President Barack Obama on The Daily Show: Serious, With a Side of Joe Biden in a Wet Swimsuit

"I have to say, he looks pretty good," the commander-in-chief responded to one of Jon Stewart's more light-hearted questions

By Natalie Finn Oct 19, 2012 4:23 AMTags
Barack Obama, Jon Stewart, The Daily ShowBrad Barket for PictureGroup

Jon Stewart, while obviously a fan, didn't intend to look like a lightweight when President Barack Obama visited The Daily Show tonight.

So, in the 20 or so minutes he got of the president's time, Stewart took the opportunity to quiz the commander-in-chief about unemployment, the attack on the U.S. mission in Libya, dissension in Congress, Patriot Act-approved wiretapping and other serious issues.

And Obama, who's got an election coming up on Nov. 6, mainly stuck to his talking points. But he did offer a few tidbits of insider administration information.

"How many times does [Vice President Joe Biden] show up for meetings in a wet swimsuit?" Stewart wondered.

"I need to issue a presidential directive on that," Obama noted, equally serious. "We have to stop that. I have to say, though, he looks pretty good. Just saying."

There wasn't much room for malarkey, though, with one of the other moments of levity coming when Stewart asked about many of the George W. Bush-era policies that are still in place, like warrantless wiretapping of those suspected of possible terrorist activity.

"The truth is, we have modified them and built a legal structure and put safeguards in place that weren't there before," Obama said. "They're not real sexy issues."

"You don't know what I find sexy!" Stewart interjected.

"I saw you flash that Shades of Grey thing, so I know what you've been reading," Obama fired back, to big applause. "But we're not going to go there. I'm still the president."