NEW YORK (AP) – Barack Obama shifted from baseball to football to analogize the limitations of meeting his goals as president during an appearance on “The Daily Show” Tuesday.
“You’re always going to fall short, because if you’re hitting your marks, that means you didn’t set them high enough,” Obama said. “We don’t score a touchdown every time, but we move the ball forward.”
Last year, the president, a sports fan, used the national pastime to describe his approach to global issues as a pursuit of incremental progress. “You hit singles, you hit doubles; every once in a while we may be able to hit a home run,” Obama said at last year’s news conference, in what’s since been dubbed the “Obama doctrine.”
As Stewart prepares for his final episode on Aug. 6, he got one final opportunity to quiz the president and poke a little fun at his expense. For Obama, too, it’s the end of an era: he’s appeared on the hit Comedy Central show seven times, including three as president.
But in the interview, which aired Tuesday night, Stewart put the spotlight on Obama’s tenure and the long list of problems that remain: unfinished business in the Middle East, for example, or shortcomings at the Department of Veterans Affairs.