Bill O’Reilly and Barack Obama sat down for a wide-ranging interview ahead of Super Bowl XLV, talking everything from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to his knowledge of football and thoughts on the game. The interview was more tame than expected, though O’Reilly spent much of the time talking over Obama.
Barack Obama, Bill O’Reilly Talk Egypt, Health Care And Football In Super Bowl Interview
O’Reilly started with the news of the moment: the Egyptian protests. Obama said the United States is powerless in the situation, and cannot dictate a change in leadership.
“The Egyptian people want freedom, freedom of elections they want a responsive government,” Obama said. “Trying to supress your own people is something that is not sustainable. When you resort to supression and resort to violence, it does not work.”
Health care was another big topic, with Obama expressing disappointment that his health care plan is still stalled, with court challenges threatening two years of work. Obama felt a majority of American people supported his plan and was adamant that the country would not go back to a day when a person with a pre-existing condition couldn’t get health care.
Obama spoke of life as the President, joking the worst part of the job is having to wear a suit and tie on Super Bowl Sunday. On a serious note, he said it’s living in “the bubble,” the protective layer the president has to maintain while in office. Going to the corner store or carrying on a conversation with everyday people is impossible, he said, and has taken time to adjust to.
Being the president has also taken a toll on his person life, Obama said while pointing to his gray hair. He has to be more cautious of his words and comes off more guarded now, both in public settings and when surrounded by friends.
Finally, the conversation moved on to the Super Bowl. When pressed on predicting a winner, though, Obama hedged, asking for a good game and nothing more.
Spoken like a Bears fan right down to the very end.
For more on the events leading up to the game, check out our Super Bowl pregame StoryStream.
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