Producer's Perspective: Barack Obama

(CBS)  Written by 60 Minutes producer Frank Devine.

As we waited outside the security checkpoint at the White House' northwest gate late Friday afternoon, it was hard not to flash back on the first time we waited to be admitted into an Obama home.

On Friday, seven of us submitted our ID's and waited for the uniformed Secret Service officer to verify us against his computer list. It was a long time waiting before Steve Kroft, Executive Producer Jeff Fager, Executive Editor Bill Owens, Senior Producer Michael Radutzky, associate producer Anya Bourg, a Washington make-up artist and I were invited into the guard house for a stroll through the metal detectors. Our three video crews, a camera jib operator and associate producer Jen MacDonald were awaiting us inside the grounds.

On Super Bowl Sunday morning, 2007, a much smaller group of us pulled up at the Obama home in Chicago's Hyde Park. We waited in the cars on the sub-zero morning until the stroke of ten. We walked through the front gate, up the stairs and rang the bell. Sasha Obama, then five, opened the door to let us in. Her big sister, Malia was standing behind her.

We spent most of the day with the then-Senator, his wife and daughters. We taped a drive through the South Side, did a sit-down interview in the family living room, and watched as Senator Obama made tuna salad in the kitchen (I recall he added pickle juice to the mayonnaise). David Axelrod was the only political staffer at the house that day. By the end of the day, the senator seemed ready to let us leave so he could go watch the game with some friends.

I doubt if one of us that day thought we were sitting with the next president of the United States. Everyone knew it was Hillary Clinton's year. One of Steve's questions probed about the possibility that the junior senator from Illinois was really running for vice president.

That standard 12-minute 60 Minutes piece included two other interviews with the then-senator that Steve did with producer Tom Anderson, one in Washington, and a second one on the eve of his formal announcement for the presidency in Springfield, Ill.

Things have changed in the two years we've covered the Obamas. With each successive interview we did, it seemed the staff grew larger, schedules grew tighter and the security grew more wary. After the November election, even we changed; the camera and sound crew began wearing jackets and ties, for the interviews.

What hasn't seemed to change is Barack Obama. His manner has remained the same. He seemed as relaxed and confident with Steve last Friday at the White House as he had two years ago at his own house. He still has a way of engaging you while simultaneously observing the scene as if from afar. It's a kind of detachment that is common among writers.

Even in hard times and with new responsibilities, he still enjoys the give-and-take, the opportunity to take questions and wrestle with them, before giving often long, often detailed answers. He genuinely seems to enjoy sparring with Steve. He has no idea what's coming next and seems intellectually engaged by the more challenging questions.

All the pundit talk about the president's reliance on a teleprompter is a mystery to me. He's always seemed perfectly comfortable speaking spontaneously with Steve, often taking some very pointed questions.

On Friday night, after nearly 90 minutes of being probed about everything from Afghanistan to AIG bonuses, to budget deficits, he was once again pleased to see 60 Minutes go.

It was nearly eight-thirty and, as on that Super Bowl Sunday, he had someplace else to be. This time it was back in the residence. He still hadn't had his dinner.

Watch part one of Sunday's interview with President Obama:



Part two:




Written by Frank Devine

[thevegastourist]

Some day he will realize he really is president of the United States, not of Cuba or France. Thats when reality sets in and his fear realized. At that point, maybe a real news person will be allowed to ask him a question about the economy, foreign affairs and what HE really plans to do to ruin... OOps, I mean improve the economy.

[edwinljones]

It is the American way to find SOMETHING wrong with everybody. EVERYONE is supposed to have flaws. People are uneasy because they can't find any huge flaws in Obama. That's fine by me. Isn't that why we elected him in the first place? It's the reason I voted for him and he hasn't disappointed me.

[Miiik]

"Punch Drunk" eh? I would have liked to have seen him work that into a query with George W. Bush. It's pretty clear that G.W.Bush's previous drinking problem and insider "friends" affected his later actions.

Why is it that when the previous administration was simply corrupt on purpose, looking the other way to enable their insider friends to dangerously over-leverage the economy into a crash (as they off-shored their incredible capital gains before the crash and now wait to snap up the best properties and companies left when the prices hit rock bottom) that 60 Minutes went so easy on them?

The time to get things done was the last 8 years. That was before we hit peak oil. It will be much more difficult to extract the ill gotten gains and rebuild the almost destroyed middle class now. People look to shows like 60 minutes to not pull punches on the worst president in the history of the United States - and not throw "punch drunk" punches at a guy who - let's face it - can't repair the all of the damage very easily or quickly without everyone getting involved in a workable plan.

60 Minutes needs to aggressively push to give air time to plans that will undo the damage even more.quickly than it is occurring now.

The negligence involved in the last eight years is still not apparent to the millions of the uninformed out there. Ignoring the 9/11 attack warnings, Wall Street negligence, an Iraq war we didn't want or need, etc. The lack of action (on purpose) needed over the entire 8 years toat least partially fix all of the problems we face now is a scandal in itself.

60 minutes: give that scandal a name - a handle that people can use so that it never happens again.

[Timeforachange]

In the first interview segment last weekend, how dare Steve Kroft (60 Minutes interviewer) throw that aggressive query at the President of the United States-- when he was answering your questions with a smile on his face, you zinged him with "Are you punch-drunk"? To be expected, the intelligent, articulate and noble-minded president ignored it and politely went on to anser the real question.

For godsakes, let the man alone-- let him breathe and carry out his next 60 days of presidency. Stop slamming him for making plans, making decisions, taking time to respond intelligently, and now...smiling. What would you have him do on national cry, whine? Respect him, and if you can't respect him and his office, mediavolken, then pass at interviewing him. We already have a gazillion ignorant, racist, rude commentators pelting him. Your show is a respected news hours. Conduct your questioning with intelligence and respect.

I applaud the President-- who he is and what he is doing. He exhibits mental intelligence, emotional/social intelligence and wisdom. And I especially congratulate him in his response to Cheney's evil idiocy in still foaming at the mouth and trying to tear apart this new administration, because of his failed ideology, failed tricks and failed humanity. And President Obama politely addressed him as Vice-president Cheney (he need not be addressed as such, since he no longer holds the office-- and, as far as I am concerned, since he had stolen that office, he never deserved the title anway). Cheney, put yourself out to pasture already....

[gce651]

One question I'd ask Obama:

Mr President, does the back of your hand still sting from that ***** SLAP you gave Cheney on 60 Minutes last week?

(It's CHEEE-nee, by the way. The way NBC's Chris Matthews pronounces it. Ha!)