as I would like…We've got to…set up a negotiation between banks and borrowers so that people can stay in their homes. That is going to have an impact on the economy as a whole. And, you know, one thing I'm determined is that if we don't have a clear focused program for homeowners by the time I take office, we will after I take office.
On His Interaction With Paulson:
STEVE KROFT: Are you in sync with Secretary Paulson in terms of how the $700 billion is being used?
BARACK OBAMA: Well, look Hank Paulson has worked tirelessly under some very difficult circumstances…I think Hank would be the first one to acknowledge that probably not everything that's been done has worked the way he had hoped it would work. You know what we've done is we've assigned somebody on my transition team who interacts with him on a daily basis. And, you know, we are getting the information that's required and we're making suggestions in some circumstances about how we think they might approach some of these problems.
STEVE KROFT: Are they listening?
BARACK OBAMA: We'll find out.
On Aiding The Auto Industry:
STEVE KROFT: The Congress has said there are not the votes in Congress to pass any kind of a relief package for General Motors.
BARACK OBAMA: For the auto industry to completely collapse would be a disaster in this kind of environment…So it's my belief that we need to provide assistance to the auto industry. But I think that it can't be a blank check. So my hope is that over the course of the next week, between the White House and Congress, the discussions are shaped around providing assistance but making sure that that assistance is conditioned on labor, management, suppliers, lenders, all of the stakeholders coming together with a plan -- what does a sustainable U.S. auto industry look like? So that we are creating a bridge loan to somewhere as opposed to a bridge loan to nowhere. And that's I think what you haven't yet seen.
On Reading President Abraham Lincoln:
BARACK OBAMA: I've been spending a lot of time reading Lincoln…there is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful.
STEVE KROFT: Put a lot of his political enemies in his cabinet.
BARACK OBAMA: He did.
STEVE KROFT: Is that something you're considering?
BARACK OBAMA: Well, I tell you what. I find him a very wise man.
On The Challenges Ahead:
STEVE KROFT: Have there been moments when you've said, 'What did I get myself into?'
BARACK OBAMA: I will say that the challenges that we're confronting are enormous. And they're multiple. And so there are times during the course of a given a day where you think, "Where do I start in terms of moving-- moving things forward?" And I think that part of this next two months is to really get a clear set of priorities, understanding we're not going be able to do everything at once, making sure the team is in place, and moving forward in a very deliberate way and sending a clear signal to the American people that we're going to be thinking about them and what they're going through.
60 Minutes has covered the campaign and the election closely. Most recently, Kroft and 60 Minutes cameras were with Obama's top aides on election night for a segment broadcast on last Sunday's 60 Minutes that drew 18.5 million viewers, ranking it America's number-one program for the week.
Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain both appeared on 60 Minutes in separate exclusive interviews for a special one-hour broadcast of 60 Minutes on September 21. Kroft interviewed Obama and Scott Pelley spoke with McCain.
60 Minutes also did the first joint interview with Obama and his running mate, Vice President-elect Joseph Biden, with Kroft on the 60 Minutes broadcast of Aug. 31.
In addition, Obama and McCain also had separate exclusive interviews on 60 Minutes earlier this year in conjunction with the primary election, as did former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who was interviewed by Katie Couric.
Kroft also reported on the political battleground state of Ohio in a segment broadcast last March.
Produced by L. Franklin Devine, Michael Radutzky and Andy Court
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 304 CommentsAbortion is an atrocity that has gone on in this country for years. . . there''s been numerous presidents who did NOTHING about it. Obama is not to blame for something this country started over 30 years ago! Instead of hating and blaming this man for all the sins of this nation, the people of this country need to unite, call your senators and congressman and the white house, EXPRESS your disapproval in a way that could actually be a catalyst for change! LET YOUR ELECTED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS KNOW AS THEIR CONSTITUENTS YOU DEMAND that they vote PRO LIFE and STOP ABORTION . . and MOST IMPORTANTLY . . . STOP HATING and learn to PRAY that the Mr. Obama and all those in government will have the spiritual understanding and strength to govern in a way that is godly and righteous. If you stop hating, you can see that he desires to do just that. However, he is a man and men need prayer and positive reinforcement to help them.
STOP HATING, STOP BLAMING, START BEING AN ACTIVE POSITIVE FORCE FOR POSTIIVE CHANGE. PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART AND WATCH THE WORLD CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!
Ii am just guessing you are talking about Obama? If that is the case, the reason it is important is that our Constitution does make a stipulation that in order to be President, you must be a natural born citizen.
You forgot to mention: Forcing practitioners to perform abortions regardless of their personal beliefs on the matter.
Posted by kellym546 at 08:05 AM : Nov 17, 2008
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Bring em home, but be sure the situation is under control first. Otherwise there will be more wars and we will inevitably be drawn into them.
Posted by JackP32 at 07:40 AM : Nov 17, 2008
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heh...yeah...I am wondering when I get all that free cheese and gasoline...Of course the price of gas is quite low now and still dropping...guess I don''t need that free right now.
Perhaps that was because he was never truly elected the President. Al Gore won the popular vote by 500,000 votes, five times the number that Kennedy defeated Nixon in 1960. Nixon had a real case to challenge the results but declned, saying it was best for the nation. NIXON! George W. Bush couldn''''t even muster the nobility of our most disgraced president. He could have easily conceded Florida and allowed the people''''s choice to become President! But no! He had to show up his dad, and for once in his life, do something right. Well, in months, he ignored warnings of an impending terrorist attacks, once the attacks occured he reacted in an ineffectual manner, started an unnecessary war, allowed a major American city be destroyed by a natural disaster and did not see to it that the city was rebuilt. The Bush administration had a multitude of scandals, scores of officials that had utter comptempt for the U.S. Constitution, wrecked our reputation around the world. It was under the Bush Administration that America was no longer the beacon of hope to the world. That''''s a shame.
Posted by fsw3 at 07:32 AM : Nov 17, 2008
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So...what you are saying is that if someone wins on Electorals, they don''t get the respect of the leader of our nation? How petty. No wonder our nation is biting the dust now.
at is why I said give him 20 years...gives the media time to forget about him, and historians time to study the real story here.
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Posted by ffoulkes at 06:01 AM : Nov 17, 2008
Well, good luck to that theory. I guess we''ll just have to wait and see.
Posted by airboatboy1 at 05:59 AM : Nov 17, 2008
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That is why I said give him 20 years...gives the media time to forget about him, and historians time to study the real story here.
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Posted by ffoulkes at 05:47 AM : Nov 17, 2008
He better get after it and do something when he gets out of office to change peoples minds. He''ll never admit he did anything wrong though, I guess it''s the Republican way. But looking at the elections results, it seems the majority of the people are beginning to see that.
Try to compare that to Bush''s record...Two wars after being attacked on our own soil...I think hatred of this war (which was approved of by super-majority in both houses of congress prior to starting) has been caused entirely by the media slanting the stories in the worst possible ways.
On the Ground in Iraq, the war is all but over. It is a success, and we will leave in Victory!.
Posted by airboatboy1 at 05:27 AM : Nov 17, 2008
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We''ll start with the media putting the worst possible face on a war that has actually cost fewer lives than just about any war in American history.
The media made small of any evidence of WMD''s, and perpetuated the myth that Bush ''lied'' to congress. He presented the materials that were presented to him, and Saddam himself was saying he was building nukes.
We had the best freaking economy EVER until 2 years back with very low unemployment and interest rates. Decent inflation, record highs in the stock market...the list goes on and on...but it was all glossed over by the media.
Posted by mediaspy_nv at 11:03 PM : Nov 13, 2008
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Look a little closer and you will find plenty of hatred coming from the liberal end of this too.
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