Obama's AP Interview: Michael Jackson, Gitmo, Affirmative Action And More

Highlights of President Barack Obama's interview Thursday with The Associated Press:

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The nation's first African American president said a recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., doesn't close the door on thoughtful efforts at affirmative action aimed at maintaining diversity in the workplace or in college admissions. He cautioned that affirmative action "hasn't been as potent a force for racial progress as advocates would claim, and it hasn't been as bad on white students seeking admissions or seeking a job as its critics have said."

GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

Obama said he's open to the idea of detaining certain Guantanamo Bay terror suspects someplace else for prolonged periods, but it may turn out that he won't be comfortable with any proposals to do that. Obama said some detainees aren't a good fit for prosecution in the United States or under international law. "How we deal with those situations is going to be one of the biggest challenges of my administration."

ECONOMY

As the nation struggles with escalating unemployment, Obama said, health care reform and an increased focus on clean energy are two critical areas that can be exploited to boost the economy. "If we're weatherizing every building and home in America, if we are creating windmills and solar panels and biofuel facilities, that is a huge promising area not only for jobs here in the United States, but also for export growth."

RUSSIA

Obama said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin "has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." Obama, who plans to meet with Putin when he travels to Russia, said the former Russian president must understand that the Cold War approach is outdated and that the U.S. is not seeking an antagonistic relationship, but wants to partner on issues including energy and counterterrorism.

AFGHANISTAN

The president said he will reassess the possible need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the Afghan national elections in August. The narrow national security goal, he said, is to ensure terrorist organizations are not acting with impunity. To that end, the U.S. must help build the Afghan army and encourage Pakistan to shore up its borders, he said. "I think those goals can be achieved without us increasing our troop levels."

MICHAEL JACKSON

Obama said he has Jackson songs on his iPod and is glad to see that the entertainer is being remembered for "the great joy" that he brought to people with his extraordinary gifts. But he said that brilliance was paired with a tragic and sad personal life.

Comments

[baddadd49]

CBS's Chip Reid joined even by liberal Helen Thomas to complain about White House media control.


Funny this story hasnt been posted on huffpo and or any of the other msm media except FOX, gee I wonder why that is?

[justwaitandsee]

Chip Reid is a whinny little b*tch

[Pigeon2]

Ditto!

[swan1]

This is the same Chip Reid that made opposite statements 36 hours apart. The same Helen Thomas that did good to even have a seat with the Bush Administration. These pppl need to be shut down, the daily briefings are long past their usefulness. Most of the reporters are rude , stupid, and just pegging for attention.

[justwaitandsee]

You are so right

[joemondo]

"Shut down"?

See the First Amendment. Please.

[Highwind]

Because Chip Reid is not a journalist and is one of those seekers of sensationalist news.

[Agent420]

Time for a new political party. This one will be a true liberal party of progressive people. We will call the party, "The Pitchfork Party."

[joemondo]

He probably can't afford to be anything but a tepid supporter of Affirmative Action.

He's a living example of a model for success that is better than AA - work hard, study hard and prove yourself.

(And yes, racism is still an obstacle, as is sexism.)

[sbrown80]

He and Sotomayor benefitted from affirmative action as do white women like yourself.

[joemondo]

Proof please.

[swan1]

Obama never marked the race box on his college application. Being Magna Cum Laud doesn't come by affirmative action, it comes by studying and hard work.

[masha2008]

obama did not tick the box on african american in any of his applications. please correct yourself.

[1088]

I surprise they didn't ask the President to apologize for Michael Jackson strange behavior. As you know, everything bad is President Obama's fault.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Sad, but true.

[Pigeon2]

1088...Uhh­hh....wron­g....It is Bush`s fault.....­..he will be blamed until the world ends...

[Highwind]

That's because most of what is happens, in terms of our economy, is his fault.

[Girl28]

You're d.amn skippy he will.

[robotfog]

what clown thinks we need to hear the President talk about Michael Jackson?

It's like the press has no idea of the prez's job description.

Unless I missed some new law stating the president HAS to be bothered with pop culture and all manner of cultural events.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

The press is fairly st00pid. Of all the topics to talk about, they mention Michael Jackson. So many problems facing the country, and they want to talk about Michael Jackson. How inane can the press be.

Though, I hope Michael Jackson rests in peace. Condolences to his family and loved ones.

[fuelie]

Human society too often places too much emphasis on the wrong things in life.

[sasson]

By the same token, there were quite a few posters on this site up in arms over his failure to originally address Michael Jackson's death.

[robotfog]

I simply cannot fathom what is up with that

[aramos]

Obama looks so overwhelmed. He probably wishes he was still a community organizer.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Ha.

He looks calm, cool and collected. He is a hard working man, though.

PS: He hasn't been a community organizer for many years. Think lawyer, state senator, senator. I know these facts are hard for you to accept, but facts are facts.

[YewNeekId]

Keep on sippin' that Kool-Aid.

There are still 26% of the people who think that George Bush did a swell job.

Obama has turned his back on his most ardent supporters. He has embraced Bush's secrecy policies, expaned the war in Afghanistan and crafted a total failure for a stimulus program. Did I mention that he let Chrysler and GM die?

You apparently have very low standards for success, but then so do the 26%

[edwarvir]

Great post ! We Are The Ones

[hortonhearsdawho]

so, u an acorn or a teleprompter type troil...

[Pigeon2]

aramos....­yep....His hair is already turning grey.....

[3dtrix]

It isn't easy working like a dog to better the lives of the likes of you...

[Dennis60]

Given the state of the Nation, maybe President Obama will consider a little less time in front of the camera and world travel, and a lot more time inside the Oval office. Just a thought.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

The President can work wherever he is.

And all of this is work. Talking to the press informs the public. World travel helps with diplomacy, allowing allies to work WITH us on problems facing the world, e.g., the recession.

[Dennis60]

Ahem, rationalize much?

[YewNeekId]

Obama is a world class narcissist. He needs to hire a camera czar for the photo ops and get around to doing some freakin work - like showing a wee bit of leadership on healthcare.

[Ruh17]

Or maybe he should just take a vacation in Crawford, Texas at some random ranch. I'm sure Bush knows a few good places for a President to escape any responsibility there.

[Dennis60]

I agree, however, Bush no longer has anything to do with the price of tea in Kansas, Obama does.

[joemondo]

"In front of the camera" is part of the job - communicating with the people.

Travel is part of it as well.

[Pigeon2]

Comrade Obama still campaignin­g.....

[hortonhearsdawho]

argentina, hows that for close to home..

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Ha.

[bradyd]

Is 5 to 10 minute interviews too much time? Is talking to the American people so bad? This is what I voted for.

[joemondo]

He doesn't need to say more about Michael Jackson.

Though beloved, Michael Jackson led a self destructive and sad life. There's no need for the President to glorify it or pretend it was honorable,

[ItHadToBeSaid]

Whether the President decides to comment on Michael Jackson any further is his choice.

Whether he does or not, I do hope that SOMEONE in the media will make a conscious effort to shed light on Michael's humanitarian efforts across the world. The work he did toward ending hunger and promoting the awareness of AIDS doesn't get nearly as much press as it deserves. That might be why people like you think his life was not "honorable­."

Lately, the President and First Lady asked the country to become more involved in community service and volunteerism. You, joemondo, might be interested to know that Michael had been doing that for years.

Yes, surely some well-informed, socially-conscious member of the media can share that information . . . if only to enlighten closed-minded, judgemental, ill-informed bloggers like yourself.

[beaupritchard]

I will say this as far as what I wanted to see in a President Obama has exceeded expectations the country has not fallen apart ... there are a couple of really great irons in the fire(health care and getting out of Iraq) and america has been rebranded.

Measured by his(Obama's) stick the fincial sector has been stabilized and housing is showing some stability.

Already things are better than they were when he came in to office ... so I'm willing to sit back and let him work without grumbling.

[Dennis60]

Are you Joking?

[YewNeekId]

Wow, how is the dark side of the moon these days? Have you had a chance to look around since you got back?

Getting out of Iraq has been rebranded? Are you FKM? Here's a quote from the messiah from 10/27/2007 - you decide if it was rebranded or an out and out frikin lie:

OBAMA: I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home, we will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

If you are truly interested in the promises the President is keeping, take a look at poltifact.

Many people have reasons to feel satisfied and given the consistently high approval ratings, many are.

That must burn. Happy Americans. Imagine that.

[Dynamohum]

Guess what? He is getting the troops out of Iraq? Any educated and informed layperson can tell you the time table is actuall VERY realistic. If you think you could pull all those troops, equipment and resources out in a short amount of time, well you would just be showing how IGNORANT you are!!

[robotfog]

me too. All the people screaming for results will need to learn to be patient.

It takes time to handle such big tasks.

[Chace Haynes]

you must live on the "other" Earth at the opposite side of the Galaxy.

[beaupritchard]

We won there too (smile). No it's time for all you hunter gatherer types to go the way of the cave bear, the wooly mammoth, neanderthal man. It's the age of the agrarian.

Maybe we'll start a theme park. You can stand on a little ridge and shake sticks at us.

[Lori Bowles]

I would really like to know what his opinion is about the waterboarding in Iran right now.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Right now, there is a single twitter tweet that there is waterboarding happening in Iran. But Iran is not the US. In the US, we do not torture ANYMORE. The President is clear on that. Waterboarding is torture.

I guess you can take the above and decide how he would opine about waterboarding in Iran.

[justwaitandsee]

WTF Moment:

Kurtz: Can African-American women objectively cover Michelle Obama?

In his column today, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz devotes his column today to the question of: “Does Race Play a Role in Coverage?” He readily admits that “no one raises questions when an Irish American male reporter covers a pol named Murphy,” but that doesn’t stop him from writing a 1,600-word article raising questions about black women:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/02/kurtz-race-coverage/

[zakon]

"The narrow national security goal, he said, is to ensure terr.orist organizations are not acting with impunity."

Though the goal is narrow, the resources necessary to achieve it will be staggering.

Ironically, this fiscally challenged US. em.pire may overreach as did the Sov.iets, and crash into ruin..

[zakon]

You should start listening to Fox News and get informed about what is really going on.

[Allocator2008]

With all due respect to the President, who I think is a very intelligent and personable individual, I feel he is trying to walk a balance beam with respect to the passing of Michael Jackson. He should be out there testifying to the historical impact MJ had, as Rev. Sharpton is doing, and instead, we get tepid tributes to his music, tempered with vague allusions to his "personal life". If as I hope we live in a "post-racial" society, then MJ had a heck of a lot to do with that, as Rev. Sharpton has alluded to, and I would think the President of the United States could also give some more credit to MG's immeasurable contributions, not only to music, but to the broader society at large.

[barackobama4prez]

Maybe the president just feels how he feels? LOTS of people have mixed feelings about MJ.

[rockyb26]

i love mj too but i thought the president's words were appropriate. mj did live a sad life, that's no surprise or secret.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

For many, Michael Jackson is not the end all and be all of what is happening in the world. Recession. War. Unemployment. Troop Safety in Afghanistan. Health Care Reform. Etc. all seem more relevant and important, IMHO.

[hortonhearsdawho]

he allowed you to do it, thanks...

[robotfog]

Just because someone told you that Michael Jackson had an "historical impact" doesn't mean we have to hear statements from politicians.

[interesante]

Did he talk about his lack of spine?

[MasterHurrikane]

LOL.. an anonymous internet user talking about spine... now That's ironic.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

"Lack of spine" to a conservative simply means "refusal to bomb random countries" to everyone else who possesses brain cells.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

He exercises all the time and eats right, so I assume his bones, including his spine are quite fine.

How is your spine?

[Pigeon2]

How are his Lungs? Nasty habit he has there

[Ruh17]

"If they aren't out there blowing sh#t up then they have no spine"
-Random Right Wing commenty

[hortonhearsdawho]

has he met you ?

[robotfog]

If you rearrange the letters in the word 'spine', it spells out what you have a lack of.