The Inevitability of Barack

Was Obama’s election surprising? Not if you know your history. Simon Schama talks about his new book, The American Future, a look at the forces that make American politics “turn on a dime.”

Published May 20 2009 2:48AM EDT

articles/2009/05/20/the-inevitability-of-barack/bernstein-barack-obama_27668_ncfzur — Fabian Bimmer / AP Photo

articles/2009/05/20/the-inevitability-of-barack/bernstein-barack-obama_27668_pjmxt9

Was it an irresistible impulse toward attention-grabbing overstatement on the part of a man who has always linked intelligence to skepticism, or was it a sober judgment informed by historical understanding when Simon Schama, sitting in Precinct 53 in Iowa at 7:15 p.m.

Richard Bernstein

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The Inevitability of Barack

Was Obama’s election surprising? Not if you know your history. Simon Schama talks about his new book, The American Future, a look at the forces that make American politics “turn on a dime.”

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Richard Bernstein