Exclusive – Obama to ABC News: ‘I Second-Guess Constantly’
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Pete Souza / The White House
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Obama today acknowledged that he has made mistakes during his presidency but defended the steps his administration has taken to create jobs and improve the economy.
“I second-guess constantly… I make a mistake, you know, every hour, every day,” he told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, laughing. “There’re always things that you’re learning in the job. And I have no doubt that I’m a better president now than the day I took office just because you get more experience. But when you look at the broad outlines of what we did, had it not been for the steps we took our economy would be profoundly weaker than we are right now.”
The president was responding to a question by a Yahoo user asking him if there’s something he learned about himself and wished he had done in the first three years.
Obama, who is in Las Vegas today promoting his energy agenda, didn’t give specific examples. Instead, he cited the auto bailout and the Recovery Act as examples of his administration’s successes. Addressing criticism that the economy hasn’t grown very quickly in the last three years, Obama said he laid out the foundations that will position the country to continue growing.
“The auto industry, which has now created 160,000 jobs, and sees GM as the number one automaker in the world again, that didn’t just happen by accident,” he said. “We had a little something to do with it, to help that industry restructure and save about a million jobs, that would’ve had ripple effects all across the country. The Recovery Act – what, you know, Republicans referred to as the stimulus package, well, most economists — almost every economist — will tell you that had we not put that in place we could’ve tipped into a great depression.
“So I think when the body politic goes through a trauma as great as the one that we went through in 2008, 2009, then everybody I think is gonna be frustrated that we don’t recover.”
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Obama has been a total and dismal failure, as President. The State of the Union was riddled with lies, deceit, and hypocrisy!
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 26, 2012, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
24*7*365*3 = 183,960 mistakes
Posted by: Jen06 | January 26, 2012, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
Most of his foreign and domestic policies have been successful, and his pragmatism and sense of fairness have been critical in restoring our credibility worldwide and preventing the collapse of the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, he lacks the most important attribute for a President: the ability to connect with the people, inspire confidence and elicit respect. He deserves to be re-elected, and we as a nation should stay the course, but his personal flaws make what should have been a clear cut victory in November a toss up. At this point the outcome of the upcoming election has more to do with what the Republicans do than what President Obama does or says.
Posted by: DominickSr | January 26, 2012, 7:51 pm 7:51 pm
I don’t see the Repubs putting up a viable candidate. They are all pretty dismal in one way or another. Huntsman was probably the most qualified. The others are more concerned with flouting their ‘Christian’ credentials than anything else. So, unless there is some drastic change in the Repub lineup, I just gotta go with Obama. Funny thing is, he is very close to GWB in a lot of his actions, a result of the reality that hits you when you become Prezzie!
Posted by: Mad Dog | January 26, 2012, 8:59 pm 8:59 pm
Another starry eyed reporter with softball questions to the worst president we ever had. Goodbye B O.You’ve done enough damage already.
Posted by: Chris | January 26, 2012, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
I love everything about Obama, even if he was the worst President ever, and became even Satan Himself, I would honor Rev.Martin Luther King and all who followed King, by saying thank you God for making Obama the President. I wanted Gen.Colin Powell but I hate war and I think Powell turned down the calling for kind of the same reason. America needs people like Mother Theresa as our leader, not war Generals, not Lawyers (that includes Obama of course), not solely rich and elite members (I would still include them, but doing so with balance, since they’re American citizens and everybody brings something to the table regardless their own personal level of righteousness or evil. Yes even adulterers and those with skeletons in their closets are still capable of being good politicians but yes personal life issues does affect other areas and so should be taken into considering but not to an extreme or witch hunts and total exclusion). The bottom line is that everybody is playing politics even the average ordinary American citizens who consider themselves the main voice unheard of America. They’re just as much a politician as the people in America’s capital. They choose sides and candidates according to party, not relevance. They choose sides due to their anger and hatred and racism and religion. I’ve seen horrible things coming from the American people and wonder who is more evil, their politicians, or the people who elected those politicians? Be grateful that one of King’s dreams came true, and sorrow not for the man walking past you carrying his own cross wearing a crown of thorns and a robe drenched purple with blood. No, do like he said on his way to Golgotha, mourn for yourselves for what is coming due to your votes and what you’ve done to your own nation.
Posted by: Ben Arnold | January 26, 2012, 9:25 pm 9:25 pm
The auto industry would not have needed saving to begin with if it weren’t for the government supported unions making them uncompetive and bringing them down. The government takes tax money making the citizens of this country pay the unfair, extremely high wages, benfits and retirement packages and then takes credit for fixing it. The same people creating the problems are ‘fixing’ them, but only by making the problem worse, kicking the can down the road that has a dead end now. When GM had dignity, they were self supporting. Now they are Fascist/government owned by the government. This is the worst kind of failure, a Hitler/Mussolini type failure complete with jounalistic propanganda.
Posted by: William M Doty | January 26, 2012, 9:35 pm 9:35 pm
that interview was the most softballed bootlicking interview i have seen by left winger diane sawyer….
Posted by: was that | January 26, 2012, 9:43 pm 9:43 pm
I truly believe he believes this is all true. That’s the scary part.
Posted by: newcountryman | January 26, 2012, 10:40 pm 10:40 pm
He is a communist. I guess what we see clearly now is the political ilk of the Black Power Communist, where everything that white America has achieved in the form of the United States and the US Constitution is by definition bad because of its association with white people, and that all things Spike Lee, Louis Farrakhan, and Al Sharpton are good because of its association with black people. Redistribution is a central tenet and high taxation for successful people, and an unyielding and unreasonable defense of all things of the Obama administration. This is not a racist comment; it simply is an observation of Political Constituencies Model. With 4 more years of Obama, then the concept of individual freedoms, guarded by the US Constitution, will be a fading mememory.
Posted by: logicnothuff | January 26, 2012, 11:59 pm 11:59 pm
In all my 52 years, I have never seen a President that is so dillusional from the “State of the Union” speech to his interviews that is 180 degrees opposite to the REALITY that is really happening in the U.S.!
LOWEST TAXES?????……Is he on CRACK?????
Posted by: GAAREDSTATE | January 27, 2012, 12:05 am 12:05 am
Saving the auto industry is the same as saving the oil industry. GM is rolling combustible vehicles off the line by a rate never seen before! How long do you predict before gas engines will be replaced with clean energy fueled cars? Every car that rolled off the line today will spew another 20 or 30 years of emissions up in the atmosphere.This is a contradiction in direction. Doesn’t anyone care about the toxic factor and what it’s doing to us? I myself couldn’t care less about the human damage we deserve it. But the innocent creatures of the world don’t have a chance without a clean world environment,and we are to blame. I wonder how humans would look to other intelligent life in other universes? I’m not very intelligent but even to me this world looks full of human arrogance and fools.
Posted by: Barbara | January 27, 2012, 12:48 am 12:48 am
This interview makes me even sadder that Hillary wasn’t elected in 2008. Obama admits that he second guesses himself and has had to learn on the job. But coming out of the multiple Bush era crises, more than ever, we needed a tough, savvy leader like Hillary who already knew the ropes and had showed a mastery of them, as well as significant bi-partisan success. Another lost opportunity for the Dems – wasted on a good man who was in over his head during a time of national peril. Like Carter, Obama will be a superb ex-president.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | January 27, 2012, 1:19 am 1:19 am
I thank my lucky stars for President Obama. This country would be doomed if McCain/Palin had gotten in. And just look at the pathetic bunch of cheats, nitwits, liars and rich creeps making up the current Republican “candidates.” None of them deserve to be county commissioner let alone in national politics. Their proposals are not just unworkable, but unfair, unconstitutional, bigoted and outmoded.
Posted by: Tamara | January 27, 2012, 3:34 am 3:34 am
Yeah, we noticed.
Posted by: George | January 27, 2012, 7:58 am 7:58 am
GM number one auto maker in the world.. Yes, but notice ALL the problems that Japanese automakers have had the past 2 years, earthquakes, runaway toyotas (that seemed like a “contrived” problem).. Japan will will rising again this year.
Posted by: MaryK | January 27, 2012, 8:00 am 8:00 am
hopesprings52, According to Ron Paul the Constitution rules the law of the land. Sorry to hear you and so many Democrats feel differently. Obama has raised the national debt by FOUR TRILLION in three years and he continues to blame it on the Republicans. That is more debt, in fact almost 50% more than ALL presidents COMBINED have accumulated in almosgt 250 years. Yeah, he’s real great president, inept is more the word and GLAD TO HEAR YOU’RE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.
Posted by: Nancy | January 27, 2012, 8:05 am 8:05 am
Funny how Obama parrots the same dishonest talking point:
“Going back to the policies that got us into this mess.”
Funny because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack got us into this mess. Obama received the 3rd highest donations from F&F lobbyists (UNHEARD of for a FRESHMAN Senator).
For that payoff, he protected the FAILING GSEs time and time again against the Bush Administrations attempts (17 in all) to rein them in before they “hurt the economy”.
Then as president, Obama keeps giving Billions and Billions to Fannie and Freddie, without correcting the problem that got us into this mess.
So if anyone wants to go back to the policies that got us into this mess, IT IS OBAMA: THE HYPOCRITE IN CHIEF.
Posted by: CFlyJuice | January 27, 2012, 8:28 am 8:28 am
He 2nd guesses himself all the time….now that’s a statement that speaks volumes about his ineptitude and his knowing he is in over his head. Please just go now, the damage is done, the US will recover in time, but certainly not in the hands of someone as inexperienced, weak minded and arrogant as you.
Posted by: independentthinker | January 27, 2012, 8:54 am 8:54 am
What a joke Diane, shame on you that you sat there with the President and spoke about a ringtone? Your questions were elementary at best, and I could have given the vague and deflecting any real substance. Unfortunately, you are beyond your time as a reporter and the President is clearly ill-suite to do his job.
Posted by: Jackie | January 27, 2012, 9:19 am 9:19 am
I wonder who called who to set up this little get together?
Posted by: newcountryman | January 27, 2012, 9:58 am 9:58 am
The interview was totally filled with softball questions and subjects. Who cares about Michelle, the kids , his singing. I was very disappointed tha t a pro like Ms. Sawyer would be associated with such fluff. This was nothing but alittle feature story on Obama and America is so over these little tete-a tetes with this horrible pres who has ZERO leadership qualities.
Posted by: Dan Dolan | January 27, 2012, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm