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July 27th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Video & Photos: Barack Obama on “Meet the Press” 7-27-08

Barack Obama with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press on location in London, England, Air Date, July 27, 2008

Presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was interviewed by Tom Brokaw on “Meet the Press.” The hour-long interview aired on July 27, 2008 and was taped in London, England, on July 26, at the conclusion of Senator Obama’s world tour which included stops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and the West Bank, Germany, France and the UK.

If Barack Obama is worn-out following his nine-day trip overseas, he certainly has a funny way of showing it. The Democratic candidate for president appeared on “Meet the Press” Sunday, appearing calm and alert as he defended his positions on Iraq, Afghanistan and the economy.

Moderator Tom Brokaw began by re-tracing the steps of Obama’s trip. Underscoring the busy itinerary, the presidential candidate joked, “It makes me tired just listening to you read it.”

Barack Obama with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press on location in London, England, Air Date, July 27, 2008

Moving to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama called for a comprehensive military shift away from Iraq — in cooperation with military advisors — and towards Afghanistan, which he referred to as “the central front on terror, [where] the Taliban and al-Qaida have reconstituted themselves.”

Claiming that “we need a more serious effort on the part of the Afghan government and President Karzai,” Obama promised two additional brigades to buttress the efforts there.

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Barack Obama with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press on location in London, England, Air Date, July 27, 2008

Moving to discuss the rock concert-like atmosphere of Obama’s speech in Berlin, Brokaw pointed out the objections raised by critics. Critics have argued that the candidate’s popularity and soaring rhetoric while abroad overshadowed vague policy talking points.

In reaction, Obama shot back explaining, “I could have delivered an exhaustive list of policy prescriptions, but I suspect that 200,000 people would have slowly drifted off.” He continued, “[The point was] to get Europeans to recognize the extraordinary sacrifices that Americans have made on behalf of world freedom and security. And to get Americans to recognize we need partners in order to be effective to solve our problems.”

Barack Obama with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press on location in London, England, Air Date, July 27, 2008

On the subject of the economy, Obama said that the increasingly squeezed middle class was his priority, and that he would spend Monday with top economic advisors in an effort to hone a plan that would address citizens’ concerns. “I think that … what is driving people all across the country right now are worries and concerns about inability to pay the gas bill, inability to buy food because prices have gone up so high … we’ve got to fundamentally shift how we approach economic policy.”

Source: Obama sticks to his guns on ‘Meet the Press’