Obama to Appear Sunday on '60 Minutes'

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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/17/obama_to_appear_sunday_on_60_m.html

Obama to Appear Sunday on '60 Minutes'

By Howard Kurtz


President Obama may be lightening things up with a visit to Jay Leno this week, but no one can accuse him of ducking of ducking tougher journalistic forums.

Obama has agreed to sit down with "60 Minutes" for an interview that will air Sunday. CBS's Steve Kroft will be questioning the president. The interview has not yet been announced.

The president has drawn some skeptical reaction for his decision to head to Leno's "Tonight Show" couch at a time when the economy is in dire straits and he is under fire for failing to block $165 million in bonuses to AIG executives despite a federal bailout of the company. That subject is certain to come up in the "60 Minutes" questioning.

Despite early predictions that Obama would largely bypass the mainstream media and conduct a YouTube presidency, he has repeatedly made himself available to traditional news organizations. Obama has granted interviews to the network anchors, PBS's Jim Lehrer, the New York Times, the Washington Post editorial board, and NBC's Matt Lauer at the Super Bowl, while also chatting up black and Hispanic journalists and talk show hosts.

How will the president fare on "60 Minutes" at a time when his administration is on the defensive? The clock is ticking.