President Obama Interviews The Wire's David Simon on YouTube

"At the front end, I've to tell you I'm a huge fan of The Wire," President Obama tells former Baltimore Sun crime reporter and HBO series creator David Simon. "I think it's one of the greatest, not just television shows, but pieces of art in the last couple of decades."

The president's favorite character?

Omar, of course.

The White House released a 12-minute video yesterday of the president and Simon discussing the groundbreaking show based on Baltimore and the fallout of the drug war on local communities.

"When I came in as a police reporter, the federal prison population was about 34 percent violent offenders," says Simon. "When I left as a police reporter 13 years later, it was about 7 percent."

Among the highlights, Simon discusses the real-life Donnie Andrews, the model for the character of Omar Little.