The View … of the Old Obama

Saul Loeb – AFP/Getty Images. July 29, 2010. President Obama on “The View” with Barbara Walters and Joy Behar.

I don’t know why the LAT says Obama’s appearance on “The View” “marks the first daytime television appearance by a sitting U.S. president” when they go on to mention Bush’s game show appearance in ’08.

That technicality aside, however, I wouldn’t take the choice of screen shot too seriously. While Gov. Rendell is being widely quoted in calling the appearance a “Jerry Springer” moment and FOX (LOL) faults Obama for passing on the Boy Scout Jamboree, the photo — on first pass — makes it look like “44” can’t get anybody to listen to him anymore, especially the target female demographic.

If that’s where the LAT is going with the picture, though, I’d say they’re missing the point. Rather, what the photo captures (and we’ll find out soon if the performance itself bears it out) is something we haven’t seen much of for about a year-and-a-half, which is a more youthful and free-wheeling Barack who so artfully exploited popular- and social media to catapult himself to the White House in the first place.