Clinton or Biden? Obama says he 'loves 'em both'

[February 02, 2015]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama admitted in a pre-Super Bowl interview that aired on Sunday to preferring offense to defense and chips and guacamole to wings, but did not take the bait when asked to choose between Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden.

"Love 'em both," Obama said of Clinton, his former secretary of state, and Biden, his vice president, both of whose names have come up as possible Democratic presidential contenders in 2016.

"Good try," Obama quipped to NBC's "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who had asked him a series of game-related "either/or" questions before concluding with "Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden?"

"I had to try," said Guthrie as she interviewed Obama in the White House kitchen in a segment shown just hours before the kickoff of the Super Bowl game for the NFL championship.

Asked about the "deflategate" controversy involving a probe into whether the New England Patriots used deliberately under-inflated footballs to gain an edge in their 45-7 playoff victory that clinched a Super Bowl berth, Obama said: Here's what I know. The Patriots were going to beat the Colts regardless of what the footballs looked like."

Asked if thought it was cheating if it did in fact happen, Obama replied: "Well you know I think that if you break the rules, then you break the rules."

(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Sandra Maler)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.