Can one book – even with two capable authors – cover all the important events that shaped the marathon United States presidential election campaign ending last November?
Probably not, but Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson, long-time colleagues at the Washington Post, make a valiant effort in The Battle For America 2008 (due in August 2009, Viking, 400-plus pages, US$29.95). They assess the swirling political currents as the voters make history by electing an African-American to the highest office.
Although lengthy, well-researched and deftly written, The Battle For America 2008 isn't quite as “comprehensive” as its authors claim. For two years, longer than civil wars in some nations, the campaign filled TV, newspapers and the Internet. Candidates followed twists and turns in the trail, blundered and tried to recover, saw their fortunes rise, fall and sometimes rise again.
Grudgingly, Balz and Johnson concede they can't cover every candidate from every direction. After all, the contest began with dozens of real or potential contenders. So the authors focus on “the big three” – eventual winner Barack Obama, long-time Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton and Republican war
hero John McCainThis book tells a lot:
-- how Clinton, the former First Lady, had valid reasons for confidence and initially outshone the upstart Obama;
-- which Obama traits inspired the public and quelled concerns about his inexperience;
-- what long prevented Clinton from quitting;
-- why Obama rejected Clinton as a running mate;
-- how the McCain campaign nearly collapsed, yet recovered and battled all the way to election day; and
-- how it happened that obscure Alaska governor Sarah Palin became McCain's running mate.
The main characters line up at the starting gate. “By late 2006, Barack Obama was already the most exciting presidential candidate of either party. Clinton had the money, the experience and the political machinery. McCain had run before, plus he had the compelling war-hero profile. Both Clinton and McCain had long been preparing for their campaigns, while Obama was arriving at the starting gate seemingly out of nowhere in a rush of expectation and hype.”
Then they're off, huffing and puffing, chugging and churning, straining to lead in “the election of a lifetime, one that will be studied for years for its shattering of historical barriers and its long-term consequences for the United States”.
At first, Clinton “maintained a healthy lead in the national polls. Her campaign was being described as a juggernaut, her prospects for the nomination almost inevitable. She was miles ahead of Obama and everyone else on the issue of who had the experience to be president.”
Obama adjusted to the campaign's steady flow, hectic schedule and word battles. He grew more comfortable, refined his messages and seized the chances as his rival faltered. The results proved dramatic.
“The scenes that awaited Obama at Concord High School had become almost commonplace during the primary's final days: long lines of people waiting expectantly for the doors to the gymnasium to open, traffic lining side streets, cars parked illegally. When the doors opened at around 10 p.m., his supporters did not just stream into the gymnasium, they hopped, danced and chanted, exchanging high-fives and hugs and kisses, swept along by the pounding music on the public-address system and a dizzying sense of anticipation.”
But without the long campaign, plus “preparation, organization and luck”, Obama-mania might not have taken hold. The man now in the White House may not have refined his skills or deepened in substance.
The authors deliver interesting details that the candidates may prefer to conceal. “His father and grandfather were four-star Navy admirals, and like them McCain attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Unlike them, he graduated near the bottom of his class in 1958 (894 out of 899).”
At times, Obama showed off on basketball courts. But his athleticism has limits. “They stopped at a bowling alley for a photo opportunity. Obama, trying his hand on the lanes, embarrassed himself by rolling a 37. It was one more small indignity....”
There's a lot that’s skimmed over or omitted. Many readers, especially the most astute followers of politics, will want to know more about how the other candidates went wrong.
For example, the authors describe Republican hopeful Rudy Guiliani, “a rare superstar within the party”, as too vain, too “big-city” and too liberal on abortion and gay rights. But was it really so hopeless for the former New York mayor who emerged from the 9-11 terrorist attacks as a national hero?
Balz and Johnson dismiss the highly touted Fred Thompson, a Republican, as too lazy on the campaign trail. Allegedly, Thompson, also an actor, wanted to be the U.S. president, but not to battle for the part. Could a serious contender be so unrealistic? More than anyone, Thompson should have known the need for strenuous “casting”.
The advance copy of the book that arrived at Cairns Media Magazine contained no photos. That's a major weakness. News photographers shot endlessly, and readers should be treated to samples of their work.
Despite its omissions, The Battle for America 2008 greatly clarifies the political landscape. Many readers will enjoy, even devour, every page, but probably without fully quenching their thirst for knowledge and insight.
Approval rating: 74 per cent.
(July 6, 2009)
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