08-25-2008

FOR AMERICA'S SAKE, NEXT PRESIDENT MUST LOOK BEYOND OUR OWN HORIZON

Sen. Barack Obama was interviewed by John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune aboard his campaign plane late Thursday night (Aug. 21) as he flew over Indiana returning to Chicago for his final home visit before the Democratic National Convention.

By Barack Obama

Q: What goals do you have for your convention, what do you hope it will accomplish and what messages should it send?

A: I think the most important thing we can do is to make the choice this November clear to the voters. I think we are at a historic crossroads. The economy is not working for ordinary Americans. It’s not just the steady accumulation of bad news -- higher unemployment, higher inflation. I think people recognize, partly because of high gas prices, that we’ve got structural problems that have to be attended to.

People’s incomes and wages are flat, and their costs are rising. The social compact that delivered health care and pensions through jobs is going away, and so people are, I think, worried that if we don’t deal with these issues now, that our standard of living could, if not decline, at least remain stagnant.

So, what we want to do with this convention is be very clear: John McCain’s policies do not dramatically differ from George Bush’s and so we should not expect a different outcome. . . . If, on the other hand, we’re willing to push for real change and the promise of a clean energy economy, a health care system that works for all Americans, college that’s more affordable, investments in science and technology and infrastructure. All those things can lay the groundwork for a more unified and more prosperous and more balanced economy down the road.

So, that’s the most important goal we have set now. Obviously, we want to also make sure that the American people have a clear sense of who I am, coming out of the convention. Not because this election is about me, but rather because I don’t want the Republican strategy of attacking my character, or misrepresenting my biography, to get in the way of people’s ability to make a clear decision about the issues.

Q: There seems to be a storyline developing that you are losing some ground to Sen. McCain, and that could worry some Democrats as you head into the convention. Why do you think things have tightened up, and why did you take a more aggressive tone following your vacation?

A: I’m not somebody, as you know, who spends a lot of time obsessing with polling. I mean, if I did, about this time last year I would have dropped out of the race. We always anticipated this race was going to be relatively tight. It’s not as if . . . coming out of the primary season we had some huge lead. And we had a bruising primary battle.

John McCain had three, four months where basically his views were unchallenged, so I don’t think it’s surprising that the race has tightened. I think that although the American people know we need change, John McCain’s been in public life for 25 years, he’s got a compelling biography. I’m relatively new, and people are going to take their time and lift the hood and kick the tires before they make their final decision on this race.

Q: Have you faced any test in your own life that can give Americans the assurance of personal strength and courage in a crisis in the same way provided by John McCain’s experience of enduring torture in a North Vietnamese prison?

A: Well, look, you know, I would suggest that enduring torture is a fairly unique experience that no president -- or very few presidents -- have undergone. What I would point to is the journey I’ve traveled throughout my entire life. You know, it’s pretty unlikely that I ended up here. I wasn’t born into prominence, was raised by a single mom. I had to scratch and claw my way to the point I am now, and I think I’ve done so without cutting corners or compromising my integrity. And maybe it looks easier than it is.

Q: You have described patriotism as “loyalty to America’s ideals” and said it “must . . . involve a willingness to sacrifice.” What is the thing that you value that you have sacrificed for America’s ideals, and what does it tell the country about your brand of patriotism?

A: Well, you know, I think the choices I’ve made in my adult life to work as a community organizer, instead of taking more lucrative offers, to work as a civil rights attorney, rather than go to a white-shoe law firm. All those decisions have been consistent with my belief that a life of service is a way of expressing one’s patriotism. I think military service is one of those paths to service and one that I have the highest regard for.

Q: Do you envision the presidency as being the leader of the free world or the leader of America?

A: I think, first and foremost, the leader of America and promoting America’s national interests. That’s the job description, keeping Americans safe and secure, growing the American economy.

But I think, now more than ever, the fate of America’s economy, our long-term security, also depends on our ability to forge alliances and partnerships with other countries, and certainly the lines between . . . foreign policy and economic policy blurred, when trade and technology have shrunk the globe and made goods and services move across borders with lightening speed. Issues like terrorism are transnational.

So, my job as president would be to look after the American people and their safety and security, but part of that job involves being able to see beyond our own horizon.

Q: John Edwards recently said that running for president got to his head. What has the process done for your own ego?

A: I actually think this has been a very humbling experience. You know, the longer I’m at this, the more I realize how many problems have mounted over the last eight years, how many tough decisions we’re going to have to make to dig ourselves out of the hole that we’re in.

You know, I’ve also learned how solid the American people, how generous they are and how decent they are. . . . They need leadership right now, and so I think it’s very humbling to be in the position I’m in, knowing that I’m one man and will make the occasional mistake.

What keeps me up at night is not losing the election, but it’s making sure that I can deliver on the promises that are being made in the course of this campaign, and the broader promise of America that people still believe in.

Q: How do you assess yourself as a candidate? Are you still getting better?

A: Yes. There’s no doubt. Over the course of 19 months, you’re going to have your good weeks, and you’re going to have your bad weeks, and you’re going to have speeches where you’re hitting on all cylinders and others that are, you know, painful to listen to, or to deliver. . . .

For me, the challenge is not so much technical, you know, how am I delivering a speech, or is our campaign well run. It has much more to do with something in your gut. . . . Do you feel like you are tapped into the truth of what people are experiencing right now? Are you communicating a sense of why this election is so important? Are you able to transmit the struggles that you’re hearing from the single mom or a guy who has been laid off? Are you able to give voice to that in a way that resonates?

You know, you’re not always there, but I think what you try to do is, it’s like hitting in baseball -- you’re never going to bat 1,000. But what you want is to have a good swing and make contact and hopefully your batting average improves over time.

© 2008 CHICAGO TRIBUNE
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