We've all seen the photo, which the Obama campaign tweeted on election night and quickly became the most-retweeted in Twitter history. And we've already heard the photographer's side of the story. But now President Obama and the First Lady are telling theirs. In an interview that's airing tonight Barbara Walters asks the president: "Why were you hugging her so hard in Iowa?" (Walters also, it is to be noted, pronounces the words "viral" and "Twitter" in the most fantastic, Baba Wawa-esque way imaginable.) The president responds: "Because I love my wife." (Pause for collective national "aww.")

Michelle Obama goes on to recount something we already knew from Slate's interview with photojournalist Scout Tufankjian: the two hadn't seen each other in a while. "The first time I saw him was when I walked on stage to greet him," Michelle told Walters. "And that's my honey giving me a hug."

Tufankjian told Julia Turner back in November that Obama "seems the happiest that you ever see him" when he's around his family. Here's the full interview from ABC News:

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Esther Zuckerman