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.
