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.
奥巴马并非侥幸获胜，总统宝座并不是从天上掉在他面前的。奥巴马及其竞选团队筹划并展开了完美无缺、大胆创新的竞选活动。他们放眼全国，而非盯住部分选民身上或部分地区。奥巴马必须击败两个强大的对手——希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)和约翰•麦凯恩(John McCain)。为此，奥巴马改写了竞选教科书。他靠着小额捐款，筹集起数额令人惊异的竞选经费。奥巴马竞选团队最宝贵的资源是候选人本身。奥巴马性情冷静坚定，这使他的改革信息似乎令人放心。既能提出挑战，又能安抚人心，需要最高超的政治才能。奥巴马可是一位旷世难逢的政治家。