Washington: US President Barack Obama
on Friday said that part of his job as an occupant to the White
House is to have a "thick skin", reflecting how the current
political debate over raising the debt ceiling is increasingly
becoming ugly.
"You know, part of this job is having a thick skin and
understanding a lot of this stuff`s not personal," Obama told
a press conference, updating the White House correspondents
and the American public on the ongoing negotiations with
Republican leaders on the deadlocked issue of increasing the
debt ceiling, which if not increased by August could
potentially result in US defaulting on its international
obligations.
Obama was responding to questions of the tone of the
debate, during which both the sides are blaming each other.
"Well, let me say this. And I`m not trying to poke at
you guys -- I generally don`t watch what is said about me on
cable. I generally don`t read what`s said about me -- even in
The Hill. And so, you know, part of this job is having a
thick skin and understanding a lot of this stuff`s not
personal," Obama said.
Obama said he does not expect politicians not to think
about politics.
"But every so often there are issues that are urgent,
that have to be attended to, and require us to do things we
don`t like to do, that run contrary to our base, that gets
some constituency that helped elect us agitated because
they`re looking at it from a narrow prism," he said.
"We`re supposed to be stepping back and looking at it
from the perspective of what`s good for the country. If we are
able to remind ourselves of that, then there`s no reason why
we shouldn`t be able to get things done," Obama said.
PTI
