President Obama Makes His Case For A Second Term

President Obama's Super Bowl pre-game interview with NBC's Matt Lauer was an opportunity for the President to make his argument as to why he should be re-elected in November, and he talked about jobs, diplomacy with Iran, and raising his teenage daughters.

During the interview, which will be broadcast in its entirety on TODAY Monday, Obama also talked about his re-election bid. He was reminded of a comment he made to Lauer three years ago, during an interview before the 2009 Super Bowl about the economic crisis, in which he said, "If I don't have this done in three years, then it's going to be a one-term proposition."


Lauer noted a new report showing U.S. unemployment has fallen below 9 percent, but many Americas still don't feel the poor economy has turned around, and asked Obama if he's made his case for re-election.

"I deserve a second term, but we're not done," Obama replied. "We've got to boost up American manufacturing, so that all our manufacturing is building again and selling overseas. We've got to make sure that we're pushing American energy ... and we've got to make sure the skills of American workers are the best in the world.

"We've made progress, and the thing right now is to just make sure we don't starting turning in a new direction that could throw that progress off."

But it was the President's comments on Iran that will raise eyebrows.

"We're not taking any options off the table," Obama said. "Our preferred solution is diplomatic, we're going to keep on pushing on that front ... [but] I've been very clear that we're going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating an arms race, a nuclear arms race, in a volatile region."

Ahh, the old "All options on the table" gambit.  We've heard Bush use this time and time again, but Obama not so much.  It is worth nothing then that he mentioned this, as well as saying that the US was in "lockstep" with Israel when it comes to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Sadly, the statement was necessary in today's political climate.  But it's worth keeping in the back of your head.