Hotline After Dark -- Polls, Schmolls

"World News" led with the Mid-Atlantic snowstorm and hosted an interview with FLOTUS Michelle Obama. "Evening News" led with a Super Bowl recap and featured excerpts of Couric's 2/7 interview with Pres. Obama. "Nightly News" led with a Super Bowl recap.

More of Obama's interview with CBS' Couric aired 2/8 p.m. on "Evening News."

Obama, on uncertainty about "who he is or what he stands for": "This is the Washington analysis that came up over the last couple of months since my poll numbers went down. Nobody was saying that when my poll numbers were high, right? So I just take these kinds of things with a grain of salt."

Obama, on if he pays attention to those comments: "I really don't. My job is to do the best possible job for the American people. I wrote two books. I've done, as you said, a gazillion interviews, and I spent two years running for president. And I think people have a very good sense of what I care about."

Obama: "The pundits, what they're trying to figure out, is why did his poll numbers drop? And Michelle pointed out if you're the average working mom out there, your husband's just lost his job; you're seeing your hours cut back; your home value is lost $100,000 in value; you're trying to figure out how to save for your kids' college education; your 401(k) has just lost half its value."

After the jump, more Obama, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) on how the late Rep. Jack Murtha's (D-PA) relates to health care reform and SC First Lady Jenny Sanford's book tour continues.

More Obama: "And suddenly somebody calls you on the phone in the middle of dinner and says, 'So how's the president doing?' I think their answer is going to be pretty self-apparent. They're not going to be happy. And they shouldn't be. So if we work hard and stay focused on what matters to people in their day to day lives and make some occasionally tough decisions, and the economy improves and people's lives improve, then I think we'll do just fine and everybody will be saying what a connection President Obama has with the American people. Which is what they were saying a year ago" (CBS, 2/8).

TOO SOON?

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) was on "Your World" 2/8 p.m.

Cohen, on Murtha's death: "As we speak today, Representative John Murtha died. And he was my friend. And he served this country for many years, longest serving congressman from Pennsylvania and a Vietnam War veteran. He died because, when he went in for gallbladder surgery, his intestine was perforated. And that shouldn't have happened."

More Cohen: "It was, from what I would understand, malpractice. And somebody who loses their life because of medical fault should have a court system that gives can damages, if -- depending on what the person's life expectancy was and the loss. And the loss of John Murtha is great.

Cohen, on if Murtha is a health care reform "martyr": "No, in no way -- nobody's a martyr. But the fact is, he went for gallbladder surgery, and they perforated his intestine. And that happens to other people around this country. And, so, you should not not have some form of tort system to reward people or their families who are injured. And that's also a way to stop medical malpractice, because people are more likely to be aware of those problems and be more careful. The system is not just to reward. It's also to protect" (FNC, 2/8).

HELL HATH NO MELLOW LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED

SC First Lady Jenny Sanford made the TV rounds 2/8 p.m.

Sanford: "I'm not trying to get even, really. ... I feel like I struck a chord with a number of folks around the country who were surprised, maybe, that I didn't crumble. And I'm just hopeful that I can help some other women."

Sanford, on whether the book is "some sort of retribution" or "some sort of catharsis": "Catharsis, yes. Retribution, no. I'm not really interested in getting retribution. I think it's an honest account of the values that I hold dear and the things I turn to in times of crisis or in a busy political life to keep myself very solid and grounded in my faith, my values. You know, I look to my faith, I look to my God, I look to my friends and I look to my relationships with my family."

Sanford, on why her husband has yet to read the book: "Perhaps he knows the story" (CNN, 2/8).