CHICAGO — Barack Obama says his presidency is an opportunity for the United States to spread a message of tolerance, starting the day of his inauguration and continuing with a speech he plans to deliver somewhere in the Muslim world.
And when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20, he plans to be sworn in like other presidents, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama.
"I think we've got a unique opportunity to reboot America's image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular," Obama said Tuesday, promising an "unrelenting" desire to "create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of goodwill who want their citizens and ours to prosper together."
The world, he said, "is ready for that message."
In a wide-ranging interview, Obama discussed his strategy for his first year in office, vigorously defended his choice for attorney general and reflected on his role as the first African American to be elected president.
Obama's first newspaper interview since his Nov. 4 election came just hours after Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was arrested on a federal conspiracy complaint. The complaint alleges that Blagojevich essentially tried to auction off the appointment to replace Obama in the U.S. Senate. The president-elect declined to speak about any discussions between his representatives and those of the governor, a fellow Democrat.
Obama said he had never spoken personally to Blagojevich about his possible replacement, either before or since his victory. Shortly after the interview ended Tuesday afternoon, Obama's transition office released a statement saying that top advisor David Axelrod misspoke last month when he said Obama had talked with Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy.
Citing an "ongoing investigation" into the matter, Obama said he considered it inappropriate to talk further about the situation.
As the Blagojevich drama unfolded in the federal courthouse, Obama lounged in an armchair in his spare black and gray office, a scattering of peanut shells from his afternoon snack littering the floor.
Obama said the country must take advantage of a unique chance to recalibrate relations around the globe, through diplomacy that emphasizes inclusiveness and tolerance as well as an unflinching stand against terrorism.
"The message I want to send is that we will be unyielding in stamping out the terrorist extremism we saw in Mumbai," Obama said, adding that he plans to give a major address in an Islamic capital as part of his global outreach.
