THE TIM RUSSERT INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT OBAMA August 15, 2010 Part I

Thank you Mr. President for agreeing to meet with me. It’s a great honor for me.

I think you know that I’ve been watching the first two years of your presidency with much interest from afar. Even though I am in a strange way out of my earthly body, I felt compelled to offer you this opportunity to sit down with me, since no other reporter to date has done so.

1. We’re now well into the fifth month of the BP Gulf Oil Spill. Even though relief wells are functioning, and surface ships are collecting much more oil than they did weeks ago, the leak persists. Thousands of barrels continue to spew into the Gulf waters with no clear indication that the well will be capped before the end of the year, if then. Can you give the public a reasonable date when the leak will be stopped?

2. I won’t go into the discussion about whether or not more on the federal level could have been done to reduce the spill itself or its effect on the environment, I will ask why to this day, the Jones Act was not suspended to allow foreign relief efforts?

3. The public perception is that your administration and you personally have benefited from political contributions from BP, I base this on the fact that you have received more campaign donations from BP than any other political figure in this country, and we now know that BP has lobbied aggressively for your Cap & Trade agenda. Mr. President is there anything you can say to dispel the appearance that a conflict of interest exists?

4. Your justice dept has asked the courts to reinstate the ban on deep water drilling despite the fact that there has been no clear evidence that other drilling sites are at risk. In fact, there is considerable evidence that the US Coast Guard actually precipitated the break in the well head, when it improperly poured water on the fire for a prolonged period of time, sinking the drill ship platform, which in turn caused the damage leading to the leak. Why penalize other oil companies, who have had relatively good safety records when BP has had a record of safety and drilling violations? If you must ban, why not ban BP’s off shore drilling until a full investigation of the current gulf leak is completed.

1. As you know it’s been written that many Americans believe that you do not share their common American values because you did not experience an American education during those early years of life. You were in fact, in Indonesia. Adding to the concern is the fact that you’ve not released any of your school transcripts from Kindergarten to Graduate School or examples of your school work. Americans love to learn about the background of their presidents, especially if they can identify with it. Why have you not allowed the public to learn more about your educational background and your story?

2. What memories do you have of your years at Columbia University? Have you kept in contact with any classmates?

3. Can you share some childhood experiences with us? For example, did you play little league? Trick or Treat on a Halloween? Can you tell us about some of your favorite classes in school and maybe the name of your favorite teachers? Have you attended any reunions?

1. You say that you are for job creation and that you promote American Capitalism, but Mr. President, the fact remains that virtually every single one of your economic advisors and cabinet members are against lowering taxes for businesses, and in fact one can say that in their writings and words they are for bigger government and higher taxes. Will you extend the Bush tax cuts at the end of this year? Will you be advocating any new taxes in the future, for example a VAT tax or tax on personal wealth?

2. There are many examples of economic prosperity occurring when it follows the lowering of corporate taxes, Ireland and Singapore for example. Our taxes in the United States are still among the highest in the world, in addition to the hidden taxes that we put on our products produced here from regulation. Why not lower corporate taxes?

3. Unemployment is now over 10%, among young people it’s over 20%, which is higher than it’s ever been. The vast majority of jobs from the stimulus bill have gone to the public sectors where many of those have been for temporary jobs such as census takers. Much of the money did not go into new job creation, but actually to KEEP jobs in the public sector. You now want more money for more government jobs. How do you plan to create more jobs in the private sector?

4. How do we reduce our national debt that in a few years will represent over 80% of our annual GNP? Do you raise taxes? Do you reduce spending,? How?

1. As a senator Mr. President, you spoke and voted against the Iraq war, and pointed to the Afghan war as the “good” war. A number of polls say that the Afghan War is your war. The war is not going well with US and allied casualties mounting to record levels again this month. How do we win this war? When can we say we’ve succeeded?

2. Regardless of the situation on the ground, are we pulling out of Afghanistan next Summer?

1. Your Supreme Court nominee was asked if she agrees with our Declaration of Independence stating that all people are provided with certain inalienable rights--liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness. That freedom is inherent in all of us. She had trouble agreeing with this. Do you agree with this premise?

1. You’ve been criticized for being to cozy with our enemies and too strict with our friends. Israel for example, you chose not to side with her stopping the Turkish Flotilla in the UN security council. Can Israel count on our support if her neighbors attack her?

1. Clearly sanctions against Iran have done nothing to halt her advance towards acquiring nuclear weapons. Will you allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons? Is there a military option on the table?

There is a perception among many Americans that you do not find our country and its people to be exceptional. Apart from your habit of respectfully bowing to various foreign dignitaries, in your comments you speak of America’s deficiencies to them. For example, you told the president of Kazakhstan that we’re still “working on perfecting our own democracy,” and that we’ve “lost our way morally since 9/11.” Is there anything exceptional, in your mind, about America and its people?

RIP Tony Snow and Big Tim. They are the only two people that have the weight to ask such things.

Chris Wallace was on point in his one interview and you saw the High Pitched whine afterwards

2 posted on 07/09/2010 8:01:51 AM PDT by downwdims (It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority)

I wish Britt Hume hosted Fox News Sunday. Chris Wallace is sleazy and smirky. He doesn’t get the job done and I suspect it is because he is pretty much a clone of his father, politics-wise.

Tim Russert was an overrated DIM hack and phony Catholic to boot.

4 posted on 07/09/2010 8:17:20 AM PDT by frogjerk (I believe in unicorns, fairies and pro-life Democrats.)

Knowing what the Democrat party had become is what killed Russert.

Do you speak any foreign languages?
No, I’m not that smart but I can pronounce Pakistan better than all you rednecks.

7 posted on 07/09/2010 8:24:12 AM PDT by downwdims (It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority)

Wallace did a decent job in his one interview with the “messiah”, Hume would have been like, are you serious?

8 posted on 07/09/2010 8:25:55 AM PDT by downwdims (It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority)

OMG!! Tim Russert had TWO PERSONAS!! He was as RABID a DEMOCRAT as Spittin’ Chrissy when he was on MSNBC!!!!! He was DISGUSTING!

9 posted on 07/09/2010 8:44:05 AM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion................The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)

I find O’Reilly to be incredibly always un-prepared. AN inteview with Obama would be a waste.

No one to date has sat down with him, and been more than lobbing the grapefruit size softball questions which he probably demands having in advance.

Russert would have been very very thorough with Obama were he alive today.

Who else is out there?

Ted Baxter ain’t serious.

Wallace tried to focus the one one answers and he was derided for being disrespectful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vYLXZEVsz0

11 posted on 07/09/2010 8:55:49 AM PDT by downwdims (It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority)

12 posted on 07/09/2010 8:58:34 AM PDT by downwdims (It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority)

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