Battle For America 2008
The Story of an Extraordinary Election
The Story of the Campaign
Obama says the whole campaign was a novel with several interesting characters: "If you think about it, you've got the first African American with a chance at the seat, first woman with a chance at the seat...and you've got this war hero."
The End of the Reagan Legacy
"Reagan ushered in a skepticism towards government solutions to every problem...I don't think that has changed, I think that's a lasting legacy...but, I do think it is an end to the knee-jerk reaction towards the new deal and big government."
The Reverend Wright Controversy
Obama says "we were caught by surprise. It was just bad research on our part," when videos of sermons of his Reverend, Jeremiah Wright, surfaced.
Running Against Clinton and McCain
After the long primary campaign ended, Obama and his campaign felt the "semi-finals would be tougher than the finals."
The Lincoln Influence
Obama reflects on how President Lincoln, his favorite president and personal hero, informs his view of the presidency: "There's a deep rooted honesty and empathy to the man that allowed him to always see the other person's point of view."
About the Interview
Barack Obama did two book-only interviews for Battle for America 2008, one on Sept. 21, 2008 and one on Dec. 16, 2008.
