Obama Peeved With G-20 Coverage

It’s been a long trip. President Obama was slightly irritated with reporters during a press conference Friday after the two-day G-20 summit and nine-day trip abroad. He dismissed reports that he’s weaker on the world stage because of his party’s midterm losses, telling The New York Times’ Sheryl Stolberg: “I remember our first G-20, you guys writing the exact same stories you’re writing now. Don’t you remember that, Sheryl?” The president went on to criticize reporters’ “search for drama,” saying the media drums up conflict because leaders setting the stage for financial regulator reform “wasn’t real sexy.” Obama also corrected reports that his administration was prepared to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, saying that doing so permanently would be “fiscally irresponsible,” and adding that an extension would “be a mistake, particularly when we’ve got our Republican friends saying their No. 1 priority is making sure we deal with your debt.”