Susan Walsh/AP Photo

President Obama said today that he’s not paying attention to the Republican presidential debates, joking that he is “going to wait until everybody’s voted off the island.”

“Once they narrow it down to one of two, I’ll start paying attention,” the president said of his Republican rivals in an interview with Jay Leno, set to air Tuesday on NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

Obama taped the interview, his fourth appearance on the show, this morning in Los Angeles, Calif., where the president attended campaign events on Monday. The president is also fundraising in San Francisco, Denver and Las Vegas during his West Coast swing.

Obama covered a range of topics during his sit-down with Leno, including the end of the war in Iraq and the president’s waning approval ratings.

When asked about the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Obama said it “sends a strong message” to other dictators around the world.

“This is somebody who for 40 years had terrorized his country and supported terrorism. He had an opportunity during the Arab Spring to finally let loose of his grip on power and to peacefully transition to democracy. We gave him ample opportunity and he wouldn’t do it,” he said.

“Obviously you never like to see anybody come to the kind of end that he did, but I think it obviously sends a strong message around the world to dictators that people want to be free,” Obama said.