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189| 11. Know Where to Be to Effectively Lead September 20, 2008: Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said,“I skate to where the puck is going to be; not where it has been.” I consider my boss to be one of the most skillful political athletes of his time. Like Gretzky does on ice, Barack similarly looks far down the campaign trail and positions himself where he can best assert his leadership. Enter Sarah Palin I sat on the floor, gazing at my television screen while slowly tying my shoes. I was captivated by the breaking news bulletin being aired. My BlackBerry laid arm’s length away with a half-written note waiting to be finished and sent. Twelve hours earlier, from the same spot in my living room, I watched Barack Obama step forward at the Democratic National Convention to accept our party’s nomination for president. It was a moment I hoped would linger a long time. Our fortieth-floor, one-bedroom apartment was quiet and very still. My wife and baby were both soundly asleep in the next room. The large floor-to-ceiling window to my right framed a spectacular view of the Windy City’s southern skyline. Firmly in the center, on the other side of the Chicago River, was the high-rise that housed our campaign headquarters. The eleventh floor, occupied by Obama for America, was the only one that remained consistently lit deep into every night from one end of the building to the other. On this Friday morning, before the sun came up, that very floor was still glowing as if it never shut down the day before. I had already been up for several hours finishing a few documents and browsing through my email from home. As 9:00 a.m. came and went, I worried about running late. I wanted to get into the office, but news coverage speculating about McCain’s choice for his vice-presidential nominee kept me glued to the TV. The BlackBerry note I had started was to my friend Kent Lucken who lived in Boston, and it was intended 190 | chapter eleven to congratulate and welcome him back to the campaign trail. It looked to me like former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney would soon be announced as McCain’s running mate. A longtime supporter, Kent had close ties to Romney and had helped him during the Republican primaries. But I hadn’t heard from my old friend since his candidate had left the race. Earlier reports suggested that on the short list with Romney were Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. However, Huckabee dashed any hopes attached to his candidacy with a statement that he had not been vetted for the job. Pawlenty, too, was apparently not in contention. This left only Romney. His reentry would mean Kent was back in the game. Still, I decided to wait and see for sure what the outcome of the announcement would be before I hit send on my BlackBerry. Reporters began hinting that McCain may surprise everyone by instead choosing a little-known, first-term governor from Alaska named Sarah Palin. Now I really couldn’t pull myself away from the television. I talked myself into believing that on the morning after our convention, I could get away with staying home a bit longer to watch the announcement . After another hour of channel surfing and sifting through the cable news chatter, networks began to cut over to the Republican rally in Dayton, Ohio, where the introduction of their VP choice would be made. McCain and his team certainly deserved credit: they had kept their secret. Now the event was getting the buzz it was due. If our convention looked majestic the night before, I was watching something very different now. My television screen took me inside what looked like a small gymnasium, though it turned out that there were actually fifteen thousand people crowded inside Dayton’s Nutter Center. The atmosphere had a folksy appeal, almost like a school pep rally, but it was a scene everyday people could relate to. A team of cheerleaders warmed up the raucous crowd to set the mood for the big moment. Then it happened. McCain and his family walked onstage to a rock-star greeting from the audience. I looked for clues in my television picture as to whom he might have chosen, but saw no immediate evidence. His initial remarks were equally unhelpful. [18.218...

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