Reporter asks Obama team: Is Big Bird the 'focus'?

On Air Force One today press secretary Jen Psaki addressed reporters' questions about the new Big Bird ad released by the Obama campaign.

Sesame Workshop has asked that the ad be taken down and Psaki said the request is being reviewed.

From the White House transcript of the Q&A:

Q: [T]hinking back to the last campaign of '08 and this time, too, the President has bemoaned at times the focus on trivial things.  And even though you made the point about cutting the deficit, a lot of people will read about it, hear about this ad -- we're a month away from the election and we're talking about Big Bird.  Is this the kind of focus that the campaign should have?

MS. PSAKI: Well, you've been out with the President the last few days, all of you have been.  And 99 percent of his remarks are about his plans for fighting for the middle class, his plans for making sure that young people have the opportunity to go to college, to have access to affordable health care.  You heard him last night and you'll hear him again today lay out the difference between his view on Iraq and the right steps we took in drawing down troops there, and Mitt Romney's doubling down on maybe we should have left troops -- a few troops in Iraq -- not a few -- several thousand troops in Iraq, instead of what the President's approach was.

This election is about serious issues.  That's what the President talks about every day.  That's what his focus is on every day. ...