Why the Heck Is Obama Appearing on The View?

Maybe it's Elisabeth Hasselbeck's sunny personality...or maybe there's another reason why Barack Obama decided to appear on The View this Thursday. It's his second time with the ladies, but his first appearance as president—and the first daytime talk show appearance by any sitting president. So why The View? And why now? The Week presents 5 theories:

1. It's an image thing: Obama took a hit because of the way his administration handled the Shirley Sherrod mess. Where better venue for apologizing to middle-age women?

2. It's inevitable: Clinton did Arsenio. Politicians are slowly wising up and realizing they have a way to squeeze themselves in to the most everyday moments of our lives.
3. The ladies are gentle: Letterman would provide a bigger audience, but Barbara et al are all but guaranteed to play nice, giving him an easy approval ratings boost.

Click here for two more theories, involving every man's favorite things (or so we hear): older women and money.
(More Barack Obama stories.)