Obama 'Tonight Show' Appearance: President Talks Gaddafi, GOP, Halloween (VIDEO)

President Obama appeared Tuesday night on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and discussed a variety of topics.

Leno started the interview on a serious note, asking Obama about his reaction to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's death. The President said, "this is somebody who, for 40 years, had terrorized his country, had supported terrorism." Obama went on to explain that Gaddafi was given, but ultimately squandered, "an opportunity during the Arab Spring to finally let loose of his grip on power and to peacefully transition into democracy." Ultimately, Obama concluded, Gaddafi's demise "sends a strong message around the world to dictators that people long to be free, and they need to respect the human rights and the universal aspirations of people."

Obama also addressed GOP opposition, saying that people in the country are "fed up" with politicians "putting party ahead of country or putting the next election ahead of the next generation." In reference to some Republican opposition to his Iraq troop withdrawal announcement, the President sarcastically stated, "it's shocking that they opposed something I proposed."

Speaking about the GOP presidential debates, Obama joked that he would wait until "everybody's voted off the island" before paying more attention to the race.

The President also joked about the White House's Halloween treats. Obama explained that the First Lady has "been giving, for the last few years, kids fruit and raisins in the bag. And I said the White House is gonna get egged if this keeps up. You need to throw some candy in there."

Watch clips from Obama's appearance below (all clips via NBC).

WATCH (Obama Reacts To Gaddafi Death):

WATCH (Obama Talks GOP Opposition):

WATCH (Obama Talks GOP Presidential Candidates):

WATCH (Obama Talks Halloween):

 

 

Comments

[IndependentTogether]

09:40 PM on 10/26/2011

This may appear to be off-topic, but I think that it bears posting for those Ron Paul true believers who've Obama for his Tonight Show appearance:

================================================
ivorykeys87
17 Fans

6 hours ago (3:12 PM)
I am not mad, i feel strongly about this. Once again you have not brought any of your own thoughts to the table as to why Ron Paul should not be taken seriously. I am telling you, go ahead, blast the man. Prove him wrong, make an argument, an intelligen­t one if you can muster it. Though i doubt you can, because what he stands for makes too much sense that it is hard for people to accept.
================================================

Interesting. Did you read your original post? You didn't start this discussion with a modicum of respect or intellectual heft, yet you're implying that *I* am somehow lacking critical thought. Okay...

Beyond libertarianism, the problem with Ron Paul it's that he is fond of saying that he doesn't get a fair shake from the media. His supporters have bought into this fallacy and trumpet it as some vast left/right wing conspiracy to silence and malign him. Here's the truth:

If you feel that people don't fully understand his views, it's clear that he, himself, has not made a strong case. Instead he whines while depicting us as a nation of whiners (i.e. "nanny state"). He's expecting an undue handout from the media and the voting public.

How's that?

[Dawityisrael]

06:05 PM on 10/26/2011

Ooopsy! I mis-typed fell and typed "feel asleep" on Jay Leno.

[Dawityisrael]

06:04 PM on 10/26/2011

President Obama still does not get it, or refuses to get it. Glad I feel asleep. I refuse to donate any denomination to his campaign, let alone any republican's.

Disclaimer: Fool me once...fool me twice...Ohhh, Bush said it better with such eloquence than I could ever.

[420]

06:34 AM on 10/27/2011

Well if you vote for soem other than Obama you been fooled again by the GOP. Have a congress that will for for the people instead of trying to defeat Obama at all costs hurts us as a nation. Obama gets it, its the GOP congress

[Rachel Styles]

05:51 PM on 10/26/2011

Gaddafi got rich off the oil from his country but never helped the poor people in his country. He also killed a lot of his own people too. Gaddafi did a lot of bad things to his people, that's why he was killed. If you don't know what Gaddafi did and why he was hated by his people, this article gives a great explanation on it.

http://explainlikeakid.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-gaddafi-was-killed.html

[DeeFromTheD]

05:22 PM on 10/26/2011

President Obama’s appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” lifted the show to its highest Tuesday-night ratings since March 2, 2010, the night after Leno returned to the show.

Tuesday’s episode received a 4.1/11 metered-market household rating, a 52 percent leap over his Tuesday-night average so far this season. With Obama’s appearance,” The Tonight Show” handily surpassed “Late Show with David Letterman,” which posted a 2.7/7 household rating, “Nightline,” which drew a 3.6/9, and “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which received a 1.8./6.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/26/idUS379872227420111026

[Skate Free]

05:55 PM on 10/26/2011

Quid pro quo for the all-Obama, all the time network. (FYI their prime-time viewership is down 14% compared to last year) Since Obama has been on this two-week campaign swing, he's really got to butter up the dinosaur media types to keep them quiet about the OWS protests going south, the FnF scandal, Solyndra, LightSquared, Fiskar and Tesla Motors 'greeconomy' scams.... not to mention the geopolitical mess in the middle east!

I'm sure that the "Peacock" network (currently fourth out of four major networks) is happy to be able to sell adspace at an increased rate, now that his excellency has graced their network with his presence.

Can anyone say "DEAD CAT BOUNCE?"

Meanwhile:
After the first five weeks of the 2011-12 TV season, Fox has moved into the season to date lead among adults 18-49 with a 3.4 average rating (up 21% vs. last season). CBS is in second place with a 3.3 rating average (even vs. last season). ABC is third with a 2.7 rating (down 4%). NBC is fourth with a 2.5 rating (down 14%). Univision is in fifth with a 1.6 rating average (even). CW is sixth with a 0.9 rating average (down 25%).

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/10/25/fox-takes-adults-18-49-season-ratings-lead-cbs-leads-viewership-through-week-5-ending-october-23-2011/108309/

[Obamacrat]

06:26 PM on 10/26/2011

And your point is?

[JackRuby10]

06:39 PM on 10/26/2011

Are you copying and Pasting?

[Deschris]

05:15 PM on 10/26/2011

Not one right winger,not one tea bagger,not one middle class republican and list any legitimate reason why this president should not be re-elected other than his race or color.After all most of these people are unfortunately part of the same 99% of people at OWS who are facing stagnant wages,big huge wealth disparity,no health insurance before Obama.Now they will get mortgage relief and their kids will get student loans relief even without the republicans in congress.

Be fair and ask your republican representative if they would support reducing the monthly payments for your kids student loans and stretch out the balance over time without including a huge profit for the big banks.What do you think their answer would be?

I bet you to a man and woman their opposition to the president's plan would be 100% because it's Obama,notwithstanding the kids are hurting and cannot afford the huge monthly payments.And do you think they will empathize or even sympathize with your kids...no the first thing out of their mouths would be "he is bypassing congress" well guess what he should because your do nothing party of HELL NO will still vote against it even if their kids would benefit from it.And it is not race?...HELL YES it's race.

Sure they would pass it just like the jobs bills and all the judicial and other nominees they so expeditiously processed the past 3 years.

[2012TP]

05:39 PM on 10/26/2011

Ok let’s start failed with his first jobs bill (remember shovel ready jobs) costing the tax payers nearly a trillion dollars, invest half a billion dollars of tax payer money into a company the was supposed to produce "green" energy just to have them go belly up, how about the lies on transparency (remember the back room dealings during HC), how about forcing a bill onto people that exploit the healthy to reward a small portion of the population (that was unwanted by the majority of the American citizens), how about the lying over closing GITMO, how about wanting to give terrorist a civilian trial, how about selectively denying certain Americans their right to Due Process, how about getting us into another Middle-Eastern civil war without permission from Congress, how about the idea of working across the aisle (as long as the Republicans sit in the back of the bus), or how the invading of a sovereign nation just to kill an unarmed man or how about continuing the outrageous spending that he said he would reign in. There you go a few good reason to send him to the Unemployment Line (oh yeah how about the UE rate not getting above 8% in 2009).

[Androusse]

05:44 PM on 10/26/2011

All I see is a wall of vapid talking points, try something more substantial.

[JackRuby10]

06:41 PM on 10/26/2011

Maybe you should be on Leno

[MikePalma]

05:03 PM on 10/26/2011

Shoot, I missed the pres on Jay Leno. I had WORK the next day. Damn responsibilities. I wonder if they talked about job creation, getting the economy back on track, not using troop withdrawal as a re-election platform, reneggin on over half his initial campaign promises, or anything that really matters. Can't wait for 2012.

[Wandaz]

05:20 PM on 10/26/2011

Do you work under a rock?

[2012TP]

07:03 PM on 10/26/2011

No the poster said they had to work, unlike many of Obama's supporters.

[Southrnbelle]

05:01 PM on 10/26/2011

Mr. Cool!

My Man!

[amaboss52]

04:29 PM on 10/26/2011

I truly love that sexy man!

[nicko68]

03:45 PM on 10/26/2011

They'd definitely want to keep an eye out for the Trick and Treaters, who hit a lot of houses and have full bags. This way they can take from them and give to the ones too lazy to go out and get the candy,for themselves.

[JackRuby10]

04:24 PM on 10/26/2011

Well giving the lazy ones treats sounds a little better to me then the G.O.P's tradition on giving it all back to Willy Wonka

[2012TP]

06:24 PM on 10/26/2011

But the lazy deserve nothing. If you want something then work hard or smart but at least work for it and don’t expect others just to give you something as you did nothing to be rewarded for.

[Wandaz]

05:24 PM on 10/26/2011

The rich should be revered...the poor are lazy...the job creators need more money...blah...blah...blah! Got anything else in your bag of tricks? Apples with razor blades perhaps?

[2012TP]

06:26 PM on 10/26/2011

Never said the poor was lazy, but most of the lazy are poor and live off of Government handouts that the hard working citizens have to pay. .

[nicko68]

03:39 PM on 10/26/2011

Already got egg on its face!

[amaboss52]

03:44 PM on 10/26/2011

It's? Really sad for you baggers, don't have a decent rep in any state, poor things! Guess you must be seing your parties relevency fly out the window, huh?

[nicko68]

03:51 PM on 10/26/2011

Not an Organizer in the bunch!

[Lynne Fazio]

03:52 PM on 10/26/2011

Who exactly do you mean by "its"?

[nicko68]

03:54 PM on 10/26/2011

The WH

[itzfatcat]

03:04 PM on 10/26/2011

Oh yes, our socialist president looking for votes.

[whoringthings]

03:32 PM on 10/26/2011

You want cheese with that whine?

[Southrnbelle]

05:02 PM on 10/26/2011

HA!

[Skate Free]

06:02 PM on 10/26/2011

Whoring:
I think an OWS protester left your cheese on a cop car....

[amaboss52]

04:27 PM on 10/26/2011

You need to take "thinker" out of your micro, it'll make more sense.

[Southrnbelle]

05:02 PM on 10/26/2011

F&F!

[Wandaz]

05:27 PM on 10/26/2011

More like small thinker...fits to a "tea."

[gussom]

02:47 PM on 10/26/2011

The best bit of theatre was when he took down Trump on the same weekend that the Navy SEALS were taking OBL down.

He was awesome, and Trumps face was a picture.

[amaboss52]

03:45 PM on 10/26/2011

I replay that clip every now and again just to cheer me up!

[TORAHTID]

04:02 PM on 10/26/2011

Ditto. ;-)

[Southrnbelle]

05:06 PM on 10/26/2011

The BEST!!!!

[imusintheevening]

01:51 PM on 10/26/2011

Well, Obama just sowed up the trick or treater vote!

[2012TP]

02:23 PM on 10/26/2011

So the only votes he has sowed up is the vote from people running around wanting stuff from others while offering them nothing in return, sounds like the majority of his base in 08. Redistribute the wealth, I mean candy.

[imusintheevening]

02:29 PM on 10/26/2011

take the koch out of your mouth, I can't understand you...........

[teabagmetos]

02:35 PM on 10/26/2011

You mean all the Wall street investors and stockholders who want to give workers another cut in pay so they can go out and play more golf?

[ruthtruth]

01:49 PM on 10/26/2011

Just another example of what a President looks like. No singing, no cowboy antics , no ken doll and with all that has been thrown at him he still he has a great sense of humor. Know wonder why Mitch, Eric, John and the rest of the TP/GOP bunch hate him so much. He just rolls with the punches and tries to do his job and help the American people. Allright TP/GOPers ready , set, go...Let the bashing begin.

[Southrnbelle]

05:07 PM on 10/26/2011

He's Mr. Cool!

[nfischet]

07:02 PM on 10/26/2011

oh yeah,he has had plenty of time to pull his "joke" on America.....are the 9.2% laughing??