Obama: I regret putting my daughters on TV

Presumptive nominee says he and his family ‘won’t be doing it again’

By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 1 hour, 17 minutes ago

Barack Obama said it was a mistake to allow his daughters to be interviewed extensively by “Access Hollywood,” and he will not allow it to happen again.

“I think that we got carried away in the moment,” the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday. “We were having a birthday party, and everybody was laughing. And suddenly this thing cropped up. I didn’t catch it quickly enough. I was surprised by the attention it received.”

The interview, which is being aired in four parts this week on “Access Hollywood,” took place last week in Butte, Mont. In it, Obama and his wife, Michelle, sit down with their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, to talk about family life and what it’s like to be the daughters of a presidential candidate.

The interview, conducted by Maria Menounos, prompted criticism of the candidate, who had said that he wanted to keep his family life private, but now seemed to be using his family to advance his candidacy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25600445/

My own impression with this interview was that it was anything but a mistake. It was just a nice moment with our next First family, and these girls are great.

edit -- I must be thinking of another interview, with a female interviewer, not Matt Lauer.

people are intrigued to see the Obamas

I can't remember when I was as favorably impressed with a politician's family and no small part of that is the perception that they're "keeping it real" ... without pretension and with enormous mutual respect and love. In every interaction between either parent and either daughter I see a respect for the other person - a whole, complete person above and beyond their role as 'parent' or 'child.' It's a very ephemeral but essential component of emotional maturity, imho, and sadly not common enough in parent-child relationships. When I see them laughing, they're laughing WITH each other and not AT each other. Making fun WITH and not fun OF seems natural for them.

That kind of relationship best thrives when not 'staged' ... not put on display. I don't blame Barack for letting his guard down but I also agree that it was probably a mistake. There's absolutely nothing worth compromising that emotionally healthy relationship even in the slightest. It's not that there'd be any intention to exploit ... but that public scrutiny is inherently inimical to that dynamic.

What about putting it on display compromises healthy relationships? How is public scrutiny that comes from interviews any different than public scrutiny that comes from mediawhores just making things up / blowing things out of proportion?

It's a kind of "Heisenberg effect" ... the very process of viewing and assessing has an impact on that being viewed. It's a risky business ... and I would agree with Obama's gut reaction.

but it seems like a good idea.

So many people don't like news news... but they like that kind of news... so... go why not where the voters are?

watches shows like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight religiously.

Sure bet that many more people saw the Obama family on the Access Hollywood interview than would on any hard "news" outlet. Obama has no reason to regret this. He should never have backed down with repuke shill Matt Lauer. It was actually a savvy political move.

Obama to say he regretted it?

*sigh*

Obama should have told him where to stuff it.

Dammit dammit dammit.

Beautiful family, wonderful girls (so precocious and darling), and it showed how loving and comfortable they are with each other.

Also as a note.....my pet dog seemed to be fascinated by the Obama children interview.

They are really hard up.

The Obama family is a class act and thats a fact

They seem refreshingly unencumbered by the the neuroses and psychoses that seem to plague political families ... as demonstrated so aptly from the weepy Santorum daughter to Jenna sticking out her tongue.

a giant. I have felt from early on in the bush/cheney mal-administration that they will be so extreme as to wake people up, what I didn't realize then is just how evil they are too. In the end we will be better off for all this illegality in the fact that we are seeing a new interest in our Constitution and its relevence, why it is and what it stands for. Something for a while now polls have been showing that the majority of Americans have not been paying attention. Those folks will be awake going into the future and with an informed populace democracy can and will flourish.

girls were wonderful. Even Access Hollywood had said it wasn't planned so I am going to believe both the Obama's and them on this. Of course he has two very cute, very well behaved kids that did a great job just being themselves. Kind of hard to paint the Obamas as monsters when the kids tell how mom and dad correct them when they are fighting with each other. Then throw in the lovey touchy cuddly stuff the parents do and the repukes are running scared. OMG not only is Obama a real human being but he has a loving family so the repukes must make the interview a bad thing and accuse daddy of using his girls as a prop. Guessing the McSames can't round up the kids and train them fast enough to do their own family interview.

You can't trust the media when it comes to children. And children are going to be children.

not regretting the interview so much as regretting setting a precedent.

"regret it" is code for "don't expect to see it again any time soon".

The fact that the girls are excited that win or lose they get a dog was so funny. I can see them jumping up and down in
private about it. "Dad if you win do we get to have a dog? All presidents have a dog! Can we get a dog dad!"

Such a great family.

nt

Assuming Obama does get elected, his children will need to be shielded from the press.

I feel sorry for the children of presidents, especially the young ones.

I'm glad Obama has come around on the issue; but even this one interview makes his job of protecting them from the press more difficult in the future. A bad precedent has been set.

are completely tuned out of politics or real news of any kind... but they do watch that stuff.

Smart move IMO. Very.

But not for a father.

I'm glad he's learned his lesson; but a bit surprised it was one he needed to be taught.

What lesson are you talking about?

not be doing it again. That's the lesson I'm talking about. A political mistake? I hardly think so. His daughters are quite charming and certainly did him no political harm.

But Obama is correct. His allowing the interview was a mistake. As a father he should have protected his very young children from the such exploitation. But, if anything, Obama is a fast learner and seems to be a very good father. From what he has said, I doubt this will be happening again.

While I personally LOVE seeing them and celebrating their very being ... I cringe at the idea that the inherently dysfunctional public spotlight is aimed at them.

That would kill the candidacy of a Republican candidate.

Especially if your name is McCain and you're running for President in South Carolina in 2000.

:evilgrin:

Thanks for the chuckle. Great bit.
GAC

I remember what the media did to Chelsea and Amy.
Anyone that thinks that they won't do the same to Malia and Sasha has a very short memory.
Despite what you think about the parents...the children should be off limits...for good or bad press.

You could see it in his eyes. He knew he should never have agreed to the interview, and now he won't make that mistake again. They're cute kids. They serve their purpose being seen.

some posters gave "upthread" that people watch shows like "Hollywood Access" and that might be their only chance of seeing the Obama family as very down to earth. But, it does start a bad precedent.. Makes him look like he caved to Campaign Ops who were really trying to "Market" the family to an audience that may have many clueless viewers. I'm glad he's said he won't do it again...even though I understand why his "Ops" pushed it.

At the same time, it's important to keep core values paramount. The constant dilemma is in ordering priorities ... how much harm vs. how much good. Just as he has a profound obligation to his family, he has a obligation to listen and collaborate with advisors and teammates. There will always be times when a very minor compromise of one higher obligation must be made to honor a lesser obligation, but of greater import in the instance. That calculus is persistent with conscientious people.

what is the big deal? I saw the interview last night on KO & the show after that (can't remember, having a brain fart right now) - and the interview was lovely and spontaneous and for ONCE - NO NEGATIVITY - NO ONE SAID ONE BAD THING - THEY LOVED THE GIRLS.

WHERE IS THE PROBLEM? THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THEIR MORE BRILLIANT NON-CAMPAIGN CAMPAIGN MOMENTS.

They looked like a regular, down-to-earth family. Just the kind of people we would want living in the WH.

could put his great grandkids on TV for balance :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

really, that's all it was. Letting his kids speak on camera, just once, in the presence of their parents, is not a big deal. The American people want to know this family, and this was a nice way to introduce them to the folks who don't watch Hardball and cable news.

Are they changing the wording?

As he rightfully should.