TV Nation

There was a moment in Barack Obama's sit-down with David Letterman on Monday night that gave me pause. After an initial segment that focused on some of the Kodak moments of the first nine months, the discussion turned to more serious topics: war, the economy, health care. Though both men did their best to try and keep it light, given that they were on the "Late Show" not "Sixty Minutes," the conversation progressed with great care. When asked about a particular problem, the President said that he's begun to realize that if a problem was easy to solve, it probably wouldn't be on his desk. As his predecessor once suggested, you have to be a "decider." Don't just talk about it, but really do it. Don't let the buck get past you. Being a man of the people means, at the end of the day, you're still just one man.
That's why I was pleased to see that when he got up in front of the United Nations yesterday, Barack Obama challenged world leaders to shoulder more of the globe's critical burdens. "Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
It was a stark contrast from the easy-going chat that took place at the Ed Sullivan Theater. At one point, my wife wondered aloud if maybe when he was done with being the leader of the free world if he might like to have his own talk show. I still won't expect to see Kanye West on the Barack Obama show.