'' Obama : From Promise to Power '' was one of the first biographies of the 2008 presidential campaign season , but upon its publication it did not receive the same attention as books about Hillary Clinton , who was initially considered a stronger contender for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination . As a result , Mendell and '' Obama : From Promise To Power '' did not receive the same large-scale book tours and press attention as did such Clinton biographies as '' A Woman in Charge : The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton , '' by Carl Bernstein , and '' Her Way : The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton , '' by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta , Jr . John J. Pitney , Jr. , of '' National Review Online '' termed '' Obama : From Promise to Power '' " the single best source of background information on our new president . " Calling the book " generally sympathetic to its subject , but … not a hagiography , " Pitney praised Mendell for taking note of Obama 's faults and " considerable ego , " citing in particular the opening of the book , in which Obama confidently states , " I 'm LeBron , baby . I can play on this level . I got some game , " shortly before speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention . Tim Russert , host of NBC 's '' Meet the Press '' , was particularly impressed with Mendell 's frank assessments of Obama 's flaws and ambition , such as : " What the public has yet to see clearly is his hidden side , his imperious , mercurial , self-righteous , and sometimes prickly nature , each quality exacerbated by the enormous career pressures that he has inflicted upon himself . " A WLS-TV review of '' Obama : From Promise to Power '' said the book " carries with it a certain oral history-style wholeness , " due to the variety of people profiled from Obama 's life . The review said Mendell 's long history of first-hand news coverage of Obama lent the book " both an insider 's perspective and a journalist 's shrewd critical eye , and the portrait that he paints of Obama is more comprehensive than any previous treatment of this remarkable man "
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
Obama: From Promise to Power