David Plouffe Reveals Campaign Secrets

David Plouffe demystifies his widely hailed management of the 2008 Obama campaign by detailing what went down behind the scenes in his new book, The Audacity to Win, due out Nov. 3. Obama's campaign manager bemoans how the team dealt with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, writing that he under-researched Obama, a fatal political mistake. "I still kick myself for how terribly we managed our internal Wright work," he writes. Plouffe says that they ignored one of the central tenants of politics: "know more about yourself than your opponents or media do." When it came to Oprah, though, they left nothing to chance. The campaign tested her out extensively before using her as a vehicle to gain supporters. Other secrets revealed: Obama was miserable while on the campaign trail, John Edwards tried to broker a deal with Obama (which he refused), and Michelle suggested a grander venue for the president’s now-famous race speech. Readers of the tell-all may also be surprised to learn that Obama didn't find his campaign’s attacks on McCain's health care plausible, telling Plouffe, "I think it puts too much spin on the ball."