President Barack Obama talks with Jay Leno

He was poised, confident and inspiring, and he gave viewers the feeling that while we have a lot of hard work to do, we'll make it through and our country will be as strong as ever. It's a message you'd expect coming out of the White House, but you'd never expect its messenger, the president himself, to give it on a late-night talk show.

On the topic of the economy, and specifically AIG, it's the dirty little secret that President Obama so candidly stated that seems to get overlooked most. “Most of the stuff that got us into trouble was perfectly legal," he reminded Leno. "And that is a sign of how much we’ve got to change our laws.” He went on to explain in a simplified manner how credit default swaps brought down the house of cards for AIG and others, and he spoke of his short-term and long-term policies that he feels will put us on the right road to recovery.

On the personal side, his charm won the day. He finds flying on Air Force One pretty "cool," and particularly likes it when the flight crew gives him "that jacket with the little seal."

His comedic timing was impeccable. On the topic of pick-up basketball games at the White House, Leno wanted to know if they let him win. "Do they throw the game?" he asked.

President Obama gave an incredulous look and a studied pause, which brought a roar of laughter from the crowd. "I don' think I get the hard fouls I used to," he said.

He picks the UNC Tarheels to win the NCAA tournament. When Leno pointed out that North Carolina was a swing state, Obama implied that all of his Final Four picks come from swing states.

And finally, Leno's burning question: "What about the dog?"

The dog is coming soon, Obama said, most definitely. Then added, "They say if you want a friend in Washngton, get a dog."

WATCH OBAMA WITH LENO (NBC):


Photo Credit: Gerald Herbert/Associated Press