You know it was bad when even libs are calling it “something you’d expect from state-run media.”

NEW YORK (AP) – With limited time and the unusual nature of a dual appearance with President Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, CBS’ Steve Kroft said Monday said he thought it important to focus on their professional relationship instead of specific questions about world events.

Kroft said CBS was surprised when the White House suggested the appearance a little more than a week ago. The interview was conducted Friday and aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”

He judged that Obama wanting to do the interview alongside the woman who was once his fierce political rival before joining his administration was news in itself.

“I would have liked very much to delve into some areas of foreign policy and what is going on in the world, but it was not anything we could take on in 30 minutes,” Kroft said, noting the time offered by the White House.

Besides, he said, there are opportunities to ask those questions in presidential or state department briefings.

“What was not ever likely to present itself was the opportunity to sit down and talk to them about their professional relationship,” he said. “We thought that was the most important thing to do. You can watch their body language. You can judge what their relationship is.”

A dual interview with a president and outgoing secretary of state in most cases wouldn’t be particularly appealing. Not in this case, Kroft said.

Obama praised Clinton’s work in the interview. He said that he had made the surprising decision to tap his rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination because he wanted someone who was known on the world stage. After initially resisting, Clinton said she accepted the job because she realized she’d want Obama in her cabinet if she had been elected president.