NY Times psychoanalyzes the reason Obama enjoys 'Homeland

Here's a weird one.

The New York Times has a comprehensive look at President Obama's TV diet, which includes "Homeland," the popular Showtime espionage show (emphasis added):

It may be “Homeland” that offers the most interesting insight into Mr. Obama’s downtime preferences. Like Fox’s “24” before it, “Homeland” reveals the hidden dangers in a complicated world. But “Homeland” is more subtle, presenting choices that are rarely easy and never cost-free.

Mandy Patinkin, who plays Saul Berenson, the C.I.A. chief on “Homeland,” talked in a recent interview about what he called the “exciting” fact that Mr. Obama watches the show.

“Our job is not to reflect, in my opinion, the real C.I.A. or Washington,” Mr. Patinkin said. “Our job is to be the poetic response, the poetic reflection.”

Perhaps that is what television is for Mr. Obama: a poetic reflection. Or maybe despite his day job, the president simply enjoys the cliffhanger tension of the best dramas.