The Battle for America 2008
The Story of an Extraordinary Election
by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson


(Click for Amazon book review)

OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW:

This book is a blow-by-blow description of the 2008 presidential campaign from the preparation for the early caucuses through the election. It focuses on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and John McCain, but mentions the other candidates from time to time.

It's the sort of book that political reporters love to write, straight from their daily journals and note-taking at the time. The problem with that approach is that it gives undue importance to events that the author happens to have witnessed, rather than looking at the race from outside. In other words, this book is has a lot of "inside baseball" -- minutia that the typical voter really doesn't care about. However, the pair of reporters who authored this book are important members of the mainstream media -- so they got to see a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that typical reporters would not. Mostly, it's about the "horserace" aspect of political campaigns -- who's ahead every minute -- the focus that OnTheIssues.org was established to avoid.

This is a great book for political junkies. For the rest of us, reading the excerpts here should be plenty.

-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, December 2010

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Mitt Romney: OpEd: baroque circumlocutions on evolving abortion stance.     Rudy Giuliani: OpEd: Compromise left all sides unhappy.

Civil Rights     Hillary Clinton: Heads movement of women looking to America's true promise.     Hillary Clinton: OpEd: "18 million cracks" meant "lingering sexism".

Corporations     John McCain: Businesses need a stable and predictable tax policy.

Crime     Rudy Giuliani: Mob-busting prosecutor; cracked down on NYC crime.

Education     Sarah Palin: Believes in evolution; "My father's a science teacher".

Energy & Oil     Barack Obama: Offshore drilling ok if part of comprehensive energy package.

Foreign Policy     Barack Obama: 2007: Pledged to meet with leaders of Iran & North Korea.     Barack Obama: 2007: Raids into Pakistan to kill high-value terrorists.     Hillary Clinton: 2007: Naive to meet with leaders of Iran & North Korea.     Sarah Palin: Alaska governor deals with Russia and Canada.

Government Reform     John Edwards: OpEd: went kamikaze against Hillary's lobbyist funding.     John McCain: Led bipartisan "Gang of 14" on judicial nominee standoff.     Sarah Palin: Often cites Exxon Valdez Supreme Court case.

Gun Control     Barack Obama: Midwestern "bitter clingers" frustrated over broken promises.

Health Care     Barack Obama: Promised Ted Kennedy he'd push for universal healthcare.     Hillary Clinton: We need a movement to get healthcare done this time.     Hillary Clinton: 2006: If I can't do universal coverage, why run?     John Edwards: On wife's cancer: "We have a dysfunctional health system".

Homeland Security     Rudy Giuliani: Don't strip back Patriot Act; keep electronic surveillance.

Immigration     Chris Dodd: Healthcare for illegals ok; licenses not ok.     Hillary Clinton: NY licenses for illegals fills federal gap.     John McCain: Party that attracts immigrants becomes the ruling party.     John McCain: Doing nothing on immigration is really de facto amnesty.     Mike Huckabee: We're a better country if we allow scholarships for illegals.     Mitt Romney: Attacked Arkansas program for scholarships for illegals.

Principles & Values     Barack Obama: 2006: Started from scratch compared with Hillary & McCain.     Bill Clinton: Exited office with peace, prosperity, & historic popularity.     Bill Clinton: OpEd: The ultimate surrogate campaigner, popular everywhere.     Bill Richardson: Endorsed Obama despite intense pressure from Bill Clinton.     George W. Bush: Exited office with war, recession, & historic low popularity.     Hillary Clinton: Initially seemed inevitable nominee, even among blacks.     Hillary Clinton: Lives by Wesleyan credo: Do all the good you can.     Hillary Clinton: 2007: Portrayed as lobbyist-funded status quo candidate.     John Edwards: OpEd: Connects viscerally with working class & rural voters.     John McCain: July 2007: Stalled campaign seemed hopeless.     John Roberts: Strongly supported by religious conservatives.     Mitt Romney: 2008: Cast himself as a doer, not just a dreamer.     Newt Gingrich: 1994 goal of durable conservative majority lasted until 2008.     Samuel Alito: Strongly supported by religious conservatives.     Ted Kennedy: Endorsed Obama despite intense pressure from Bill Clinton.

Technology     Barack Obama: Iowa 2007: Tracked every college student & high school.     Barack Obama: My.barackobama.com key to campaign, like Wall St to finance.

War & Peace     Barack Obama: 2002: Opposed war while all other candidates supported it.     Christopher Shays: 2006: Supported Iraq War, but with numerous reservations.     Hillary Clinton: 2007: Opposed funding Iraq War; no escalation.     Joe Biden: 2007: Supported funding Iraq War, against Obama.     John McCain: 2004: Iraq War was "necessary, achievable, and noble".     John McCain: 2006: No good options in Iraq, but we can't afford to lose.     John McCain: 2006: Supported Iraq War, but with numerous reservations.     John McCain: McCain Doctrine: when we go to war, complete the mission.     John McCain: Waving a white flag in Iraq will cause chaos and genocide.     Mitt Romney: Military should have private timetable for Iraq withdrawal.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Barack Obama Bill Clinton Bill Richardson Chris Dodd Christopher Shays George W. Bush Hillary Clinton Joe Biden John Edwards John McCain John Roberts Mike Huckabee Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich Rudy Giuliani Samuel Alito Sarah Palin Ted Kennedy