The 2008 presidential contest was, quite simply, the most dramatic election race ever held. To Be President is a gripping account of the twelve months leading up to 4 November 2008. It starts with the titanic battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and the unlikely comeback staged by war hero and serial rebel John McCain to capture the Republican nomination. It describes the ensuing contest between two singular men of very different ages and temperaments, the introduction of a wild card named Sarah Palin, and what happened in the last weeks of the race when the candidates faced the ultimate political test: how to respond to the greatest economic crisis of the age. It ends in Grant Park, Chicago, on the night that America greeted its first black president and the world was once again inspired by its example. Packed with breathtaking plot twists and peopled with a cast of larger-than-life characters, To Be President is a must-read for those hooked on US politics and for anyone wishing to understand or relive the earthshaking events of this historic election.