President Obama says he deserves a second term in office because the economy has started to recover.
During a pre-Super Bowl interview Sunday, NBC's Matt Lauer reminded the president that three years ago, in an interview before the 2009 Super Bowl, Obama had said that without an economic turnaround he'd likely be a one-term president. "So, do you deserve a second term?" Lauer asked.
“I deserve a second term, but we’re not done,” Obama replied.
Obama compared economic conditions now to those when he first assumed office, pointing to improving employment numbers as a sign that the economy has started to turn around. It wouldn't be right, he said, to change direction now.
Obama also dodged a question on whether or not Israel has informed the White House of any plans to strike Iran, if Tehran doesn’t desist in building its nuclear capabilities.
“I don’t think that Israel has made a decision on what they need to do,” Obama said.
“Our goal is to solve this issue diplomatically,” Obama said, adding that the two countries regularly consulted on security and diplomatic issues. But, he added "all options are on the table."
The remainder of the president’s interview with Lauer will be broadcast on NBC’s ‘Today’ show on Monday morning.
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