By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
The omnipresent president hit the airwaves again on Monday.
Following up his Sunday talk show media blitz, President Barack Obama stopped by the "Late Show with David Letterman," the first ever visit by a sitting president.
After some initial comedic parrying, Letterman and Obama moved into a weightier exchange.
Letterman asked the president about the 15 million people who are still out of work, despite claims by Obama's administration that the economy was on the road to recovery. Obama pointed to new industries, like green energy, that could put millions of people back in jobs, but admitted that employment was still lagging.
When the late night host asked the president whether he believed racism was playing a roll in the health care debate, Obama joked, “I was actually Black before the election,” going on to say that he believed Americans were turned off by the shouting and yelling at Town Hall meetings and expected more from their elected officials.
Letterman asked Obama if he would send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan — a war that now 57 percent of Americans are against, according to a September CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.
Obama punted, saying there were still tough decisions to be made on that.
At the top of the show, Letterman quipped that despite the fact that security at the show "was tighter than Joan Rivers' face," things had gone smoothly.
His Top Ten list for the evening addressed the reasons why Obama agreed to appear on his show, including #9, "Thought it would be fun to watch someone else get heckled," #5, "We told him Megan Fox would be here," and #2, "Said yes, without thinking, like Bush did with Iraq."
Obama will continue his high-profile week with a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Later in the week he will address the U.N. General Assembly about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the global financial crisis and climate change, among other issues.
Obama acknowledged the horrific traffic mess that always accompanies the General Assembly, saying on the "Late Show," "I know traffic is bad for New Yorkers, and I apologize for that."
