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Illustration by John Cuneo

(FYI, the reference in the post title is to this episode of The West Wing.)

Here's a story by Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker on the process of the Obama campaign.

It's somewhat densely written, but the revelations contained are well worth taking the time when you have a few minutes to concentrate.

Here are some excerpts.

[speechwriter] Jon Favreau...told me, “People had come [to this campaign] from places where they were probably disappointed in politics.

Obama’s confidence filtered down through the campaign and gave comfort to his staff during the bleaker moments of 2008, such as when Obama learned that he had lost the New Hampshire primary...Favreau said, “His demeanor when he won the Iowa caucuses and his demeanor when he lost New Hampshire were not much different.”

To Obama’s aides, the most important moment of the campaign occurred when Obama had to actually be President...Michelle Obama once talked to me about the doubts that would need to be addressed before people could vote for her husband. “It is a leap of faith,” she said finally. “We talk about it all the time. It is a leap of faith.”