Obama reflects on his biggest mistake as president

By: Lindsey Boerma
Topics: Domestic Issues ,; Campaign 2012

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down Thursday for an exclusive interview with "CBS This Morning" host Charlie Rose.

(Credit: CBS News)

(CBS News) President Obama's biggest mistake during his first term, he told CBS News in an exclusive interview, has been putting policy over storytelling.

Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down Thursday with "CBS This Morning" anchor Charlie Rose in the White House Blue Room, where they discussed the failures and successes of his administration as he heads into another election, among other things.

"When I think about what we've done well and what we haven't done well," the president said, "the mistake of my first term - couple of years - was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times."

Mr. Obama acknowledged the dissonance between others' perception of his strength as an expert orator, and his own.

"It's funny - when I ran, everybody said, well he can give a good speech but can he actually manage the job?" he said. "And in my first two years, I think the notion was, 'Well, he's been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where's the story that tells us where he's going?' And I think that was a legitimate criticism."

Pressed by Rose about what he felt he needed to explain better to the American people, the president corrected that he wanted to do more "explaining, but also inspiring."

"Because hope is still there," Mrs. Obama added.

For more of the interview with President and Mrs. Obama, watch "CBS Sunday Morning" this Sunday, July 15, and "CBS This Morning" on Monday, July 16.

Lindsey Boerma
Lindsey Boerma is an associate politics producer for CBSNews.com.
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by THGdriver2 July 13, 2012 9:06 PM EDT: Nobama sez----But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of bla bla bla----

Who is this bozo trying to fool? As long as there are teleprompters Nobama will be able to tell us a story.; Reply to this comment


by TimeToEvolve July 13, 2012 7:13 PM EDT: People have a short memory of the Bush Cheney Crime Family. They miss war and death and spending in secret. They miss the illegal torture and spying. They miss the lying and the embarrassingly stupid quotes. I have to admit, I had a lot more to make fun of and protest back then. It's boring now to actually have a President with a brain who actually cares about something other than his ranch.; Reply to this comment

by michaelt302 July 13, 2012 6:31 PM EDT

Clearly, Obama's biggest mistake as President was accepting the victory in the first place. Oh, to think how much better off(and richer) the American people would be, had he changed his mind after his 2008 victory, and just stepped aside.

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by TimeToEvolve July 13, 2012 7:11 PM EDT: You really miss the disaster that was Bush Cheney. And I certainly think that the idiot from AZ and the mindless buffoon Wasila would have got us out of their mess.


by TimeToEvolve July 13, 2012 9:13 PM EDT: Did you really vote for McSame-Failin'

by promontorium July 13, 2012 5:41 PM EDT

This is simply condescending. He's saying people don't agree with him, or aren't inspired by him because he hasn't explained things well enough. He's saying you're simply wrong for thinking he isn't doing a wonderful job, he just needs to figure out a way to explain it that the average Americans can understand. Once he gets his story straight, we'll all love and praise him.

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by michaelt302 July 13, 2012 6:35 PM EDT: It's not only condescending, it's the SAME disrespectful and arrogant thing he has been saying in interviews for OVER TWO YEARS. Basically, "People would like and support me more, if they could only UNDERSTAND what I am trying to do." You see, to arrogant elitists like Obama, what he is doing is SOOOO complex, and SOOOOO hard, and SOOOO complicated, and SOOOOOO deep, and takes SOOOOO much brains, that NONE of us "little people" could ever DREAM to understand what he is trying to do. Nope. All of us should just shut up and sit back and ACCEPT that whatever Mr. Obama does is BEST for us. Get it, now?


by news_master July 13, 2012 5:28 PM EDT: He did not communicate???, He has always had CNN, CBS,NBC at his fingertips to spew his thoughts, so if he did not communicate to the American people, the press will do it for him.; Reply to this comment

by TimeToEvolve July 13, 2012 4:52 PM EDT

We needed another Franklin Roosevelt, not another Bill Clinton. But hey that is why FDR was our greatest president. Of course the Wall Street Republicon Corporation does not like him bu they are wacko and evil.

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by Goodbye_Obummer July 13, 2012 5:23 PM EDT: GOD bless your ignorance evolve.

Romney 2012: Count on it.

Now I say..Good Day !


by knewsteerrrrr July 13, 2012 5:43 PM EDT: There is no god, and it's OBAMA 2012!! count on it!

by mikesfilms July 13, 2012 4:51 PM EDT

his mistake is he's been to soft on the Righties.

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by promontorium July 13, 2012 5:41 PM EDT: What does that even mean?

by Homeless-Person July 13, 2012 4:34 PM EDT

I would start with accepting the Nobel Peace prize without earning it.

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by Cru09 July 13, 2012 4:43 PM EDT: ...Because peace is everlasting and attainable.


by Right-Wing-loon July 13, 2012 4:43 PM EDT: Are we suppose to talk about the Nobel peace prize now Homeless-Person? I thought we were just suppose to say Socialist or Communist today? As a good Republican I must follow the orders of the party. Does the party now want us to talk about the Peace prize? I didn't get that memo yet.

by TimeToEvolve July 13, 2012 4:25 PM EDT

Obama should have prosecuted the Bush Crime Family members. He should have said that we will no longer put up with the Wall Street corporate corruption. He should have come right out and said that he saved us from falling in to the Second Great Republican Depression in the last 100 years. And that the reason there is not enough money to go around is that the Top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 90% like just before the First Great Republican Depression.

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by montani42 July 13, 2012 5:57 PM EDT: President Bush kept your sorry rear safe for eight years. You didn't see any serious terror attack attempts for the rest of his two terms. Since the inept wuss took over there have been several tries most of which only failed due to stupidity or luck. Obama is seen as a weakling where Bush was real man. Putin laughs at Obama. For you to call Bush a criminal means you side with terrorist groups like Hamas who love Obama and feared Bush.


by Goodbye_Obummer July 13, 2012 6:46 PM EDT: Ms. evolve, you don't really believe this, you need to quit following slownews.

Again I say....Good Day !

by LeftwingerLunatics July 13, 2012 4:19 PM EDT

by 55minus5 July 13, 2012 3:51 PM EDT
by LeftwingerLunatics July 13, 2012 3:06 PM EDT
...you can be born here and still be a Communist and socialist. They have been here since the 1920's causing trouble like Roger Baldwin of the ACLU.
Obama definately is a Marxist socialist that techically makes him a Commie.
His ideology and policies these past 3 years proved that beyond a doubt. ................
----------
You must be very old, from McCarthy times. The definition of
McCarthyism "is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence." Gestapo used to practice that, too.

-----

That's what the commies were saying back then like the traitor spies, the Rosenbergs who were communists and executed for their crimes.
In the 1960's we had your kind like Lee Harvey Oswald who killed JFK and others in the hippie radicals of the 1960's like Obama's pal the bomber Bill Ayers.

Why do you lefties try and deny what you really are.
If you are ashamed and have a guilty conscience, don't be socialist pinkos and baby Communists.
I'd deny it also if I was you.

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by Right-Wing-loon July 13, 2012 4:38 PM EDT: Yes LeftwingerLunatics. You are right. They are all communists. We Republicans know this because that is what the party tells us to say. The party must be obeyed.


by retmw2 July 13, 2012 4:42 PM EDT: So anyone who isn't a republican is a communist in your book.