His triumph was no fluke. The presidency did not fall into Mr Obama's lap. He and his team planned and executed a flawless and audacious campaign, aimed not at sections of the electorate or regions of the country, but at the nation as a whole. In Hillary Clinton and John McCain, he had to defeat two formidable rivals. To do it, he rewrote the campaign textbook, raising astonishing sums in small donations. And his team's greatest asset was the candidate himself, a man whose calm and steady temperament made his message of change seem comforting. To challenge and reassure at the same time requires political talent of the highest order. Mr Obama is a once-in-a-generation politician.
奧巴馬并非僥幸獲勝，總統寶座并不是從天上掉在他面前的。奧巴馬及其競選團隊籌劃并展開了完美無缺、大膽創新的競選活動。他們放眼全國，而非盯住部分選民身上或部分地區。奧巴馬必須擊敗兩個強大的對手——希拉里?克林頓(Hillary Clinton)和約翰?麥凱恩(John McCain)。為此，奧巴馬改寫了競選教科書。他靠著小額捐款，籌集起數額令人驚異的競選經費。奧巴馬競選團隊最寶貴的資源是候選人本身。奧巴馬性情冷靜堅定，這使他的改革信息似乎令人放心。既能提出挑戰，又能安撫人心，需要最高超的政治才能。奧巴馬可是一位曠世難逢的政治家。