The Des Moines Register whined it up a bit last night about the off-the-recordness of its wide-ranging interview with Obama. Personally, I didn't like the complaint (some would say hissy-fit), on the one hand because it reeked of arm-twisting manipulation, and on the other hand because banging the transparency drum sounds hollow to me given the free pass Romney's gotten regarding his tax returns. Nonetheless, in the end, we have all won: the campaign released the transcript this morning, with no further comment.
Here's just one of many great answers from our President, highlighting his substantial achievements domestically and internationally, as well as for the business sector:
After editor's blog, President Obama releases transcript of Register interview
Interview of the President by Rick Green & Laura Hollingsworth, The Des Moines Register
Q: Mr. President, we’re very sensitive to your time. I know you’ve got a busy schedule. But we just had just one last question here. As we close in on the final hours of this campaign -- it’s been a long one. It’s been exhausting. It’s been very, very expensive, as I know you know. Why should the Des Moines Register offer its endorsement to you, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you guys have seen me up close. I wouldn’t be on the national stage had it not been for the people of Iowa. And if you look at what I said to you this time four years ago, and the commitments I’ve made, I have kept and met those commitments, or I have worked really hard to keep them and meet them.
I said that I’d cut taxes for middle-class families -- I did. I said that we would make sure to make college more affordable -- we have. I said I would clean up the financial system and pass the toughest Wall Street reforms since the 1930s, and we have. I said that I would make sure that people don’t go broke in this country because they get sick -- we did that. I said I’d end the war in Iraq -- I have. I said we’d got after al Qaeda and bin Laden -- we have. I said we’d begin a process where we could initially blunt the momentum of the Taliban and then a process in which we’d begin transitioning out -- we’re in the process of doing that.
So across the board, I’ve done what I said. And this is in the midst of I think what everybody would agree were some pretty historic circumstances. And the criteria by which I’ve made these decisions has always been what’s good for America’s families, how do we build our middle class, how do we grow the economy in a way that broad-based and sustainable.
The notion that somehow we’ve been bad for business is obviously contradicted by the evidence. Corporate profits have been at record levels up until maybe last quarter. The stock market basically has recovered all its losses that it experienced from the financial sector. The auto industry has come roaring back. Our exports have doubled.
For the people of Iowa that are so dependent on the agricultural sector -- the agricultural sector has never done better than it has under my administration. Even in the midst of this year’s drought it’s still doing well.
When it comes to clean energy that I talked about so much back in 2007-2008, we’ve doubled our production of clean energy. And we’re starting to see the costs of that energy come down, the number of jobs it generates go up.
I got to tell you, I feel very strongly that I have a record that justifies a second term. But I guess, more importantly, what you also know is that I’m somebody who keeps my word, that I don’t read the polls, that I do what I think is right for the American people, even when it is profoundly unpopular politically. And I think that’s worth something. I think that’s the kind of leadership the people of Iowa want.
Q: Very good.
The President made a terrific pitch there. He is absolutely right: his record of accomplishments is more than enough to run on. The accomplishments have born fruit and will continue to do so.
Definitely go read the entire transcript, because it's chock full of good stuff, and speaks to what he hopes to achieve in the next four years. If these past four have been an indication, Obama says what he means, and means what he says. That, my friends, bodes very well for America's future.
UPDATE
For the record, it wouldn't surprise me if this was a rope-a-dope initiated by the Obama camp. I'm not alleging chess here. I'm just saying those boys and girls know how to play politics with optics–it's part of what makes them so good, what made them winners in 2008, and what will bring us victory again this year. Iowa is an important swing state. Perhaps Team Obama had a sense that the DMR might 'take its case to the people'. This thing will now get maximum publicity due to the off-the-record drama that preceded it. If that's the case, it was pretty adroit of Team O to demand an off-the-record interview, slam it out of the ballpark, and then give us a reason to want to see the interview.
Scenario A: "Des Moines Register Endorses Obama". Everyone: "Yawn..."
Scenario B: "Des Moines Register: Why won't Obama let us publish this interview. IT IS SO GOOD!!! So why is he stiffing us like this? WHY?! >>>> Obama: "RELEASE THE TRANSCRIPT." >>>> Everyone: "YAY!" >>>> Des Moines Register: "You guys, that interview was really something. We can't, in good judgment, endorse anyone other than Obama. He is the right man for the time." >>> Everyone: "YAY!"
Lol.