Barack Obama / USA

Obama on Letterman: 'I Was Actually Black Before the Election'

Seeking to downplay accusations that those against his health reform plans are racially motivated, Obama chose to go for laughs on Letterman tonight.

Continuing his media blitz from Sunday, Barack Obama stopped by Late Night with David Letterman today, managing to walk the fine line of joking around the the talk show host while still staying on message.

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Barack Obama gets the laughs on Letterman tonight. (youtube.com) In what's sure to be the biggest moment from the internet, Obama affably downplays the suggestion that opposition to his administration and its policies is racially motivated, dead panning, "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election''.

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"It's a nice laugh line, only helped by Letterman ably playing the straight man and asking back, "How long have you been a black man?" Obama also does a bit of policy pushing, lightly touching on the economy, unemployment, and his strategy in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Still, he knows how to end strong, ending with a bit on how Malia and Sasha Obama are handling living in the White House: "They basically just goofed off all summer, which I couldn't do."You can see a video of the best bit below.

The whole interview will air tonight at 11:30 ET on CBS.