In interview, Obama talks about…everything

President Obama sounded off on everything from the economy to the White House pastry chef in an interview today with the Associated Press.

Though “we have successfully stabilized the financial markets” and have “started to see some stabilization on housing,” Obama acknowledged that “we are still seeing is too many jobs lost.”

On the eve of a trip to Russia next week, the President sounded off on Vladimir Putin’s continuing power in the nation.

The former Russian president “still has a lot of sway,” Obama said, adding that Puting still “has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.”

And just days after the Supreme Court struck down a racially sensitive hiring policy, the President said affirmative action was an over-hyped issue.

“I’ve always believed that affirmative action was less of an issue or should be less of an issue than it has been made out to be in news reports,” Obama said. “It hasn’t been as potent a force for racial progress as advocates will claim and it hasn’t been as bad on white students seeking admissions or seeking a job as its critics say.”

More nuggets:

And his view of Michael Jackson, whose death has dominated news coverage for nearly a week: The president said Jackson was “one of our greatest entertainers” and “I still have all his stuff on my iPod.” But he said Jackson’s life had been tragic and in many ways sad.

The president spoke enthusiastically of the White House pastry chef. “Whatever kind of pie you want, he will make it,” Obama said, adding ruefully that that was a problem for him and wife Michelle in regard to their weight.