Highlights of President Obama's interview with Brian Williams of NBC News (a full transcript is here):
"Well, look, we — we anticipated that the recovery was slowing."
On polls showing Americans think he is Muslim or foreign-born: "there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation, that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly."
On Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally: "Well, I have to say, I — I did not watch the rally...the country's going through a very difficult time, as a consequence of years of neglect in a whole range of areas...given all those anxieties — and given the fact that, you know, in none of these situations are you going to be fix things overnight. It's not surprising that somebody like a Mr. Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country. That's been true throughout our history."