The husband and wife were warm and relaxed. They answered the interviewer's questions with good humor. They didn't seem anxious about the momentous change in their lives.
The couple happened to be the president-elect of the United States and the soon to be first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama.
The interviewer was Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes.
How has their life changed? “Well,” said Barack Obama, “I tell you what, there seem to be more people hovering around me.
That's for sure and, on the other hand, I'm sleeping in my own bed over the last 10 days, which is quite a treat…”
The interview was low key, homey. If this preview is any indication, we can expect that this will not be an imperial presidency.
We've heard a lot in recent years about the “core values” of America being in danger. For Obama and his wife, the welfare of their two little girls seems to be a permanent top priority. And, even as Obama deals with appointing a cabinet and other top officials who will help him govern, the education of the children and the procurement of a puppy for the kids to share their childhood with is important.
Obama didn't shirk questions about the country's future, though he gave very unspecific answers about some.
For instance, when Kroft asked: “Will there be Republicans in the cabinet?” Obama replied: “Yes.” And when the questioner followed up: “more than one?” Obama retorted: “You're not getting more out of me.”
Though he was short on details, the man who will be inaugurated as our 44th President on January 20th, 2009 spelled out some definite goals.
He said he wanted to “restore a sense of balance” to the regulation of financial markets.
He wanted to set up “negotiations between banks and borrowers so that people can stay in their homes.” He said for the auto industry to collapse would be a “disaster” -- and that we need to provide assistance to the industry but not “a blank check.”
He pointed out that we have a pattern of calling for action on the energy front when gas prices go up but, when they go down, we start “filling up our SUVs again.” Obama called it “an addiction.”
He was most specific about a few issues that he had spelled out in the campaign, including: getting Congress to pass an economic stimulus package to create jobs right after he takes office; closing the prison camp at Guantanamo and renouncing torture as an instrument of American policy.
He said a top priority would be to “stamp out al Qaeda once and for all. And I think capturing or killing bin Laden is a critical aspect of stamping out al Qaeda.”
There was a special chemistry between the soon to be first husband and the future first wife. It came out when Obama was asked: “when was the moment when it sunk in that you were president of the United States?” He replied: “Well, I'm not sure it's sunk in yet.”
Michelle Obama said: “I guess I'm sort of like him. I'm not sure it has really sunk in. But I remember, we were watching the returns and, on one of the stations, Barack's picture came up and it said: 'President-Elect Barack Obama.' And I looked at him and I said: ‘You're the 44th President of the United States of America. Wow. What a country we live in!' ”
And Obama rejoined: “How about that?”
Michelle Obama: “Yeah.”
Barack Obama: “Yeah. Yeah. And then she said: 'Are you going to take the girls to school in the morning?' ”
Michelle: “I did not. I didn't say that.”
They were playful with each other -- and affectionate.
It was the largest audience for 60 Minutes since 1999. Americans, anxious about the state of the economy and the world, wanted to see the new first couple. It was a special moment in history.
