Obama had 'other things to do' than watch GOP's opening night

President Obama did not watch the opening night of the GOP convention because he had "other things to do."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Obama didn't tune in to see Ann Romney, his opponent's wife, or Gov. Chris Christie speak at the convention in Tampa.  

“I was with him and afterward he was working on his briefing books and reading a lot of material, watching sports, but not watching the convention," Carney told reporters on Air Force One as Obama traveled from Colorado to Virginia, two swing states he would like to win in November. "He had other things to do.”

Carney said Obama has "enormous respect" for broadcast reporters but "he gets most of his news through reading." But Carney said when the TV is on, "it's mostly ESPN."

Even though he didn't watch the convention, Obama's aides were eager to push back on the remarks at the convention. Jen Psaki, a campaign spokesperson, said the GOP convention theme "was built on a house of lies."

But Psaki praised Ann Romney for delivering a "very effective" speech. 

"She gave a speech about her relationship with her husband, the strength of her marriage, the love ... she has for her husband and did a great job doing that," Psaki said. "We'll leave it to the voters and the viewers to decide what their thoughts are on the ticket."

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