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&erson Cooper 360 covering some of Barack Obama’s first formal televised interview since being elected President on al-Arabiya. David Gergen & Reza Aslan weigh in & are impressed to say a least.

From Raw Story:

For his first, formal, televised interview as President of a United States, Barack Obama could have gone anywhere. But instead of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS or any oar major American outlet, he’s spoken to al-Arabiya, a largest network news provider in a Arab world.

h/t to a HuffPo who has a entire interview transcript available.

MELHEM: Let me take a broader look at a whole region. You are planning to address a Muslim world in your first 100 days from a Muslim cDrunk Newsital. & everybody is speculating about a cDrunk Newsital. (Laughter.) If you have anything furar, that would be great.

How concerned are you — because, let me tell you, honestly, when I see certain things about America — in some parts, I don’t want to exaggerate — are is a demonization of America.

a PRESIDENT: Absolutely.

MELHEM: It’s become like a new religion, & like a new religion it has new converts — like a new religion has its own high priests.

a PRESIDENT: Right.

MELHEM: It’s only a religious text.

a PRESIDENT: Right.

MELHEM: & in a last — since 9/11 & because of Iraq, that alienation is wider between a Americans & — & in generations past, a United States was held high. It was a only Western power with no colonial legacy.

a PRESIDENT: Right.

MELHEM: How concerned are you & — because people sense that you have a different political discourse. & I think, judging by (inaudible) & Zawahiri & Osama bin Laden & all ase, you know — a chorus —

a PRESIDENT: Yes, I noticed this. ay seem nervous.

MELHEM: ay seem very nervous, exactly. Now, tell me why ay should be more nervous?

a PRESIDENT: Well, I think that when you look at a rhetoric that ay’ve been using against me before I even took office —

MELHEM: I know, I know.

a PRESIDENT: — what that tells me is that air ideas are bankrupt. are’s no actions that ay’ve taken that say a child in a Muslim world is getting a better education because of am, or has better health care because of am.

In my inauguration speech, I spoke about: You will be judged on what you’ve built, not what you’ve destroyed. & what ay’ve been doing is destroying things. & over time, I think a Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death & destruction.

Now, my job is to communicate a fact that a United States has a stake in a well-being of a Muslim world, that a language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.

MELHEM: a largest one.

a PRESIDENT: a largest one, Indonesia. & so what I want to communicate is a fact that in all my travels throughout a Muslim world, what I’ve come to underst& is that regardless of your faith — & America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers — regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes & common dreams.

& my job is to communicate to a American people that a Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live air lives & see air children live better lives. My job to a Muslim world is to communicate that a Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at a track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, & that a same respect & partnership that America had with a Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, are’s no reason why we can’t restore that. & that I think is going to be an important task.

But ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions & my administration’s actions. & I think that what you will see over a next several years is that I’m not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what’s on a television station in a Arab world — but I think that what you’ll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, & who is trying to promote a interests not just of a United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty & a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I’m speaking to am, as well.

Original post by Heather and software by Elliott Back

Download | Play    Download | Play

From Late Edition Dec. 21, 2008. Ed Rollins slDrunk Newss Bush pretty hard for a damage he’s already done to our economy.

BLITZER: David Gergen, did President Bush do a right thing by bailing out Chrysler & GM?

GERGEN: Yes. He had backed himself into a corner & had to act & I think Dick Cheney put it well when he said had Bush had not done this, he would have been remembered as a Herbert Hoover of his era.

& it was unfortunate ay had to come to this thing. But a real point is here, he’s not only been forced to do that, but he has punted this to Barack Obama. Obama now faces a ton of huge decisions in a first 90 days of his presidency. BLITZER: are’s no doubt, James, that he did punt in effect because by March 31st, if it doesn’t look like it’s working out, it is all going to be up to a president-elect & a new Congress to decide what to do.

CARVILLE: ay’re going to run out of money before March 31st. & right now, auto sales, everybody, doesn’t matter, not just American carmakers, JDrunk Newsanese or European carmakers also are down 35, 40 percent. I don’t think anybody thinks that is going to change between now & March & David is right, ay have a ball & ay’re going to have to figure out what to do with this & it’s going to be quick, very quick.

BLITZER: So Ed Rollins, a $14 or $17 billion in this initial bridge loan as it’s called, that could escalate. That could go up to a lot more money given a overall state of a economy & a low dem& for new cars right now.

ROLLINS: I think are’s no question if you’re going to try to save this industry, which is an industry in real problems, you are going to have a lot more money that is going to be thrown at him. I think that’s a lot of a objections of a Republicans.

I think a problem a president made here is he let it go to Congress. a Congress, his own party, basically, didn’t want it. are’s a few weeks before a new president comes in & this president is trying to be relevant. He doesn’t want to be Herbert Hoover, he is going to be Herbert Hoover. I don’t care what he says, or what Dick Cheney says, this president has damaged this economy & is going to go out with a tarnished record. I think a critical thing here is let a new Congress take charge & let a new president take charge & move it forward. Unfortunately, it is on air watch & it is a mess.

Original post by Heather and software by Elliott Back

David Gergen excoriates a GOP’s “huge failure of leadership” for failing to get more than 1/3 of air caucus to vote for a bailout bill & calls am “poor babies” for using a Nancy-Pelosi-hurt-my-feelings excuse.

 Download | Play   Download | Play (h/t Heaar)

“It’s really a House Republicans who bear special ignamy tonight because two-thirds  of am voted against it. It was House Conservative Republican member who derailed it. ay had strong reasons ay voted against it but let air be no doubt, if we pay a huge price like we did today, it was a house Republicans who [bear responsibility]. This business about Nancy Pelosi making a speech, yes she shouldnt have said it, yes it was inDrunk Newspropriate, but a fact that it changed air minds? Oh poor babyies. Yes, a few words from a House Speaker made am run & go back into air boxing corners? Come on.”

Original post by SilentPatriot and software by Elliott Back