by It’s hard to believe that Obama didn’t have something more important to do yesterday, but, nevertheless, he took the time to sit for a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago. After 25 years on the air, Oprah will be taking her final bow on May 25th. The taped interview with President Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, was the first in 25 years that Oprah has had with a sitting president and first lady.
Obama and Oprah
President Obama and Oprah Winfrey go back quite a ways, with their relationship dating back to the Obama days in Chicago. During the 2008 presidential campaign, she lent her clout and credibility to his campaign, which was the first-ever political endorsement that she gave. She raised money for him, and even joined him at campaign rallies.As White House spokesman Jay Carney explained, “Her show is coming to a conclusion of a terrific run. Obama “considers Oprah a friend and he looks forward to being on the show.”
Addressing the Birther Debate
Obama addressed the “birther” debate on the show, just hours after disclosing his official birth certificate to the public. As Obama explained to Oprah, “I said to my team, look, even though this is not usually what the state of Hawaii does…even though the Republican governor of Hawaii, the Democratic governors of Hawaii, all the various officials had confirmed that I was born here, let’s ask them for a special dispensation where they will go ahead and provide us with the original to see if we can put this to rest.”After the taping, Obama continued to New York for his first fundraising event in the city since announcing his re-election plans this month. He had three Democratic Party fundraisers planned for the day.
