Obama swipe at ‘same old Washington’

He is most frustrated by the inability “to change the atmosphere” in the US capital “to reflect the decency and common sense of ordinary people” who want leaders to solve problems..

Obama told CBS TV’s Sunday Morning programme that there is no doubt that he underestimated how much “politics trump problem-solving”.

On a lighter note, he said the White House will be a quieter place this summer because his daughters will be in camp for a month – and their parents will be “experiencing the first stages of empty nest syndrome”.

Meanwhile, a doctor who ran against Mitt Romney for Massachusetts governor a decade ago won the chance to challenge him again, this time as the Green Party’s presidential nominee.

Jill Stein, 62, an internist from Lexington, Massachusetts, blasted both Mr Romney and President Barack Obama, saying both had become too dependent on donations from corporations in order to acquire office.

Ms Stein won 193.5 delegates, compared to 72 for comedian Roseanne Barr, who did not attend.