An hour with Senator Barack Obama

with Barack Obama
in Current Affairs, Books part of Presidents, Past and Present
on Thursday, October 19, 2006 * * * * *

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An hour conversation with Democratic Illinois Senator Barack Obama about his book on the future of American politics, "The Audacity of Hope". Obama also discusses his political career and the possibility of running for president in 2008.

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Keywords:
Presidency
Barack Obama
Iraq
Democratic party

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    1. Progress  05/02/2009 02:56 PM Report

      People have been encouraging me to look at Obama, look at what drives him. He's really just remarkable. Charlie, is there anyone as promising in US? If so I want to hear them, and understand what drives them, what makes them who they are.

    2. IntExec  12/06/2008 01:16 PM Report

      Charlie - Outstanding. President-elect Obama has unique insight and clarity into America and its politics. He uses that same ability to cut through complex problems and make the connections to solutions. He seems to understand that usually there are no silver bullets; that you sometimes cannot simplify complexity and tag one answer to the problem. Mr. Obama’s real gift is his ability to communicate. It is what truly gifted leaders possess.

      I hope you get the chance to interview him after his inauguration.

    3. Jman  11/05/2008 11:33 PM Report

      Congratulations Barack, we need you.

    4. Tamara  11/02/2008 08:40 PM Report

      Charlie, I respect your journalism..but where were your questions here? Specifically at 31:20 when Senator Obama states he was attracted to the black church as a way for social change. What does he mean by that? Why are so many journalists willing to allow Senator Obama to make these very vague statements without asking for any clarification? I have viewed this entire hour and I am still waiting to hear something. He is not saying anything.

    5. Toni  10/27/2008 11:51 PM Report

      I think Obama will be one of the smartest Presdient's we have ever had. I love to hear him talk, he understands and believes what he says - very refreshing.

    6. sam  07/31/2008 03:21 AM Report

      vote in this AOL poll:

      http://news.aol.com/political-machine/straw-poll/

    7. adan  07/23/2008 02:18 PM Report

      barack obama is and will be one of the greatest leader on earth.

    8. Slappy  07/19/2008 10:14 PM Report

      Check out these pretty interesting Barack Obama MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS ~ strictly for your amusement:

      http://motivationalpostersonline.blogspot.com/2008/06/barack-obama.html

    9. Wendy  05/26/2008 05:10 AM Report

      How interesting to watch this interview now when Obama is on the brink of taking the nomination. It's great to see he's still just as terrific as he was back then. I just love how he can calmly and rationally explain everything. It will be so nice to have a coherent President! What he may lack in experience, he certainly seems to make up in intelligence, caring, thoughtfulness, and clarity. I just have a good feeling about Obama. I'm like some others I've seen lately--I haven't been this enthusiastic about a candidate in years, maybe not ever. Thanks for a great interview, Charlie!

    10. Mia  03/01/2008 03:00 AM Report

      He's so smart and sensible. He has what it takes to be President.

    11. LNM  02/29/2008 12:21 AM Report

      Senator Obama has an intangible. Destiny.

    12. Sunday Udoetok  02/12/2008 01:57 PM Report

      Watching this interview all over again, it is crystal clear that Barack Obama is one of the most intelligent, gifted and visionary politician/statesman we have seen in a while in the likes of Bill Clinton, JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. Charlie Rose in his own capacity, is one of the greatest journalist there is out there today - thanks for your fascinating and insightful interviews!

    13. Juan  01/20/2008 09:49 PM Report

      His answers might seem clear and concise to those that lack years of life's experiences, but Obama truly has NO credentials, and few real life experiences and knowledge that he could draw on to make rational decisions. I could out argue him on any point, social or political.

    14. Leo  01/04/2008 08:51 PM Report

      Charlie Rose was at his best here. Great interview.

    15. Almardi from Iowa  12/17/2007 01:39 PM Report

      America needs that level of leadership,honesty, and integrity. He's got my vote!

    16. Steve  12/15/2007 06:11 PM Report

      Juan:

      If you think you're so intelligent, you should write yourself in on your ballot. But don't think I'll vote for you--you're uninformed and completely full of yourself, a bad combination.

      Obama, on the other hand, has passed the most sweeping ethics reform signed into law in 20 years. He has fought on a wide swath of issues in Illinois and in Washington, and he's won more often than not. He knows how to bring both sides together in order to get the most pressing issues dealt with, like fighting nuclear proliferation, subtle ways to improve auto efficiency (look up Healthcare for Hybrids), improving government transparency so that voters can take back the government, and too many others to list here. An effective president needs the legislative skills Obama has. Foreign policy is an area where presidents rely heavily on their advisors, and to judge from his campaign, Obama is good at choosing advisors. Obama is a legitimate candidate who will be effective in the presidency, as long as we can elect him (he seems to have borrow Reagan's Teflon poncho, though, so that shouldn't be too hard).

    17. Emlyn Addison  12/11/2007 04:36 PM Report

      There is nothing audacious about hope; it should be our right to elect leaders whom we can TRUST!

      That skinny kid with the funny name has my vote.

    18. Terri Willis  09/05/2007 06:51 PM Report

      I believe that Mr. Obama would make a great President. He has the knowledge and experience that our country needs to make positive chances. He reminds me of President Kennedy, that what can we do for our country, not what the country will do for you. He has the heart of our Lord, how can we be used to help others. President Bush has not possessed the heart of a christian. He has become like King Saul, useless and unable to lead our country for the better. Barack will make the best decisions for our country, because he believes in the good of all humans. He has my support and my vote.

    19. Rajesh Barnabas  08/20/2007 12:07 PM Report

      Thank you Charlie for your continued great interviews. This Obama interview is a classic.

    20. Gina  07/26/2007 11:27 AM Report

      Barack Obama

      Heâ??s intelligent, articulate, genuine, honest, he gives good political commentary and he grasps human issues. These would be my impressions of Barack Obama. I agree with him about separation of church & state, very important and I agree with him on Iraq and the gradual withdrawal of troops, and I agree we need to sittdown with Iraqi officials to talk with them about how to drive their own civil war with limited support from the coalition. But I believe we will never be able to leave entirely. Let us not fool ourselves in the attempt to solve this situation. If we leave, it is quite possible Iraq will be run over by the insurgents plus the fact that we also have to look ahead at what if anything can and will be done if that happens. Obviously we will always keep some sort of occupation there. I think Obama is a better candidate for President of the United States without his being a vice presidential running mate to Hilary Clinton â?¦without question.

      I would answer to one author who said on this forum that Barack Obama does not understand the presidency. I would say, indeed he does understand the presidency as much as any other of the candidates who are green running for office which would include Hilary Clinton, Edwards and the shared goal campaigns of the other candidates. It is doubtable that most presidents have ever understood the presidency especially upon first being elected into office. Many opinion polls have indeed said that our president Bush does not understand the presidency as he was very green under the gills once he took office himself as we were in process of being thrusted into war. Government in itself has failed the people in many ways over the last 4 or so decades more so in an attempt to unite the parties and the people especially today where the separation seems to be entirely severed almost to the point where the two main political parties, the democratic party and the republican party seem to be self-governing countries within themselves rather than the elected force of one to govern one people, (the United States) rather than separate entities amongst themselves.

      All of this has really gotten out of hand and we need one leader who can step up to the plate and bring it all together. And that is who I will vote forâ?¦the one who has the best chance of doing just that.

    21. Shaft  07/20/2007 02:45 PM Report

      Mr. Rose,

      As I always I will say this, you are one of the best journalists there. I put you way up high alongside my favourite journalists such people like the new generation journalist Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, and my all time favorite Mike Wallace.

      Your conversation with Barak Obama is another best example that America is coming along way toward real-democratic nation. Journalists and their editors have the ultimate responsibilities in propagating Democracy and the benefits of living in the Deomocratic society, you and the mentioned journalists are crossing that road to ultimate democratic state. Democracy is a transient path to utopian society, it is not a destination; it continues to grow with time and changes to include the forgotten.Obama's key note speech is an example for all Americans to hope for. Obama's decision to run for the top job is by far the best decision for America.

    22. Beth  06/20/2007 10:27 PM Report

      Thank you for interviewing Senator Obama. As a working, intelligent and military veteran, I know our country desperately needs his leadership. I plan to help him campaign for President.

    23. Phillip Urso Russo  06/16/2007 01:17 AM Report

      The junior senator from Illinois has yet to visualize himself as President without the immediate thought that he is jinkzZing himself. Not for lack of sincerity or integrity - but greenery.

      He speaks and I listen I should as a reasonable man, and do.

      Nevertheless, he does not understand the Presidency - period.

    24. Lynda   06/08/2007 09:03 PM Report

      I would like to point out that a candidate's book can show his quality and range of thought but the book shouldn't be looked to for detailed programs on particular issues.

      Asking candidates for their programs, etc. is so rampant in the media that we have been made to miss the significance of the planning process. Policies, beyond their basic philosophical cast, and detailed programs must come about through a process that a statesman- leader can engender but shouldn't be asked to dictate. Such a process, if it is transparent and if it involves key experts and interested/affected-group representatives will create the consensus needed to put resulting policies and programs into action thus allowing government to actually address and more likely solve problem being targeted.

      Our polity has recently neglected this active planning step and the overweening office of the president, the uattended bureaucracy which houses real-world understanding through its experience with those affected by government activity, and the ineffective Congress and disinterested electorate have resulted.

      Ask candidates questions that allow them to show their wisdom and breadth of thought. Do not ask them for specific solutions that are likely to be outdated as soon as they are articulated. Then vote for the best thinker.

      I'm for Obama.

    25. Max Englerius  06/02/2007 02:16 PM Report

      6/2/07

      Hey Charlie,

      CNN is hosting debates of mainstream-party candidates this week, probably to the strains of 'Cowboy Jim and the Chislers.' Meanwhile, nobody has invited any Independent candidates on for discussions. Phooey.

      Max Englerius

      The American Tradition Party

      (206) 380-5500

    26. Steve Brown  05/22/2007 02:56 PM Report

      Our country is certainly hungry for new leadership. However, as Mr. Rose points out, Sen. Obamaâ??s book is short on answers. Up to the time of this post, May 2007, I still have not heard any solutions. The "get out of Iraq" message seems to be the drum beat of his campaign.

      This is not to say that possible solutions have been flowing from any of the other candidates either.

      Time will tell whether Sen. Obama can draw our nation to focus on the biggest issues of our day, or he simply plays the candidate game in a more polished and attractive fashion than the others.

    27. Eve  05/21/2007 02:28 PM Report

      He's got my VOTE!

    28. Joshua Thoms  05/17/2007 12:47 AM Report

      I remember watching this interview when it aired last year. He is clearly a person who (a) has thought through all of the issues and doesn't employ empty political rhetoric when answering a question, (b) is articulate and in a few sentences can make difficult topics clear and accessible to a wide range of people, and (c) is the only candidate running who can change politics as we know it in this country. I can't wait to caucus for him here in Iowa early next year.

    29. Harrod  05/15/2007 01:10 PM Report

      Obama shows himself to be extremely well spoken in this interview especially on the issue of religion. He is especially skilful in breaking down an issue in an intelligent yet accessible way, much like Bill Clinton used to.

    30. Christina Niven  05/14/2007 03:53 PM Report

      What an intelligent man. His answers are clear, concise, and realistic.