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Obama Doesn't Mind Burning Midnight Oil
In Interview, President Says He's Up Late Most Nights, But That Family Life Has Been "Terrific"
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2009
(AP) President Barack Obama says he's a night owl.
Mr. Obama tells C-SPAN in an interview airing Saturday that after he's had dinner with his family and tucked his daughters into bed, he typically stays up until midnight going through a big stack of material he's taken into the White House residence.
He said he sometimes pushes the big stack aside to do some writing and focus on some of the issues "that are coming down the pike" - rather than immediate issues.
He said one example is a comprehensive plan to deal with national cybersecurity. Mr. Obama says that if he doesn't build in what he calls "some thought time," then these kind of issues can keep getting pushed aside by "the constant churning of events."
Despite the late nights, Mr. Obama said being in the White House has been "terrific" for family life - at least compared with the campaign, when the family was not often in the same place at the same time.
The president boasted that he has "this pretty nice home office" and is home for dinner just about every night he's in Washington.
He said he can read to his two daughters and they can tell him about their day. He's also seen some of their soccer games.
The president said his family thinks of itself as being like any other family. In his words, "We've got some issues like every other family has that they have to work through."
But in general, Mr. Obama said the first family doesn't feel a lot of stress.
Obama Doesn't Mind Burning Midnight Oil
In Interview, President Says He's Up Late Most Nights, But That Family Life Has Been "Terrific"
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2009
(AP) President Barack Obama says he's a night owl.
Mr. Obama tells C-SPAN in an interview airing Saturday that after he's had dinner with his family and tucked his daughters into bed, he typically stays up until midnight going through a big stack of material he's taken into the White House residence.
He said he sometimes pushes the big stack aside to do some writing and focus on some of the issues "that are coming down the pike" - rather than immediate issues.
He said one example is a comprehensive plan to deal with national cybersecurity. Mr. Obama says that if he doesn't build in what he calls "some thought time," then these kind of issues can keep getting pushed aside by "the constant churning of events."
Despite the late nights, Mr. Obama said being in the White House has been "terrific" for family life - at least compared with the campaign, when the family was not often in the same place at the same time.
The president boasted that he has "this pretty nice home office" and is home for dinner just about every night he's in Washington.
He said he can read to his two daughters and they can tell him about their day. He's also seen some of their soccer games.
The president said his family thinks of itself as being like any other family. In his words, "We've got some issues like every other family has that they have to work through."
But in general, Mr. Obama said the first family doesn't feel a lot of stress.
