60 Minutes: Barack and Michelle Obama, November 16

I am so glad that Barack and Michelle Obama decided to do their first interview since the election with Steve Kroft of CBS.

Yes, Kroft was fawning and he seemed to be emotional and got a little teary at times. Yes, it was a puff piece. That's to be expected. I suspect that things will be puffy for a long, long time. Still, tonight's interview on 60 Minutes could have been worse.

Can you imagine what it would have been like if Chris Matthews of MSNBC had been the first to interview the First Couple-Elect?

I don't want to think about it.

Transcript excerpt

Steve Kroft: When was the first moment that it began to sink in that you were President of the United States? Do you remember?

Mr. Obama: Well, I'm not sure it's sunk in yet.

Michelle Obama: I guess I'm sort of like him. I'm not sure if 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 are the 44th President of the United States of America. Wow. What a country we live in.'

Mr. Obama: How about that?

Michelle Obama: Yeah.

Mr. Obama: Yeah. Yeah. And then she said 'Are you gonna take the girls to school in the morning?'

Michelle Obama: I did not. I didn't say that.

Mr. Obama: It wasn't at that moment.

Kroft: You made the address in Grant Park. And you brought the kids out. And, at some point you whispered something. Can you remember that?

Michelle Obama: I said, 'Wow, Look at this.'

Mr. Obama: How 'bout that?

I suspect that now Michelle is really proud of her country.
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Barack Obama and Michelle Obama: 60 Minutes, February 11, 2007