It is always a good thing when a president does an interview with a media outlet other than the ones he faces every day. When things start to go badly, he gets peeved, and the daily interactions with the White House Press corps can feel both touchy and testy for everyone.
Sitting down with the wise women of The View is good politics, and it comes at a time when President Obama could benefit from being seen as a tad more down to earth. That's why I was surprised to hear him complain about all the “thorns.” He reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit spoofing George W. Bush where the satirical president leaned on the podium and shook his head and concluded that being president was “hard work.”
Obama eventually got around to saying that the American people are worse off than him (I mean, have you seen the inside of Air Force One?), but not before he left the distinct impression that he was slightly irritated by all the complicated challenges he faces. Those challenges were abundantly clear during the campaign.
• More Daily Beast Reaction to Obama on The View and Video There's someone Obama can watch and learn from when it comes to embracing the good and the bad parts of his new job: Vice President Biden. Every time I see him, I like him a teeny bit more. He looks like he is having the time of his life. I bet, if he had it his way, every interview would run an hour long. He seems to like answering questions. He is quick to smile and crack a joke, he never looks annoyed. Obama should watch and learn.
Nicolle Wallace, author of the upcoming novel Eighteen Acres, served as a senior adviser to the McCain-Palin campaign from May to November 2008. She served President George W. Bush as an assistant to the president and director of communications for the White House, as well as communications director for President Bush's 2004 campaign.
