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President Barack Obama joked, joshed and jousted with Stephen Colbert on Monday's installment of 'The Colbert Report,' trading thoughts on everything from immigrations to the nation's nuclear launch codes.
Obama joined the Comedy Channel star, soon to take over for David Letterman on CBS, for an interview 'Mr. Colbert Goes to Washington' that veered back and forth between comedy and more serious considerations. The segment presumably was not going to turn any of the president's sworn enemies to friends (or vice-versa) but did serve as a respite from the usual heated D.C. rhetoric.
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In their opening comedy segment, the president actually popped out on stage earlier than his host said he was supposed to, saying Colbert has been 'taking a lot of shots at my job, so I'm taking a shot at yours' and sending Colbert off the stage.
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When they subsequently got down to discussing Obama's executive order on immigration, Colbert dubbed the president 'Baracus Maximus I' and inquired why he had chosen to burn the Constitution. Obama assured him his move was legal, subsequently adding: 'My preference would be to get a whole lot more done through Congress.'
Colbert asked the president about the beating his party took in last month's midterms.
'The election didn't go as it - I would have liked,' Obama said, adding, 'You noticed I made a little correction there. A little thought-bubble.'
The host then asked Obama why turnout was so poor among young voters.
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'I think they were disturbed about what was happening in Washington,' he answered.
Obama, however, added: 'At a certain point, people say, 'You know what? It's just not going to make a difference. Part of my job for the next two years, and hopefully part of the job of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, is to convince people that even in divided government, we can still put the American people ahead of politics.'
Colbert teasingly inquired whether the nation's job numbers have been improving because so many people had been appointed secretary of defense.
'That's boosted our numbers a little bit,' the president responded.
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Colbert also made a push for the nation's nuclear codes - or at least to get him to say whether '5' was one of those numbers. Obama wouldn't take the bait.
'You're not going to get close to even one number in the nuclear launch codes,' Obama said.
Entities 0 Name: Obama Count: 9 1 Name: Colbert Count: 7 2 Name: Washington Count: 2 3 Name: D.C. Count: 1 4 Name: Congress Count: 1 5 Name: David Letterman Count: 1 6 Name: Stephen Colbert Count: 1 7 Name: John Boehner Count: 1 8 Name: McConnell Count: 1 9 Name: CBS Count: 1 10 Name: American Count: 1 11 Name: Barack Obama Count: 1 12 Name: Mitch McConnell Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1wUws9C Title: That time Stephen Colbert clowned President Obama at the Kennedy Center Description: Want to know what kind of jabs Stephen Colbert will throw President Obama's way during his interview on "The Colbert Report" tonight? Just take a listen to the zinger he told during the Kennedy Center Honors over the weekend. Colbert pointed out that "the most powerful and influential person in the world: Michelle Obama" was in attendance.
