Who invented television?

No, really, I have no idea, although most inventions and products that we grew up loving — see peanut butter, the cast of Saved by the Bell and Hanson’s “MMMBop” — I can easily assign to those responsible for their existence — see Iowa State’s very own George Washington Carver, Sam Bobrick, and MTV.

Television, however, was not unveiled one day by Mr. TV. Rather, the medium took a slow and circuitous route to be what it is today — including the first long distance transmission in 1927, the first airing of regularly scheduled broadcasts by Iowa State’s own W9KX in 1933 and the switch to color in 1950.

But who really cares who invented it? All that matters is we have it. So let’s just put the invention question on the permanent back burner and agree that many people deserve our thanks and gratitude.

Why, you ask? Hasn’t television desensitized our children to violence while making them more prone to violent behavior? Don’t television programs just make us more and more stupid as we commit more time to the medium every year?

Well, the detrimental potential is there. However, television can also educate through programs such as Sesame Street, Cash Cab, and Jeopardy; relay critical information worldwide in seconds — for example on Sept. 11, 2001; It can also just relax us — something important, especially considering our country’s present economic state.

But wait a minute. As I write this in front of my TV set, Jay Leno’s monologue must be distracting me. I’m supposed to write about politics, I remember now.

Hmmm… What to write?

Well, speak of the greatest political devil of them all — President Obama is on The Tonight Show! My column is supposed to be all about the guy.

Maybe not though. The interview will probably suck. Obama will just tell Americans to be brave and tough it out and that he and “Washington” are working hard and doing their best to solve the problems of “Main Street.”

Let’s see what’s on MTV.

Or maybe not.

Obama is making people laugh — he’s talking to Americans like an American — he is even talking politics while blending in small talk and pop culture references!

“I am living life in a bubble,” he says, giving viewers a look at things from his perspective. He explains that he wanted to walk 750 yards to his town hall meeting site in California, but that the Secret Service wouldn’t let him and that when he does go for short walks, doctors follow him with a defibrillator “just in case.”

Leno asked if he knew what he was getting himself into when seeking the presidency and if he still wants the position, he simply states “I welcome the challenge — I ran for president because I wanted to bring change.”

Then, Leno brought up the hot topic of AIG and Obama said that D.C. politics is currently “like American Idol, but every congressman wants to be Simon Cowell.” After the crowd roars, he explains what happened to AIG and so many firms like it in a very simple manner.

“AIG insured a lot of stuff and was a solid company for awhile. Then somebody decided, let’s put a hedge fund on top and sell derivatives, which are based off of subprime mortgages, all around the world. When people started going bust on subprime mortgages, AIG had $30 of debt on every dollar of mortgage. They were so entangled with other economic sectors that we had to intervene,” Obama said.

Easy enough. It sucks, but I can actually understand that to some extent.

When Leno gets more specific, asking about the bonuses, Obama said, “Who in their right mind would think you should be paying bonuses when your company is going bust? It’s just a sense of entitlement and a lack of responsibility. Sure, AIG may have made a correct legal judgment, but moral and ethical judgment is more important. So we need to put in regulatory mechanisms to keep companies like this from holding us hostage and putting our entire financial system at great risk.”

Concluding talk on the economy, Obama said that we need fewer children to grow up aspiring to become financial planners, and more wanting to become engineers, doctors, scientists and teachers.

“Seems like a good idea,” I mutter.

Ending the political discussion, Obama says that he, not Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner, is ultimately responsible for finding out how to fix things in America — that it’s why the majority voted for him.

“I want to break the pattern of always looking for somebody else to blame,” he said.

A politician is saying this? Breath of fresh air.

Before leaving, Obama again aims for and hits on humor again while sounding like an American citizen. Flying in Air Force One is pretty cool, especially because he gets to wear a jacket with wings on it. He doesn’t know why his basketball opponents would ever throw a game — except for the armed secret servicemen surrounding the court — and he has UNC slated to win the NCAA championship in his March Madness bracket.

So what’s this column’s conclusion?

Thank you, television, and thank you, President Obama.

Television, you provided the opportunity for a president to candidly speak to Americans in a non-political venue. President Obama, you actually chose to appear on The Tonight Show and speak to Americans honestly, simply, and like Mr. Obama — an overly intelligent American, but another American no less.

 — Steve Adams is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Annapolis, Maryland.