Candidates On White House Reading
For the series "Primary Questions: Character, Leadership & The Candidates," CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked the leading presidential candidates questions designed to go beyond politics and show what really makes them tick.
For the latest installment, Couric asks the candidates: "If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?"
Also, check out the candidates' full responses to the previous questions in our "Primary Questions" video library.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?
McCain: "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith, because we may be entering some pretty shaky economic times. And I think that's one of the seminal works concerning how the economy of the nation and the world functions.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?
Obama: Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals." It was a biography of Lincoln. And she talks about Lincoln's capacity to bring opponents of his and people who have run against him in his cabinet. And he was confident enough to be willing to have these dissenting voices and confident enough to listen to the American people and push them outside of their comfort zone. And I think that part of what I want to do as president is push Americans a little bit outside of their comfort zone. It's a remarkable study in leadership.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?
Romney: "John Adams" by David McCullough. This one on John Adams connected with me in an unusual way - because of his relationship with Abigail - their closeness, and the extensive letter-writing. You saw something about his heart and character: A truly great leader who made a difference for America. And his example is one I'd want to follow.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to bring with you?
Huckabee: There's a great book by Francis Schafer that had a real influence on me: "Whatever Happened to the Human Race?" And it talks about the dignity and worth of every individual. And it was a very shaping book for me, because it reminded me that at the core of our culture, at the core of our civilization is our sense of self respect for other individuals - as people of equal worth and value. And that no human being has greater value than another human being.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?
Edwards: I.F. Stone's book, "The Trial of Socrates."
Couric: Why?
Edwards: Because he talks in … a very thoughtful way about the challenges that are faced by men about character, about integrity and about belief systems. And the book, I've read it several times. It had an impact on me.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to have along?
Clinton: I would certainly bring my copy of the Constitution because there was apparently not a copy in the Bush White House to the best I can determine. So I would bring The Federalist Papers. I would bring the historic documents about how our country started and the conflicts of opinion and philosophy that helped to form us, because we have been going through a period of time where the president and vice president have asserted an extensive view of executive power that I think is not in keeping with American history.
Couric: If you were elected president, what is the one book other than the bible you would think is essential to bring along?
Giuliani: The bible would be it. The next would be The Federalist Papers. I take this with me all over. I have one sits in my law office and the other sits in my security office, and I have one at home. And it contains also the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence as an appendix.
Couric: You might be interested in knowing that Sen. Clinton had the exact same answer as you did.
Giuliani: She did? It's been with me since I was a lawyer in private practice.
Couric: Yeah. Who Knows? You might turn the Federalist papers into a bestseller. It might be a bestseller on Amazon.com.
Giuliani: … a bestseller. It must be a bestseller already!