Obama says he is 'energized' by what he hopes to accomplish in the White House. Obama: 'Energized,' not exhausted

President Barack Obama may seem fatigued after nearly six years in office, but he said in an interview airing Sunday, he considers himself “energized” by what he hopes to accomplish before leaving the White House.

Obama’s hair has grayed, and he’s spending less time worried about optics and more time on the golf course, but that doesn’t mean he’s “exhausted,” as NBC’s Chuck Todd said some have suggested the president might be.


“You know, I actually feel energized about the opportunities that we’ve got,” Obama told the “Meet the Press” moderator in a sit-down interview taped Saturday. And after finishing, the president quickly headed to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for an afternoon of golf in 90-degree-plus heat.

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“There are days where I’m not getting enough sleep, because we’ve got a lot on our plate,” he said. “You know, when you’re, when you’re president of the United States, you’re not just dealing with the United States” but also leading the international response to crises around the world, as his administration is in responding to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the outbreak of Ebola in Africa. “You know, our inbox gets pretty high.”

Despite his overflowing inbox and the fact that many of his top aides have been working for him since 2008, if not earlier, the president said he didn’t need new people to bring new ideas. “Well … no. Actually, my folks are doing really well,” he said.

At the NATO summit he attended last week in Wales, “I was reminded once again that not only is America the only indispensable nation,” the president said. “But we perhaps have never been more indispensable. And our leadership is making a difference. And that gives you a lot of satisfaction. That keeps you getting up, even if you haven’t gotten as much sleep as you want.”

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Vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard in August, Obama chose to go directly from making a statement about the beheading of American journalist James Foley to the golf course, and drew criticism from across the political spectrum for appearing insensitive.

Asked if he wished now he could go back and reverse his decision to hit the links then, Obama said that, in retrospect, appearances might have mattered that day.

“It is always a challenge when you’re supposed to be on vacation. Because you’re followed everywhere. And part of what I’d love is a vacation from … the press,” he said.

For presidents enjoying some leisure time, there’s always “the possibility of a jarring contrast given the world’s news,” Obama said. But, given the pain of that moment, the contrast might have been too stark, he conceded.

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“There’s no doubt that — after having talked to the families, where it was hard for me to hold back tears listening to the pain that they were going through — after the statement that I made, that you know, I should’ve anticipated the optics.”

“Part of this job is also the theater of it,” he said. “A part of it is, you know, how are you … not something that— that always comes naturally to me. But it matters. And I’m mindful of that. So the important thing is, in addition to that, is am I getting the policies right? Am I protecting the American people? Am I doing what’s necessary?”

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