Obama's Sit Down With 16 Newspapers

From Politico's Playbook, Obama sat down for a roundtable interview yesterday and today, made some headlines:

President Obama did a 55-minute roundtable interview in the Roosevelt Room yesterday with reporters from 16 regional newspapers, producing huge play in key states for his message that voting for the stimulus bill is voting for jobs:

Anchorage Daily News: 'Obama calls Alaska gas pipeline promising'
Columbus Dispatch: 'Stimulus not perfect but will help Ohio, Obama says'
Dayton Daily News: 'Stimulus package provides relief to Ohio, Obama says'
Detroit Free Press: 'Obama: I can offer serious auto help'
Detroit News' 'Obama to Big 3: Craft plan that works'
Indianapolis Star: '[P]resident declines to comment on $2.5M proposed for Carmel water park'
(Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot: 'Obama says he will not act quickly on offshore drilling'
Omaha World-Herald: 'Obama praises Nelson's role in stimulus bill'
Philadelphia Inquirer: 'Obama: Plan will save millions of jobs'
Portland (Maine) Press Herald: 'Obama: Snowe, Collins 'outstanding' senators'
(Raleigh) News & Observer: 'Obama talks about N.C.'s big issues'
Salt Lake Tribune 'Obama: Oil lease sale needed scrutiny'

ALSO INCLUDED: California, Florida and Hawaii scribes.

Deb Price in the Detroit News: 'What, exactly, was the brick-size wooden box with the red button on top, on the table in front of President Barack Obama? 'If any of you really got me mad, I would press it,' Obama said with a mischievous laugh.' The president went on to explain: 'These are in every room that I'm in. And so if there was an emergency, Secret Service – you know, I could press this. Some of 'em, you knock over, and Secret Service rushes in.'

For Maureen: AT ONE POINT, THE PRESIDENT CORRECTS HIMSELF FROM 'STIMULUSES' TO 'STIMULI.' And he tells Dale Eisman of The Virginian-Pilot: 'What we've done is, we've identified where are some areas of military spending that can occur within that two-year [stimulus] timeframe, but doesn't have what's called a long tail – it doesn't perpetuate long-term programs.'

SHOT – Charlotte Observer, 'Obama not taking sides in UNC-Duke: At a roundtable of regional reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, the president came close to predicting a rebound for Duke basketball's Coach Mike Krzyzewski at tonight's highly anticipated Carolina-Duke game. He said Duke is 'coming off one of the worst losses it has had in several years,' but noted that Coach K had been working the team pretty hard this week. 'They might be fired up,' he said. ... [He] played a pickup game with many of the [UNC] Tar Heel standouts before the May primary. Pointing to his body man, former Duke basketballer Reggie Love, he said he has to remain on the sidelines, as it were. 'If I said anything contrary to Duke, I might not be able to find my Blackberry,' he said.'