The Obamas & Oprah Winfrey

First Lady Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey

On Sunday night, Oprah Winfrey hosted a Christmas special at the White House with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The special marked the first time Oprah has interviewed Obama since he took office and provided a behind-the-scenes look at all the White House preparations for the holiday season. Oprah interviewed the president and first lady separately and together. During the interviews, she asked them questions about their holiday traditions and the president graded himself on his performance.

President Obama gave himself a solid "B+" grade for his first year in office. He credited his administration with getting the economy on track, winding down the war in Iraq, making the right call for a temporary surge in Afghanistan, restoring America's prestige in the world, and making progress toward halting the development of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea. He said that the passage of health care reform would boost his grade to an "A-" but, until Americans get back to work, he can't give himself the grade he would like. Oprah asked the president if the sinking public approval numbers bothered him. He viewed the decline as inevitable with 10% unemployment in the country and said, “People aren’t interested in what you’ve inherited but rather, what have you done for me lately? I’m not interested in spinning my way out of it.”

Oprah asked the Obamas to remember their favorite Christmas presents. Michelle said that hers was a metal dollhouse with plastic furniture. She remembered not knowing how to set up the dollhouse so she had all of the furniture lined up along the walls, as opposed to nestled around the fireplace. Oprah also wanted to know if the first lady had an Easy Bake Oven. She responded... “Oh, I did have an Easy Bake Oven, but once you run out of the mix it’s like you’re done with it.” Her husband then asked, “You couldn’t get more mix?” The president said that his favorite gift was a 10-speed bike. He also reflected on meeting his father for the first time at Christmas, an encounter that sparked his love of basketball. He said that his father gave him a basketball but there was some cause and effect in terms of the degree to which he ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn't know his dad.

Oprah also got a tour of the White House from the first lady and was greeted by the first family’s Portuguese water dog, "Bo", who showed off his new training by high-fiving the talk show host. Oprah asked, "Does Bo need a buddy?" and the president responded, "No, no, no!" In the state dining room, she pointed out a 390lb. gingerbread White House replica covered in white chocolate. The first lady showed off the White House Christmas tree and said that each family member, including "Bo", would have their own stocking.

The president revealed that Santa Claus is coming to the White House. Oprah noticed that many rooms in the White House were stocked with apples and the president said that the first family wouldn't try to make Santa Claus follow their healthy-eating lifestyle. He said, "Santa can eat what he wants", meaning a plate of milk and cookies. He also commented that he usually "gives nicer stuff" than he gets on holidays. Of course, the first lady disagreed and said, "No way! I gave you good stuff last year." The president responded by asking, "Who gave you this?" pointing at the pearl necklace that the first lady was wearing. The interview ended with the first couple light-heartedly disagreeing over who gives better Christmas gifts.

I, like many Americans, think that our president inherited quite a mess from the last administration but I feel that he is openly and honestly trying to do the best he can to clean it up. I also agree with the "B+" grade that he gave himself for his first year in office. We all know that the mess he is dealing with didn't happen overnight, so the clean up is not going to happen overnight either. But, for the next few weeks at least, the president and first lady should be able to forget about all the mess and enjoy the holiday with their family, just like everyone else. Besides, you know what they say about mess... it's not going anywhere and it will always be there waiting for you when you get back!