WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "A PROMISED LAND," PRESIDENT BARACK

OBAMA.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PEOPLE WHO SAY IT WOULD BE GOOD IF

REPUBLICAN HELD THE SENATE BECAUSE DEMOCRATS WILL GO TOO

FAR IF THEY CONTROL EVERYTHING.

>> I EXPERIENCED DIVIDED GOVERNMENT AND I WILL TELL YOU

THAT GRIDLOCK AND DYSFUNCTION IS A RECIPE FOR NOT ONLY NOT

SOLVING BIG PROBLEMS BUT ALSO GROWING CYNICISM AMONG THE

ELECTORATE THAT FURTHER POLARIZES FOLKS.

>> Stephen: WHY WEREN'T YOU NICER TO MITCH McCONNELL?

WHY WEREN'T YOU NICER TO HIM?

>> LET ME TELL YOU, OF ALL THE ARGUMENTS MADE DURING MY

PRESIDENCY, THE NOTION THAT MY BIG PROBLEM WAS NOT SCHMOOZING

MITCH McCONNELL ENOUGH WAS MORE OF THE MORE FRUSTRATING

ONES I HEARD BUT WAS ENTIRELY ACCEPTED.

IT'S STILL CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TO THIS DAY IN PARTS OF

WASHINGTON.

MITCH McCONNELL UNDERSTOOD, AND I WRITE ABOUT THIS

EXTENSIVELY, THAT, IF YOU THROW SAND IN THE GEARS AND STUFF

DOESN'T WORK, THE AVERAGE VOTER DOESN'T REALLY KNOW WHY IT'S NOT

WORKING, THEY DON'T KNOW WHO'S IN CHARGE, THEY DON'T KNOW THE

DETAILS OF SENATE PROCEDURE, WHAT THEY DO UNDERSTAND IS THE

PRESIDENT'S IN CHARGE, AND WE'RE STILL SEEING THE SAME ARGUMENTS

THAT WE USED TO SEE.

SO THAT'S GOOD FOR THE OPPOSITION PARTY.

>> Stephen: IF I ONLY HAD ONE QUESTION TO ASK YOU RIGHT NOW,

IT WOULD BE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENS NOW?

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: WHEN YOU HAVE HALF OR 70% OF THE REPUBLICANS OR

MAYBE ABOUT 40% OF THE PUBLIC THINK THAT JOE BIDEN WON BY

CHEATING?

HOW DOES HE REACH THOSE PEOPLE?

>> WELL, LOOK, I THINK HE'S IN A GOOD POSITION TO MAKE THE

EFFORT.

THE FACT THAT HE WON IS INDICATIVE OF THE MESSAGE HE

SENT OF WANTING TO UNIFY THE COUNTRY.

I DO THINK PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED BY JUST THIS, YOU KNOW, -- YOU

KNOW, WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION, CONSTANT CAGE MATCH,

AND PEOPLE JUST WANT TO FEEL AS IF A DAY PASSES WITHOUT IT BEING

DOMINATED BY SOMETHING CRAZY COMING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE OR

WASHINGTON.

>> Stephen: DON'T GET ME WRONG.

YOU ARE A GREAT PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE ACCUSED YOU OF BEING A

CELEBRITY.

THERE WERE DAYS I DID NOT THINK ABOUT YOU.

>> YOU DID NOT THINK ABOUT ME.

AND I THINK JOE WILL GET BACK TO THAT.

I THINK HE WILL HAVE SOME SUCCESS IN BUILDING BACK SOCIAL

TRUST BECAUSE HE IS NATURALLY SOMEONE WHO IS EMPATHETIC AND

CARES ABOUT PEOPLE.

BUT I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LARGER CHALLENGE IN

FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS SPLINTERED MEDIA LANDSCAPE.

I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH,

WHEN YOU AND I WERE GROWING UP, YOU HAD WALTER CRONKITE, DAVID

BRINKLEY, JOHN CHANCELLOR.

IT WASN'IT WASN'T SCINTILLATING TELEVISION, BUT WHETHER YOU WERE

A CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL, YOU GOT YOUR NEWS FROM THE SAME

PLACE, SO YOU HAD SOME COMMON BASELINE OF FACTS, AND NOW YOU

DON'T.

AND HOW YOU CHANGE THAT FORMULA, WITH THE INTERNET AND 5,000

CABLE STATIONS AND THE DEATH OF SMALLTOWN NEWSPAPERS AND EVEN

LOCAL TV NOW BEING BOUGHT OUT BY SINCLAIR SO THAT THEY'RE NOW

PUMPING OUT SORT OF A MORE UNIFORM IDEOLOGICAL LINE ON

EVERYTHING, THAT MAKES THINGS MORE DIFFICULT, AND I THINK THAT

JOE'S PRESIDENCY WILL HELP LOWER THE TEMPERATURE, BUT THE

UNDERLYING CHALLENGE OF US GETTING BACK TO THE POINT WHERE

WE CAN AT LEAST AGREE THAT, LET'S SAY JOE BIDEN GOT MORE

VOTES, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S -- WE CAN ARGUE ABOUT WHY, WHETHER HE

DESERVED TO GET MORE VOTES, ET CETERA, BUT HE GOT MORE

VOTES.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THIS ARGUMENT, YOU SAY JOE BIDEN

GOT MORE VOTES.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: HOW COULD HE HAVE GOTTEN MORE VOTES IF THE

PRESIDENT WON?

HE WON, SO THE OTHER GUY GETTING MORE VOTES FEELS FISHY, DOESN'T

IT?

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW OTHER

PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT IT.

GET OUTSIDE YOUR BUBBLE, SIR.

THINK ABOUT HOW SOMEBODY ELSE IS LOOKING AT IT.

HE WON SO WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VOTES ON THE OTHER SIDE?

>> SOMETHING'S WRONG.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU.

ON BEHALF OF SO MANY AMERICANS, I ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY.

>> I WAS TALKING TO FRIEND OF MINE ABOUT THIS AND I WAS TRYING

TO USE A SIMPLE ANALOGY THAT I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS,

WHAT'S SOMETHING WE STILL HAVE IN COMMON, AND DESPITE

CONTROVERSIES AROUND C.T., ET CETERA, PEOPLE STILT WATCH

FOOTBALL.

SO YOU IMAGINE THE SUPER BOWL AND, YOU KNOW, THE GAME'S GOING

ON AND TOUCHDOWNs ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORTH SIX POINTS WITH THE

EXTRA POINT, UNLESS YOU GO FOR TWO, AND FIELD GOALS ARE WORTH

THREE POINTS, AND YOU'RE KEEPING SCORE THE WHOLE TIME, AND THERE

ARE REFS, AND AT THE END OF THE GAME A TEAM'S WON AND SOMEBODY

SAYS, NO!

FIELD GOALS AREN'T WORTH ETHREE, OR THAT WASN'T REALLY A

TOUCHDOWN.

>> Stephen: HUGO CHAVEZ KEPT BLOCKING THE FIELD GOAL FROM THE

GRAVE!

>> WE'VE ALL BEEN WATCHING, AND I GUESS, IF YOU HAD -- THE OTHER

PEOPLE JUST REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND YOU HAD HALF

THE LEAGUE SAY WE'RE NOT SURE IT'S TRUE, YOU WOULD HAVE A

SIMILAR CONTROVERSY, BUT WHEN THAT STARTS HAPPENING, THE GAME

BREAKS DOWN AND IN THIS CASE IT'S OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR

DEMOCRACY STARTS FALLING APART.

IMAGINE IF, GOING FORWARD, EVERY SINGLE ELECTION IS TREATED THIS

WAY AT EVERY LEVEL, IMAGINE IF DEMOCRATS START ACTING THIS

WAY -- >> Stephen: IS THAT PART OF

THE DANGER THAT HE'S BROKEN THE SEAL ON THAT IDEA.

>> THAT IS THE CONCERN THAT I THINK WE ALL HAVE.

JOE BIDEN'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS IS

GOING TO BE THE NEXT VICE PRESIDENT, BUT WE DON'T

WANT TO GET INTO A PATTERN WHERE WE JUST ARE WILLING TO THROW OUT

WHAT WE'VE AGREED TO PREVIOUSLY, INCLUDING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL

STRUCTURE, JUST BECAUSE WE FIND IT POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT.

>> Stephen: A LOT OF PRESIDENTS, ONCE THEY LEAVE

OFFICE, BECOMES FRIENDS OR ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE OTHER

PRESIDENT.

THEY LAY DOWN THEIR SWORD AND SHIELD A LITTLE BIT.

YOU'VE PLAYED GOLF WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND

BILL CLINTON.

DO YOU HAVE A TEE TIME WITH THE CURRENT PRESIDENT YET?

>> I DO NOT.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, HE'S A PRETTY GOOD GOLFER.

>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.

I UNDERSTAND, SHOCKINGLY ENOUGH, THERE ARE SOMETIMES

PROBLEMS WITH THE SCORING, AND WHETHER HE'S KEEPING TRACK OF

HIS STROKES.

>> Stephen: THAT'S HUGO CHAVEZ AGAIN.

THAT'S HIS CADDY.

>> IT'S SURPRISING.

>> Stephen: I LOVE THE PLANS OF THE OBAMA LIBRARY ON THE

SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

LOOKS LIKE STAR FLIGHT HEADQUARTERS LANDED THERE.

YOU HAVE A MUSEUM, GYM WHERE YOU CAN PLAY BASKETBALL, BUMPER

CARS, WATER SLIDE, WHAT ELSE.

>> THE BUMPER CARS, NO.

>> Stephen: YOU COULDN'T FUND THAT?

>> NO, UNLESS YOU WANT TO CONFUSE THAT.

STEPHEN COLBERT MEMORIAL BUMPER CARS.

>> Stephen: SOMEBODY PRICE IT AND I'LL THINK ABOUT IT.

>> THIS COULD END UP BEING NOT JUST -- THE GOAL IS NOT JUST

HAVE SOME MAUSOLEUM TO ME.

IT'S RATHER TO CREATE A LIVING DYNAMIC CENTER AROUND WHICH

YOUNG PEOPLE CAN GET INSPIRED AND EVEN TRY THEIR HAND AT AND

LEARN ABOUT HOW THEIR VOICES CAN BRING ABOUT CHANGE.

>> Stephen: ONE OF THE DETAILS I LIKE IS THIS IS GOING TO BE

THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY THAT'S ALL DIGITAL.

THERE'S NO PAPER.

IS THAT BECAUSE AFTER THIS BOOK THERE IS NO PAPER LEFT?

>> THAT'S IT.

>> Stephen: IS THIS WHY THERE WAS A PAPER SHORTAGE IN THE

SPRING?

DID ALL THE TOILET PAPER FETE REROUTED AND RE-PULPED INTO THIS

THING?

A LOT OF PAGES, 740 PAGES.

>> 701, THE ACTUAL STUFF TO READ.

>> Stephen: INDEX IS THERE AND I'M NOT IN IT.

748 PAGES AND I DON'T EVEN GET MENTIONED IN HERE.

WE DID A BUNCH OF STUFF TOGETHER.

>> VOLUME TWO.

>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.

A LOT OF SIMILAR STORIES BETWEEN THESE TWO.

A LITTLE CROSSOVER IN THINGS LIKE THIS.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: IN HER BOOK, MEETING AND YOUR COURTSHIP TO

YOUR ENGAGEMENT, 63 PAGES.

THREE PAGES.

THREE PAGES!

>> ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME IN TROUBLE?

>> Stephen: I'M JUST SURPRISED YOUR EDITOR DIDN'T STOP YOU FROM

GETTING IN TROUBLE.

>> NUMBER ONE, I'M NOT GOING TO CHALLENGE HER VERSION TO HAVE

THE EVENTS.

SO SHE'S DONE IT, THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED.

>> Stephen: YEAH.

ECONDLY, IN MY SECOND BOOK, I TALK ABOUT MEETING HER,

ALREADY.

SO I'VE SPREAD THE STORY OF OUR MEETING OVER THREE BOOKS AND SHE

JUST CONDENSED IT ALL INTO ONE.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER BREAK, SIR, BUT STICK

AROUND.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MICHELLE OBAMA'S HUSBAND.

♪ AT LAST ♪ ♪ MY LOVE HAS COME ALONG ♪

♪ MY LONELY DAYS ARE OVER ♪