If you are an admirer of President Obama, and maybe even  if you are not, I encourage you to set aside 37 minutes to watch this remarkable exit interview he gave to Bill Maher.

Maher, who sometimes espouses some views that are considered outrageous by some and uses language that is likewise not for the faint of heart, is on best behavior during this interview, either out of respect for Obama or because he had to negotiate some promises on tone to get the interview, which occurs in the Oval Office.

My own admiration for Obama has grown steadily over the past eight years. I try to grasp some non-racist reason why so many Americans seem to believe that the country has moved in the wrong direction in so many ways over these last eight years. For me, the opposite is the case.

It’s ridiculous to believe that everything good or bad that happens in the country is because of something good or bad the president has done. Our political culture sometimes has trouble grasping this. But Obama is the best explainer of Obamaism, and he has seldom explained it more clearly and calmly than in this interview.