Obama is...GQ!

GQ magazine followed us, and put Mr. Obama on the cover of their magazine.

Senator Barack Obama is conducting a determined and closely watched bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. And yet the candidate remains a citizen, son, husband, and father. In an in-depth cover story for the September issue, GQ correspondent Ryan Lizza reports on Obama's campaign trail life and the successes and challenges he's experienced as a presidential candidate in 2007.

Lizza interviewed Obama numerous times beginning in early 2004, just after his Senate primary win. In the same year, Obama delivered his history-making speech at the Democratic National Convention and went on to decisively capture the seat as the junior senator from Illinois. Since officially announcing his presidential candidacy on February 10, 2007.

In the whirlwind race for the White House, Obama tells GQ how he has worked to maintain the balance between the expectations placed upon him and the realities of waging a presidential run: "Finding that balance is hard," [says Obama], "because one of the criticisms in the national press of me is, 'Well, he may not be mean and tough enough for the rough-and-tumble of a presidential race.' Well, it turns out we've had some sharp elbows once in a while. But then people are shocked, and they say, 'Look, the guy's not who we thought he was!' "

Obama also speaks about the struggle to stay true to his core beliefs while communicating a meaningful political stance: "The danger," he goes on, "is that you start becoming so risk-averse that you become canned and scripted, and I'm resisting that, which means there's still gonna be some times when I want to push the boundaries a little bit, try to make a point...."

The story explores the impact of a presidential campaign on the candidate and his family. Obama's wife, Michelle, expresses a sense of how it feels inside the campaign bubble: "We'll joke," [Michelle Obama says], "when we're sitting at home watching TV, on the rare quiet night, and something will come on the news, and it's about Barack Obama. We'll say, 'Hmm, there goes that Barack Obama again. Sounds really pretty interesting.' I think there's an out-of-body kind of aspect to it."

Source: GQ Magazine

Vogue magazine also followed our footsteps :) in their last issue