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Gibbs: President Would Love to do Daily Show, but not Colbert

by Tommy Christopher | 3:18 pm, February 17th, 2010

» 6 comments

Can it be that the leader of the free world, who recently made a quick lunch out of a roomful of House Republicans, is afraid of getting nailed by Stephen Colbert?

In an interview with Michael Scherer, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama would love to appear on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, but gave Colbert the bump.

From Time’s Swampland blog:

“Do you want to do the Daily Show?” Gibbs did not hesitate.

“I think the President would love to, just maybe not Colbert.” He went on to explain:”I have yet to see a politician best Stephen Colbert in an interview on his show,” Gibbs said, laughing. “I mean, he’s really, really good.”

It’s tough to argue that point, but I’d remind Gibbs that his boss is also “really, really good.” And couldn’t the President use a Colbert bump at this point?

A Comedy Central spokesman tells Greg Sargent that the President “has an open invitation to appear on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report anytime he wants to.”

Obama did appear via satellite as a candidate, but has not done The Daily Show since his election to the Presidency.

daily show, Jon Stewart, Michael Scherer, President Obama, Robert Gibbs, stephen colbert, Tommy Christopher

http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Of course I have no insider knowledge, but Stewart would give a straight interview, while Colbert would have to break character and that’s not something that would necessarily serve his purposes. Not to mention that Stewart has also been known to do multiple segment interviews and post the rest on the web, while I can’t remember any examples of Colbert doing anything along those lines.

I’m sure Stephen would love “a bump” and I mean no offense toward anyone by the following, but to do Colbert without first doing Stewart is a little like giving an exclusive to Lester Holt. And any way you look at it, maybe not isn’t exactly dismissing the idea out of hand.

Disclosure: I would love to see the President on The Daily Show.
PureFreedom

Obama is sooooo cool and hip with those well informed college kids that think the daily show is real news.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@PureFreedom: If you follow the links, you’d see that the question was something along the lines of “the President has done Leno and Letterman, how about The Daily Show or Colbert” and it wasn’t an addendum to “when is the President going to Jim Lehrer”?
ertdfg

Obama can be outwitted in an interview by a comedian, according to Gibbs. Honestly I’d match our President’s wits against a comedian and think he had a fighting chance… I didn’t realize I thought more of our President’s intellect than Gibbs does.

Maybe I’m giving Obama too much credit, and he isn’t smarter than a comedian?
pyrope

It’s a fair bet that Mr. -0bama will never accept Glenn Beck’s offer to appear on his show. The red phone will never ring and the reason why is obvious.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-22/the-making-of-glenn-beck/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL1

I think Obama is just using discretion to avoid unsavory characters with a history like Beck’s.