NOW THERE IS A PART IN THE BOOK WHERE YOU DESCRIBE THAT YOU
BECAME VERY SUPERTI SHUS.
WOULD YOU HAVE RITUALS THAT YOU WOULD DO DURING YOUR
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE DEBATE.
WHAT KIND OF SUPERSTITIOUS RITUALS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT.
WHAT KIND OF THINGS DID YOU DO?
>> FIRST OF ALL, A LITTLE OF CONTEXT HERE.
MI NOT A SUPERSTITIOUS PERSON, RIGHT.
I DON'T USUALLY CARRY AROUND A RABBIT'S FOOT OR WEAR THE SAME
OLD SOCKS OVER AN OVER AGAIN BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE MY
LUCKY SOCKS OR SOMETHING.
BUT WHAT IS TRUE IS THAT DURING THE CAMPAIGN PEOPLE STARTED
HANDING ME THESE GOOD LUCK CHARMS.
>> James: RIGHT.
>> AND I WRITE ABOUT THIS.
AND THE FIRST ONE WAS THIS, I THINK WE WERE IN IOWA, AND I WAS
OUT CAMPAIGNING IN SORT OF A RURAL AREA AND THIS GUY COMES UP
, IN A BIKER OUTFIT, YOU KNOW, HE LOOKS LIKE A HE'LL ANGEL.
HE'S GOT MUTTON CHOPS, BALD HEAD, TATTOOS, LEATHER WITH
SPIKES IN THEM AND STUFF.
AND I'M THINKING IS THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY MY TYPICAL
DEMOGRAPHIC.
AND SECRET SERVICE IS LOOKING A LITTLE NERVOUS.
AND HE SAYS SENATOR O BOMB-- OBAMA, I HAVE SOMETHING
FOR YOU T TUSHES OUT IT WAS HIS LUCKY METAL POKER CHIP.
HE SAID HE HAD ALWAYS TAKEN IT TO VEGAS, HE ALWAYS WANT.
HE WANTED ME TO HAVE IT.
>> James: YOW.
>> SO I SAID THANKS.
AND THEN AFTERWARDS I STARTED GETTING ALL KINDS OF LITTLE
TRINKETS, CROSSES AND CRYSTALS AND ACORNS AND PEOPLE JUST
HANDING ME STUFF.
AND I GOT THIS COLLECTION.
I STARTED KEEPING THEM IN MY POCKET AS KIND OF A GOOD LUCK
CHARM.
AND PART OF IT WAS ALSO BECAUSE IT REMINDED ME OF ALL THE PEOPLE
I WAS MEETING, RIGHT.
THEY KIND OF SAID THE CHARMS CHANNELED MY MEMORIES OF THE
AMAZING, DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOLKS WHO WERE OUT IN THE
COUNTRY AND WHO I HAD MET.
AND I LEARNED HAIR STORIES.
SO I STARTED CARRYING THOSE INTO DEBATES.
BUT I ALSO HAD A CERTAIN RITUAL BEFORE DEBATES.
LIKE I HAD TO-- I HAD MY LITTLE COMFORT FOOD WAS STEAK AND
POTATOES.
I ALWAYS HAD A BLUE OR RED TIE.
AND I HAD TO LISTEN CERTAIN MUSIC.
LIKE INITIALLY IT WAS SORT OF JAZZ, FRANK SINATRA, LUCK BE A
LADY, IF I WAS FEELING LIKE I WASN'T THAT WELL PREPARED, I
NEEDED SOME LUCK.
JOHN COLTRANE.
AND THEN TOWARDS THE END IT WAS ACTUALLY HIP-HOP.
JAY-Z, EMINEM, SO YOU WOULD SEE ME IN THE BACK OF THE VAN KIND
OF, AS WE WERE DRIVING UP TO THE DEBATE.
I HAVE MY LITTLE EAR BUDS IN.
>> James: SO YOU-- WHEN WEE YOU GOING INTO THE DEBATE, YOU
HAD A POCKET FULL OF ACORN CHARMS, CASINO CHIPS, AIR
POD-- AIR BUDS IN AND ALL YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'VE GOT TO LOSE
YOURSELF IN THE MUSIC, YOU OWN IT.
♪.
>> AND THIS IS WHY SECRET SERVICE IS CALLED SECRET
SERVICE.
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.
I'M SURE THE GUYS IN THE FRONT WERE ALL LIKE, DO WE REALLY WANT
THIS GUY AS PRESIDENT.
HE'S GOT ALL THIS STUFF IN HIS POCKET.
>> James: BUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS, SUPERSTITIONS AND
RITUALS ARE MOSTLY ABOUT ELIMINATING DOUBT THAT IS WHAT
THEY ARE ABOUT, IF I DO THIS, I CAN ELIMINATE THAT DOUBT.
AN WHEN I GET OUT THERE, AND TO ME YOU HAVE ALWAYS COME ACROSS,
EVERY TIME YOU SPEAK.
NOW ON THE SHOW, THE PAST, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS, THE EIGHT
YEARS AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, YOU HAVE ALWAYS COME
ACROSS AS SO DRD, SO TOGETHER.
IN FACT, SOMEBODY WITHOUT DOUBT.
>> AND HOPEFULLY ONE OF THE THINGS, REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED
ABOUT I WROTE THIS BOOK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS I TRY TO DO IN THE BOOK IS SHOW, YOU KNOW, THAT
YOU ARE NEVER A FINISHED PRODUCT, RIGHT.
AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THIS THING, I WAS MAKING ALL KINDS OF
MISTAKES.
AND FILLED WITH DOUBT.
AND ANXIETIES.
AND AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING.
AND AM I DOING A GOOD JOB.
YOU KNOW, AFTER, AND I HAVE SOME REAL CLUNGERS AS A DEBATER.
PARTLY BECAUSE I TALK TOO SLOW AS MICHELLE POINTS OUT.
SO YOU KNOW, THE PANEL WOULD ASK ME A QUESTION AND I WOULD BE
LIKE WELL, UH, LET ME DESCRIBE FOR YOU, WHAT I THINK.
>> OH, TIME.
AND I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE GOTTEN AN ANSWER OUT.
AND SO YEAH, I THINK THAT YOU DON'T LOSE DOUBT.
ONE OF THE THINGS I TRY TO DESCRIBE TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHEN I
TALK TO THEM ABOUT LEADERSHIP IS THE SLOO IS CAN YOU OVERCOME
DOUBT.
>> James: YEAH.
>> RIGHT?
CAN YOU ADMIT THAT YOU'RE NOT PERFECT, YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE
MISTAKES BUT THAT IF YOU DO YOUR BEST, IF YOU HAVE DONE YOUR
HOMEWORK, IF YOU ARE WORKING HARD, IF YOUR INTENTIONS ARE
CLEAR AND GOOD, IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LEARN FROM YOUR
MISTAKES, THAN YOU KEEP ON GETTING BETTER.
AND THAT IS REALLY WHAT I-- WHAT I TRIED TO DO THROUGHOUT MY
PRESIDENCY.
AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT NOT ONLY WAS I WAS I A BETTER
CANDIDATE THAN THE TIME I FINISHED THEN WHEN I FIRST
STARTED OFF.
I TELL ALL KINDS OF STORIES ABOUT JUST BEING, YOU KNOW, NOT
VERY GOOD WHEN I FIRST STARTED.
BUT I ALSO WAS A BETTER PRESIDENT THAN I AM THAN I WAS
AT THE BEGINNING.
I'M SURE YOU FELT THE SAME WAY HOSTING THIS SHOW, RIGHT.
>> James: NO, I GOT GRADUALLY WORSE, MONDAYESTLY, GO BACK AND
WATCH IT WE STARTED HERE, WE WENT IN HERE, THEN THERE WENT
MCCARTNEY AND THEN A VERY SLOW FADEAWAY.
THERE IS NOT-- WE WILL BE BACK BY WEDNESDAY.
>> YOU ARE STILL LIVING OFF THAT MCCARTNEY SHOW, THAT WAS A GREAT
SHOW, YEAH.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE STILL TUNING IN, HOPING THAT YOU CAN ONCE
AGAIN MATCH IT.
>> James: YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY, WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE
LIFE OF SERVICE WORKING AT A NONPROFIT, I FEEL LIKE THAT IS
THE WAY THE NETWORK VIEW OUR SHOW.
WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WHEN WE
COME BACK, EVERYBODY.