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President Obama gives himself a B-plus grade
AP





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54 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama, in an interview that aired Sunday, gave himself "a good solid B-plus" grade for his first year in office.

Speaking with fellow Chicagoan Oprah Winfrey, the president claimed progress on economic and international fronts.

Obama said the only thing that stands in the way of giving himself a better grade is the fact that some elements of his agenda — health care reform and putting more Americans to work — remain undone.

"The biggest burden on me right now is that economic growth has happened, but job growth has not happened," Obama told Winfrey on the ABC special.

On the plus side, Obama said, "We are on our way out of Iraq." And, he added, "I think we've got the best possible plan for Afghanistan."

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President Obama's Revealing Interviews
by Mike Krumboltz

9 hours ago


President Obama got a lot of face time on TV this weekend. First on "60 Minutes," and then in a heavily hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey at the White House. During the two appearances, the commander in chief touched on a lot of different topics, some serious, some light. Below, we tracked down six of the most revealing and buzzy moments...

His hardest decision...
One can safely assume that the President makes dozens of gut-wrenching decisions every day. After all, that's the job. During his interview on "60 Minutes," Mr. Obama was asked which call was the toughest. His answer, not surprisingly, was increasing the number of troops fighting in Afghanistan. Responding to a comment that some folks found that his speech announcing the troop increase "lacked emotion," the President said that the speech was actually his most emotional, "because I was looking out over a group of cadets, some of whom were going to be deployed in Afghanistan. And potentially some might not come back." Asked if it was his most difficult decision, the President responded, "Absolutely."

Grading himself
Every student dreams of overruling the teachers, and giving him or herself a grade they think is fair. You know, like an A+. When asked by Oprah for his self-report card, the president resisted the urge, instead giving himself "a good solid B-plus." In his favor, the President explained that we "we have inherited the biggest set of challenges of any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We stabilized the economy... We are on our way out of Iraq. I think we've got the best possible plan for Afghanistan. We have reset our image around the world." Sounds good, so why not a higher grade? Once health care reform is passed, "he'll bump himself up to an A-."

OMG, it's Bo the dog!
You knew this was going to be huge in the Buzz. A freshly groomed Bo Obama trotted down the White House hallway to greet Oprah, and even put on a few tricks for his visitor. Folks watching the special learned that young Bo can sit on cue. He even showed some spunk by high-fiving Ms. Winfrey. What, no fist bump? Ms. Winfrey was clearly impressed and even asked the First Lady if Bo could "use a buddy" around the White House. Mrs. Obama quickly put the kibosh on that idea. One puppy is apparently enough, even in a mansion.

Is he angry?
With most powerful people, it can be pretty obvious when they're angry. (Try screwing up Naomi Campbell's dinner order and watch what happens.) But with the President, things are a bit different. Rather than losing his temper in the traditional sense, Mr. Obama said that he talks just a bit crisper and clearer to whoever is in his crosshairs. The President even volunteered an example to Oprah — when three economic advisors came in to see him about the same issue for the third time, the boss conceded he was mighty curt.

What they miss?
Living in the White House comes with amazing perks that make the daily grind a little easier, but the Obamas admitted that they do miss a few things about their old lives. Among them: Going to dinner without a bunch of photographers snapping shots, taking bike rides around the lake, and, in Mrs. Obama's words, "going to the Gap." Take that, J. Crew! The president misses not having to shave every day and being able to throw on his old jeans without causing a huge stir, as he did earlier this year with his "mom jeans." Fortunately, there are plenty of things about the White House the Obamas do treasure. Malia and Sasha love spending time with Bo, they really dig the movie theater, going to Camp David, and having friends over for sleepovers.

No more party crashers
The Obamas host sleepovers for their daughters' friends, but in the "60 Minutes" interview, Mr. Obama was clear that there would be no more uninvited party crashers at the White House. The President called the incident, in which an uninvited couple managed to attend an official dinner at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a "screw up," and he's unhappy with those were involved with it. When asked, the President confirmed that he was "seriously angry" about the security breach and that it won't happen again.

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