♪ you know, in the end, mark, the most important thing about that pitch is, we were right, and you were wrong. end of story. on that pitch, i'll give you that one, kevin. wow. that's a first. yep. (barbara) that is a first. steve jobs said, "stay hungry, stay foolish." and that's exactly what we're planning to do. we're hungry and foolish. (chuckles)

there's no place like home for the holidays. particularly, if this is home. all presidents have the power. and the problems. >> maybe george washington might be the exception. >> i remember i interviewed him. >> announcer: barbara walters has talked to every president since richard nixon. all eight of them asking the questions we all were wondering. >> are you sorry? >> how important is it for the president to be a role model. >> there were no weapons of mass destruction? >> first person, from first ladies, lady bird johnson. betty ford. nancy reagan. hillary clinton. >> do you have a terrible temper? >> no. but i get angry about things. >> it isn't easy living at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. >> i did promise her an

interesting life. >> announcer: a white house with two teenagers, who don't necessarily want to hang with mom and dad any more. >> i love you so much. but i'm leaving. >> announcer: tonight, a president looking toward his future. and reviewing his past. >> you have said that you would rather be a good one term president than a mediocre two term president. which are you? >> announcer: within last visit to the white house, where she so often has been before. >> you were with us so much somebody wondered if you weren't part of the party. >> announcer: tonight on 20/20, walters at the white house. >> good evening, you never lose the thrill of visiting the white house. and it's even better, if the president and first lady open up and tell you how they really feel about things. and i've been very fortunate. i've had a front row seat for presidential concessions about

welfare public and private lives. >> 1600 pennsylvania avenue is an address i've come to know a bit. for over 40 years, i have interviewed every president there. during good times and bad >> you said you wanted osama bin laden dead or alive. which would youprefer? >> i don't care. >> did you really say you were sorry you didn't inhale? >> i wasn't trying to exonerate myself. when i said i didn't inhale. >> their first ladies confided in me, and loved the story lady bird told me about president johnson. >> he proposed to you on the second date? >> as i told him, this doesn't make sense. >> i have met presidential dogs of every shape, every size, one even defied his commander in chief! >> well, yeah, there may be a few others.

>> thank you for meeting with me this morning. >> what a privilege it has been to view history at such close quarters. >> good to see you. >> how are you? >> i have interviewed president obama four times. but rarely had i talked to him at a more vulnerable point in his presidency. the rollout of obamacare had been a disaster. >> we fumbled the rollout on this health care law. >> and with his approval ratings at an all time low, he and his wife michelle sat down for a candid interview. >> are you worried that you won't be able to get things done because of this lack of support? >> well, barbara -- if you remember, i've -- gone up and down pretty consistently throughout -- [ laughs ] but the good thing about when you're down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up. >> exactly. [ laughs ] okay. i know that by now, you both have fairly thick skins. [ laugh ] but when you hear your husband being booed, the

president, at a recent basketball game, how do you feel? >> it's part of -- it's -- it's -- it's part of being president of the united states -- >> so, it doesn't get to you? >> it's -- it's part of the job. you know, i -- i -- i don't really know what more to say, barbara, except it's, you know, it's a hard job. you know, i -- i am fortunate to be living with a man who has a long view of -- of this job. who understands that in the case of healthcare, that this is all about the folks who don't have insurance, the folks that he sees every single day. >> i mean, this is a man man you love, who people, some people -- >> i do. >> i love you. >> she does. [ laughter ] >> i don't have to do anymore. >> no, you don't. >> this is -- [ laughs this is j -- >> i think they've done -- [ both talking at once ] >> -- that's all -- you know, i mean, it's -- it's as plain and simple as that, barbara. and i got his back. >> she does have my back. >> from -- from five years to today to forever. >> yeah. >> i've got his back.

>> the truth is a lot of people have our back. a lot of people give us love. the truth we get a lot more cheers. but this is an example of -- >> i've been booed. >> -- serve -- servin' a narrative. >> i'm pretty popular. [ laughter ] my numbers look pretty good, and i've been booed. >> your numbers are better than his numbers. >> okay. absolutely. i think -- i think -- i think that's always been the case. >> and the lessons for young people in this is that you're gonna get booed. you know, you're gonna have people who don't like what you do. but you better have your own vision. that's really what i want young people to take from -- from us, our story, whatever good or bad they see in it, i want them to know that life requires work and sacrifice and sometimes it's painful. but you gotta work at it and you gotta be able to take the lumps -- as well as the cheers. >> it's hard to sit opposite you, mr. president, and say this, but a lot of the criticism of you -- a lot of the criticism, is personal. people just don't think you're trustworthy. >> well, i don't think that's true, barbara. you know, the truth of the matter is, is that i got

reelected in part because people did think i was trustworthy and they knew i was workin' on their behalf. i -- i -- i think the bottom line is, barbara that -- i don't know any president who hasn't gone through certain periods during their presidency, maybe george washington might be the exception. >> i remember, i interviewed him. [ laughter ] >> yeah, well, he probably would've told you -- if -- if that were true, that -- there are gonna be moments where -- things aren't goin' as smoothly as you want. very rarely are the good things that happen get the same attention as the things that aren't working as well. >> you have said that you would rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president. which are you? >> well, i think the best would be a good two-term president. [ laughter ] so, that's what i'm gonna be shootin' for. every president in their second term -- is, you know, mindful that you've only got a limited amount of time left. and you wanna make sure that you

are squeezin' every last ounce of energy that you have to try to deliver on the commitments you made to the american people. >> he is one year into his second term, but there are already questions about who his successor might be. >> mr. president, people say it's time for a female president. do you agree? >> well, i think that we have some amazing -- female public servants all across the country. and there is no doubt that sometime very soon, we're gonna have a female president. and i'm confident that she will do a great job. >> do you think that the first lady might have made a better president than you? >> of course. that -- that's an easy question. but -- she -- she's smart [ laughter ] enough to know that -- you know, she might not want -- to -- to go through the process. >> i absolutely don't agree. it takes -- you know, he -- has

a level of patience and -- and focus -- and tenacity and calm, you know, that -- you know, you -- that just doesn't -- you know, c -- come by -- anyone. >> that you know -- you don't have that patience? >> i definitely don't. [ laughter ] >> the president and his wife, michelle just celebrated their twentieth anniversary. through their years together in the white house, she has always been his moral compass in the political storm. >> she grounds me. she knows my strengths and she knows my weaknesses. >> no matter what lies ahead, he calls her "his rock," his reality check. >> so, in this interview, you are pretty lovey-dovey. but are there certain things that you argue about? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> absolutely. >> we're married. [ laughter ] we've been married for -- [ all talking at once ] >> i mean, we're married. [ laughter ] >> do you -- do you really want us to -- [ all talking at once ] -- go through the list of things

[ laughter ]that irritate us about each other? >> yeah. they -- >> [ laughter ] no. [ laughter ] >> i mean, that's -- that's the nature of marriage. you have to respect each other. you have to like each other. you have to be honest with each other. but it's not always going to be smooth sailing. and there's some work involved. and there should be work. and -- there are gonna be tensions. >> do you -- you know, when everything's quiet lately, do you -- do you nag him and say, "honey, why don't you this, that?" >> no, no. i -- i tried not to do that. we both try to make sure that home is a sanctuary -- particular because when we're home, our girls are home. and they dominate the conversation when they're -- they're there. and they're not talkin' about issues of the day. they're talkin' about issues of their day. [ laughter ] which has nothing to do with what's goin' on in the rest of the world. so, you know everyone has to have their safe havens, a place of peace and calm and that's home for us. so, i try to stay out of his ear.

he's got enough people in his ear. >> announcer: still ahead, growing up in the white house. it's teenage slumber parties on the third floor. social media? photo bombing. and dating? >> does she date? >> announcer: when walters at the white house continues. i get out a lot... except when it's too cold. like the last three weekends. asthma doesn't affect my job... you missed the meeting again last week! it doesn't affect my family.

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>> announcer: we return to walters at the white house. >> i love you daddy. >> i love you guys. sleep tight. >> love you. bye bye. >> love you, daddy. bye >> sasha and malia obama were just seven and 10 when their father was elected president in 2008. to protect their privacy, the first daughters were made off limits to the press, with only trips or holidays >> i'm malia, i'm 14.

>> sasha and malia, before our eyes, you are growing up to become strong, smart beautiful women. >> malia 15 is no longer daddy's little girl. >> having adolescents so close to adolescence is a challenge you are at that stage with malia. can she date? >> uh-huh. >> does she date? >> oh we're not gonna -- >> we're not gonna talk about that. >> -- we're not gonna get -- give her business out on -- >> we're excited that -- [ all talking at once ] >> -- i don't -- >> -- i got that far. >> yeah. >> so, she can date. >> yeah -- >> she -- she does -- >> she does what every -- >> every normal teenager -- >> 15 -- >> -- does. that's the only way -- >> -- year old does. >> you know, we think about not just her life here, but her life after. because she's gotta be an independent, strong, smart, capable woman in the world. so, she has to get her training now. >> can they have sleepovers >> oh, gosh -- yes -- >> no? >> they're never home. [ laughter ] >> they've got a third -- >> third floor, yeah. >> the third floor of the white house. a series of rooms on top of the

mansion, set back and hidden behind a balustrade. once reserved for guests, it's now used for teenage sleepovers and pajama parties. >> -- third floor full of -- young women who are -- giggling behind closed doors -- >> we have no idea what's going on. >> you don't peek in? >> nah. >> i do periodically -- >> their parents say, so far there's no real sign of teenage rebellion, but malia and sasha do know how to argue their case. >> i will say, malia and sasha -- they are independent, they've got opinions -- they're like any other young person, and -- they're -- >> they push back on their rules and -- >> -- you know, perfect -- right. >> -- boundaries. malia will advocate to the -- she will, she -- she's got a little -- >> -- ooh, she -- >> -- lawyer in her. >> she'll make her arguments for wanting -- >> yeah. >> -- to do something that she knows we don't want her to do. >> and when it comes to social "thumbs down" >> they do some of it. but we limit it pretty much. sasha isn't, she's not old enough yet. malia does some. but they're still pretty limited. i still am not a big believer in facebook for young people.

particularly for them. >> we see the girls taking photos with their smart phones, malia even "photobombed" sasha's picture of their parents' kiss. still their texts and pictures are not public, unlike their parents. mrs. obama posted this "selfie" with first dog bo on instagram just a week before they got a new puppy at the white house. >> now, bo has a little sister? >> he -- we have more. >> we have now -- >> we've expanded our family. >> -- sunny. >> this white house video introduced the year old sunny to the world. >> come here. come here. >> why did you want another one? >> for bo, yeah. >> i see, bo was lonely? >> he was feel -- well, you know what, the girls -- the other -- the two puppies, malia and sasha were startin' to grow up. he was feelin' a little neglected. >> and bo wasn't the only one feeling lonely. with the girls spending less and less time at home, the president was too. >> between sports -- social

events, and homework -- you know, they're -- they're -- we don't see 'em as much as we used to. >> the weekends, they're busy. you know, they are -- they don't wanna hang out with us. >> they still come in. and they'll s -- you know, they'll sit and say, "oh daddy --" >> oh you're -- >> " i-- i love you so much." >> "but i'm gonna be leaving." >> "but i'm gonna be leaving --" [ all talking at once ] >> then they kinda give me a little -- little push and -- of the -- of the -- [ all talking at once ] >> "that's enough, daddy." >> "that's enough. that's what you get." >> and when the girls went away to sleepaway camp, sunny and bo were there to fill the empty nest. >> barack noticed this summer with the girls both in camp, you know, we -- we got a glimpse at our future and -- with just -- just the two of us -- >> oh, yeah. >> -- lookin' at each other at the dinner table with bo and sunny. and for the first time he was touched. >> well -- >> he almost teared up. he was like -- >> is it true that when the president's away you sleep with bo? >> no. >> that's not true. >> uh-huh. no, no. >> really? >> absolutely not. >> now, is this news to you?

>> look, my -- my general rule is -- thanks, barbara. >> thank you. >> -- don't let the dog in -- >> so sorry. >> -- the bedroom. >> i see. >> yeah, we don't -- >> although -- although -- -- let the dog in the bed. >> you know, i've -- i've given up the girls -- >> no. >> the girls let these guys both in the bed. >> sorry. >> how can you help it? they're so cute. >> the rambunctious sunny also keeps four year old bo in shape. >> which goes "hand in paw" with the first lady's initiative to combat childhood obesity through exercise and diet. ♪ >> this is way more fun than sitting in front of the tv. >> videos of mrs. obama dancing have gone viral, as did this potato sack race she had with jimmy fallon in the white house. ♪ >> but for her last years in office the first lady is turning her attention to a new cause, urging high school students to continue their education. >> you have a new initiative -- to help to make the united states number one in college graduates by 2020. this is a very personal --

initiative for you. >> absolutely. i wanna really shine a light on -- on the kids and have them take more ownership in their education. i mean, that's how both barack and i did it. you know, we didn't have a lotta support from home. and at some point, we both understood that it was gonna be up to us to get good grades and understand the process and carve out a path for ourselves in order to succeed. and it's important for kids to understand that they have to go beyond high school if they're gonna be competitive. >> and what about their own future, with just three more years in the white house? >> you are both very young. i mean, for me -- >> say that again [ laughter ] as i reach 50. >> i'll keep saying it. >> say it again. >> to me you're very young. and i know you don't like to think that much in the future. but you are in your second term. do you have a dream for what you'd like to do? will you continue in politics?

you must -- >> how -- okay, no? that's a no. >> well, look, there -- there -- i -- i think it's fair to say that i've run my last campaign. i won't be -- i won't be in another elected office. will i continue to care deeply about issues we are working on? absolutely. >> whether they move back home to chicago or stay in washington dc depends in large part on their youngest daughter sasha >> well, malia will be in college, but sasha will be -- >> sophomore, will still be in high school. >> she'll be a sophomore in high school. >> so, you may-- >> -- until she goes off to college. >> so, you may wanna stay in washington because of sasha? >> well, we'll -- >> i don't wanna pin you down -- >> but -- but -- >> -- but i am. >> but well -- let's go this -- let's -- further this way, sasha will have a big say in where we are. obviously they've -- and michelle have made a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things. >> cockamamie ideas. [ laughter ] so, when you met him did he ever say, "you know what, i'm gonna be president"? and did you say what? >> no.

he -- he -- i don't think he envisioned the presidency. but he did talk about wanting to -- help people. that inspires me and us to think about how we can keep having impact beyond ourselves. >> i did -- i did promise her -- an interesting life -- >> an interesting life. >> and -- >> that he did. and -- >> i've -- i've kept that promise. >> he's kept -- he -- you know, he keeps his promises. >> and maybe more interesting than you might have wanted. >> right. it's been interesting. and it -- and it will be when we leave. >> announcer: still ahead, remarkably candid first ladies, who shared their troubles, from alcoholism to depression. to the kind of love that can weather a scandal. >> no one can make me laugh the waybill does. >> announcer: when walters at the white house continues. like never before. ou cak

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>> announcer: 20/20's walters at the white house continues. here again, barbara walters. >> i barack -- >> if the president is the most powerful man on earth then the first lady just might be the most powerful woman. i have had the privilege of

interviewing ten first ladies back to maimy eisenhower. and the question that always comes up is -- just how much influence do they really have over all that power. >> when you hear people say, "she's the power behind the throne" how does that make you feel? >> it's just not true. >> i'm certainly not his foreign affairs or domestic advisor, that's not my expertise. >> she's one of my most trusted advisors. >> we talk -- our relationship is such that we are each other's advisors. >> that kind of partnership between a president and first lady may seem typical today. when i interviewed lady bird johnson 20 years after she and president johnson left the white house i heard a different story. >> it was a different world then. this was your husband.

you lived his life, pretty much. >> when you say it was a different world. i read that you shined his shoes. >> i soon found a more competent shoe shiner! >> but you did all those other things. and many women today would rebel against that role and say now mrs. johnson why did you do all that? >> because he would take on the harder tasks and i really think it was an unfair division of labor, with me getting the easier parts. >> easier perhaps, but being first lady has always come with its own burdens. in 1977 when i interviewed president and mrs. ford it was clear, during a tour of the white house living quarters, that the first lady was handling the pressure of the presidency by abusing alcohol. >> yes. uh. barbara, i fixed this room, for him. i brought things from home, uh, from home. >> her speech was slow and sometimes slurred and i choose then to edit out much of the interview.

today her struggle with alcoholism is well known and the rehabilitation center that bears her name is the ford's greatest legacy. in 1987, a decade after leaving the white house, we spoke again. >> the toughest part for you was to admit that you were an alcoholic. >> the word "alcoholic" to me had a feeling, a meaning of being disheveled, drunk, all of those things, so how could i be an alcoholic? >> since mrs. ford's courageous confession other first ladies have taken on important issues. in 1994 barbara bush spoke candidly with me about her history of depression. >> i was ashamed and i was certainly ignorant about depression, and i was so dumb, i didn't ask for help. and george was the only one who knew i had it and he would say, 'why don't you get some help?' >> you even write that you had thoughts of suicide. >> well, not quite, but i had

thoughts. >> you said you thought of driving into a tree. >> yes. >> well, that's pretty serious business. >> well, it was pretty serious, and i didn't even tell my best friend. i didn't tell anybody. >> the interview allowed the public to see a more personal side of mrs. bush. but it's the woman who was occupying the white house at the time of this interview who redefined the role of frist lady. from day one hillary clinton was a charismatic and sometimes controversial first lady. when we first spoke in 1996 there had been the failed healthcare overhaul, whitewater, even rumors she had, in a fit of rage, thrown a lamp at the president. >> i mean, you know i have a pretty good arm. if i'd thrown a lamp at somebody, i think you would have known about it. >> do you have a terrible temper? >> no, but i do get angry about things. i'm not going to deny that. i do, there are things that i think are wrong or things that i think should be fixed and i am not at all shy about expressing my opinion. >> i have been with the clintons on many private occasions and have never doubted their commitment to one another.

in 2003 i again interviewed mrs. clinton again for the publication of her book living history and she spoke frankly about both her public and private life. >> there is something in your book on page 75 that i thought answered the question, and i have underlined it. would you read it? >> "i'm often asked why bill and i have stayed together. all i know is that no one understands me better and no one can make me laugh the way bill does. even after all these years, he is still the most interesting, energizing and fully alive person i have ever met." >> a complicated love that has survived and thrived but by far the most fabled love story i witnessed in the white house was that of president and mrs. reagan. when we spoke in 1981, just three months after the assassination attempt on her husband, mrs. reagan described that terrifying ordeal. >> we got to the hospital and i

remember police running back and forth in the corridors and yelling, get those people out of the way! finally they let me in to see ronnie and that's when he said honey i forgot to duck. >> mrs. reagan was there a point when you thought your husband might die? >> i was awfully scared. i was awfully scared. >> their love sustained for 52 years. and for so many of those years people wondered, as i did, what their secret was. >> how do you keep the romance in a marriage? >> i don't know. we get along. clark gable had a line once that i thought was very eloquent. "there's nothing more wonderful for a man than to approach his own doorstep knowing that someone on the other side of the door is listening for the sound

of his footsteps." and i've always had the feeling that for 34 years somebody is listening. the hidden power of a loving first lady. and when we come back, the husbands, the presidents. >> announcer: still ahead, agonizing decisions, events that change history. how they really feel about being under the microscope. every facial expression analyzed. every stumble ridiculed on saturday night live. when walters at the white house continues.

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it's where the buck stops, the president's desk, what does it take to survive the pressures and have an impact? each had their defining moments and the moments they regret. >> in my interviews with eight u.s. presidents. they talked about their most difficult decisions. >> now we know that there were no weapons of mass destruction? was it worth it? >> oh, absolutely.

>> we touched on life changing events, like the assassin's bullet that nearly killed ronald reagan. >> i didn't know i was shot. i thought it was fireworks. after i got in the car, all of a sudden, i felt the most excruciating pain i've ever felt. >> most important, each president revealed his inner thoughts about the challenges he faced that would define his legacy. >> if you place your left hand on the bible. >> for richard nixon, it was the watergate scandal. >> not the slightest suggestion i had knowledge of the planning. >> the only u.s. president to quit while on the job. >> i shall resign the president see effective noon tomorrow. >> nixon left in disgrace done in by his secret oval office recordings which proved he knew about the break-in. i sat down several times with president nixon. >> you are with us so much somebody wondered if you weren't part of the party. >> the most difficult was his

his first live interview after leaving the white house. >> are you sorry you didn't burn the tapes? >> yes, i think so because they were private conversations subject to misinterpretation as we have all seen. >> every time i saw him from then on, he apologized again. >> i made my mistakes as we have all seen. >> i gerald r. ford solemnly swear -- >> when vice president gerald ford was sworn in, he became the first and only us president not to be voted into office, within a month, ford pardoned nixon. >> i full, free, and absolute pardon. >> a controversial gesture that may have cost him the next election. >> it hurt you. in this election. >> i am sure, uh, barbara, that it had an adverse impact. i just decided, regardless of the political consequences, that i would do what i thought was right. >> president ford built a reputation for falling down those slippery air force one stairs, but i couldn't summon the courage to ask him about it.

>> jimmy carter, the peanut farmer from georgia, was a southern gentleman, at least on the surface. and that was fortunate for me because this was my first presidential special. >> are you mean? do you have a cold, hard mean streak, do those blue eyes get cold and hard? >> well, i'm mean enough to protect myself. and to win if i'm in a battle, >> and there's another moment with the carters that took me years to live down. >> i just pray that i will never disappoint the american people. >> why couldn't i have left well enough alone? >> be wise with us, governor. be good to us. >> ugg. >> read my lips. no new taxes. >> for the first president bush,

the issue was credibility. he was accused of being 'too nice.' >> shall we say that terrible word? wimp factor. >> in other words, he vacillated on major issues. >> you sorry that you ever said, "read my lips, no new taxes"? >> i'm not sorry in the sense of trying to hold the line on taxes. i think it caused a credibility problem at the time. i would have to rank that as not a howling success. put it that way. >> it didn't help that mrs. bush sometimes openly contradicted the president. but it gave me an amusing insight to the inner workings of their, at the time -- 44 year marriage -- >> you felt that some of his answers perhaps during the campaign were not as strong about the homeless as they should have been and you it was something the truth? >> yeah, i saw that, too. i thought it was outrageous. >> that's not true or untrue.

>> what's that mean? >> it is of a great concern and you wanted him to know it, is that it? >> well, i think he knew it. >> no, she criticized some answer i gave, i wouldn't say chastised me for it, it wasn't exactly, but -- >> you must have told. i didn't tell. >> i william douglas clinton -- >> when bill clinton arrived in washington, the central question was about his character. an issue in the 1996 presidential campaign. >> how important is it for the president to be a role model? >> i think it's important for the president to be a role model as a leader for the country, but i don't think that means we should turn our politics into one long dark night of personal attacks. >> i did not have sexual relations with that woman. >> the president with the best intentions made some of the worst personal mistakes. nevertheless, he left office with the highest approval rating in history. always articulate, in my most recent encounter,

clinton spoke eloquently about the harsh reality of facing death. >> when you had your quadruple bypass surgery, what impact has that had on you today? >> i realized, you know, that if i hadn't made it through that surgery, i would have still had a life more full, more rich than the vast majority of people that ever lived. and i decided that, you know, if people survive for a reason, that, that my reason should be to give those chances to other people. >> from the first days of his presidency, george w bush faced a list of challenges, none bigger than this -- >> there is one report a plane has hit the world trade center. >> mr. president, you were in a

classroom of second graders, reading a school children's book, when your chief of staff whispered in your ear. what did he say? >> he said, a second airplane has hit the world trade center. america is under attack.' >> what were your thoughts? >> well, i was -- i -- i knew i needed to be clear-headed, and i was anxious to get out of the classroom to get the facts. >> when did you say to yourself, 'this means war?' >> when i learned that the crash was not an accident, but looked like a planned attack, i knew we were --i knew we were entering into a whole new era in american history, that we were at war. >> of all of my presidential interviews, the most unforgettable would have to be with the universally popular ronald reagan. a former actor, he was president of the screen actors guild long before he was president of the united states. >> you, of course, are being called all the time "the great

communicator." do you think that any of that is the acting experience? >> i have often wondered how some people in positions of this kind, how do they manage without having had that experience? >> i took a memorable ride with the gipper on thanksgiving, 1981 at his private ranch in his now famous jeep. >> i hope you're a good driver. you know what you're doing, i hope. >> yes, i've been driving this for quite a while. you probably deduced that it wasn't new. >> i don't want to hurt your feelings, but this is the scroungiest jeep i have ever -- the upholstery is coming out. i mean, i know we have an austerity program, but this is ridiculous. >> our interviews were down-to-earth and forthright. ronald reagan seemed to have the capacity to make the country feel better. >> mr. president, this ranch is a very special place for you. what happens to you here? what does it do for you? >> well, it almost casts a spell. it is truly a shangri la. and it just, well, i guess the scripture line is right.

"i looked at the hills from whence cometh my strength." i've always believed that there was some plan that put this continent here to be found by people to come here and develop a whole new people called american. you look at the beauty of it, and god really did shed his grace on america, as the song says. a beautiful thought. and coming up, they don't know it. but they are the most popular presidential ambassadors on four feet. >> announcer: when we come back, the other white house. the one filled with kids and animals. the white house dogs, just because they command armies, doesn't mean their dog will listen to them. >> come on, barney.

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kids and dogs. they have a way of humanizing a very intimidating address. the white house wouldn't be a home without them. the inhabitants are so important, the place so impressive, we sometimes forget the white house is also a home. with a family. including pets, and kids. for the past 20 years, the children in the white house have all been girls, with protective dads who just happen to be president. >> what is going to happen when she really starts to date? >> you know, most of her dating so far has been like a lot of young people that date, most of them the kids run around in a kind of crowd all the time. >> but what if there's one who takes her out? >> well, i hope some day there will be one. >> in about 10 or 20 years. >> 13 years later, in 2010,

chelsea clinton married investment banker marc mezvinsky. when it came to their families, both presidents bush were fiercely defensive. >> i am going to be angry if people mistreat my girls in the public arena. leave my kids alone, i'd say. i'm getting a little hot when you bring this up. >> sometimes the heat can come from the kids themselves. like when the reagan's daughter patti wrote a book critical of her parents. >> how does that make you feel? >> i will cite the line that appears at the end of every movie. any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. >> on the other hand the reagans seemed delighted by their son ron's turn in the spotlight. he appeared in this sketch on saturday night live. >> he was very poised, he was very charming, he did a dance in his underpants. >> i thought he was very good. >> you enjoyed it? >> yes. >> no white house is complete without a pet or two or three. through the years there have been parrots, and ponies, even

alligators. a cat is optional, but a dog is a must. >> every president has to have a dog, right? >> anytime a president needs a best friend, a distraction, or a warm and furry photo-op, all he has to do is whistle. >> president reagan had ranch dogs, and white house dogs, like rex. >> he is quite a scene stealer. didn't anyone ever tell you not to do scenes with dogs? >> or children! >> like children, pets can occasionally be disobedient. >> why don't you call him and see if he'll come. >> come here, barney. hey, barney. >> he's too interested in all those sheep. >> come here barney. little boy. >> he certainly does listen to you. >> when we returned two years later, barney was still treating the president like a lame duck.

>> barney! barney! come on, barney. come on. >> you don't think it's funny, mr. president, that this dog never comes to you? >> well, of course that's an exaggeration. the dog will come on occasion. >> when? which occasion? >> when you're not here. >> if the commander in chief couldn't get one of his dogs to come, it seems he couldn't stop another from going. which led to one of my lesser known white house scoops. >> ms. beasley. >> you know what i just heard? i just heard that ms. beasley just peed on the carpet in the oval office. >> don't tell anyone. >> we can't confirm or deny that. >> soon after president obama took office, he and the first lady began looking for a first dog. i offered my advice. >> mrs. obama, i sent you a picture of my dog, cha-cha. >> mm-hmm. >> yeah. it like, sits in your lap and

things? >> yes. it's a cute dog. >> it's, it, it sounds kind of like a, a girly dog. we're -- we're gonna have a big, rambunctious dog of some sort. >> make that two rambunctious dogs. we met the new sidekick, sunny, earlier in the program. bo and i are old friends. >> yes, and then they get the tummy rubbed, right? oh, that'swonderful. >> yeah. yeah. >> there's no question, for any white house pet, life is good. how good? even the first lady is envious. >> if you were to die and come back as a person. or a thing. what would you want it to be? >> i know what it s >> what? >> i would wanna be bo. >> i knew you were gonna say that. >> how did you know that? >> 'cause i know you adore bo and because he is so cute. >> he's got a great life. >> yeah? okay, you wanna come back as bo. >> he's got it good. >> you wanna come back as your own dog. okay, fine. >> only bo. not a dog. but bo. >> he has the best life? >> he has it good.

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