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In the minutes prior to President Obama's Tuesday press conference, Meet the Press host David Gregory could barely contain his glee as he proclaimed those in the White House, “feel pretty good about how this Republican race is going for the President's reelection prospects, and there's nothing like being the president when the other guys are off fighting.” Gregory added that Obama, “can stand up and say, 'I'm actually dealing with the big issues,' and sort of frame the debate when everybody will be watching.” Correspondent Savannah Guthrie similarly chimed in: “…it has been corrosive on the Republican Party as a brand to go through this difficult nominating process….Anytime the president is appearing presidential, doing the work of the presidency, they like that contrast with what's happening in the Republican primary.” Guthrie's declaration was prompted by Nightly News anchor Brian Williams observing: “…poll numbers yesterday showed there's been some damage to the GOP brand, as everyone suspected. It has caused, you know, some erosion in how people feel about the Republican Party during this long, drawn-out campaign.” Following the press conference, Williams remarked: “…this was the advantage of not being engaged in this exhausting GOP campaign, the incumbent gets to sit back and take it in.”