David Remnick of The New Yorker showed up on PBS’s Charlie Rose
Monday night to discuss his long, mostly sympathetic profile of Barack
Obama from the January 27 issue of the magazine. Near the end of the
interview, Rose focused in on the president’s reported desire to be
“big.” The host wondered, “[W]hat's his definition of 'big,' and does he
believe in his deep recesses of his own mind that the chance of that
has slipped away?”
Remnick replied that no, Obama does not think his chance of being “big”
has slipped away. The editor then rattled off a laundry list of Obama
achievements that might be considered hallmarks of a “big” – meaning
“great” – president. Among them were these two gems: [Listen to MP3
audio here [1].]
The fact that there's been no scandal, major scandal, in this administration, which is a rare thing in an administration. The fact that science is now discussed as science.
No scandal? Really? I guess Remnick doesn’t consider the
administration’s failure and subsequent coverup in Benghazi to be a
scandal. I guess he doesn’t care that the IRS singled out
conservative-sounding organizations for extra scrutiny. I guess he
doesn’t care that Obama’s Justice Department spied on journalists like
him. I guess he doesn’t consider Fast and Furious to be a scandal.
You would think that such a scientific administration might have
been able to find some better computer programmers to get Healthcare.gov
up and running sooner. Also, the president claimed in his interview
with Remnick that he believes marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.
However, scientists are far from a consensus on which substance is more
dangerous.
Rose interrupted Remnick’s list of achievements to ask, “Does this
measure up to greatness for you?” After some prodding, Remnick confessed
his adoration of the president: “Well, I think those achievements are huge, yes.”
Below is a transcript of the relevant part of the discussion:
CHARLIE ROSE: You report that Obama told Doris Kearns Goodwin that he wanted to be “big.”
DAVID REMNICK: I guess they all start out wanting to be big. They don't want to be Franklin Pierce.
ROSE: Not just a name on a long list of presidents, you see their
pictures lined up on the wall, he said. This is back to the Clinton
question. They all -- what's his definition of "big," and does he
believe in his deep recesses of his own mind that the chance of that has
slipped away?
REMNICK: No, I don't. I think he is -- his -- despite all his dramatic
doubt, despite that tone of -- that kind of slightly autumnal tone to
the -- especially the end of this piece – I think –
ROSE: Meaning he's in the fall of his presidency?
REMNICK: Getting there, sure. It's September.
ROSE: Yes, okay.
REMNICK: That the fact that this country didn't fall into a depression,
an economic depression, which it could easily have done. The fact that
we are out of Iraq for all the problems in Iraq. Getting there in
Afghanistan. The auto industry saved. Gay rights more and more ensured,
not without help from the president of the United States. The fact that
there's been no scandal, major scandal, in this administration, which is
a rare thing in an administration. The fact that science is now
discussed as science. The fact that climate change, however woefully
inadequate the measures for it, is now –
ROSE: Does this measure up to greatness for you?
REMNICK: Well, let's wait till the end. Let's wait till the end. A lot of things could go wrong and –
ROSE: But all those things have already happened.
REMNICK: Well, I think those achievements are huge, yes.
ROSE: Huge?
REMNICK: Yes
-- Paul Bremmer is a News Analysis Division intern.