ABC "Good Morning America" - Transcript

Interview

ABC "Good Morning America"

MR. MORAN: If you win Ohio and Texas on Tuesday, is it over? Is it time for Hillary Clinton to get out?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, I think that'll be up to Senator Clinton. But if we do well in Texas and Ohio, I think the math is worse. It's going to be hard for her to win the nomination. And they'll have to make a decision about how much longer they want to pursue it.

MR. MORAN: But Hillary Clinton is still coming after Obama with this ominous ad, calling into question his readiness to be president in a crisis.

(TELEVISION AD FROM THE HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN): (From videotape.) It's 3 a.m. and your children and your children are safe asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?

MR. MORAN: What do you think about it?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, I think she has got a little desperate towards the end of this campaign, and I think has been a lot more aggressive in her negative attacks. And has I pointed out, we've actually had a pretty significant moment in the last several years that called people's judgment into question, and that was the war in Iraq. And she had a lot of time to consider it, and made the wrong call. Just as Senator McCain did.

MR. MORAN: What's the one thing in your life that you think prepares you best for that moment?

SEN. OBAMA: I'm not sure it's one thing. I think it is a matter of temperament. One of the things I've known about myself for a long time and I think most people who have gotten to know me come to realize, is that in difficult or stressful moments, I don't get rattled. And I don't get rattled during campaigns.

MR. MORAN: The Clinton campaign is also trying to rattle Obama by talking about Tony Rezko, Obama's long-time friend and fundraiser who goes on trial for corruption this week. Obama bought his house at the same time Rezko's wife bought a piece of the same lot. And that's raised a lot of questions.

The Clinton campaign has now called on you to release all the material, the emails, the correspondence surrounding the purchase of your home and the Resco's purchase of that lot. Will you do it?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, look, Terry, this is a story that has been going on for a year and a half. We have seen more than 200 articles written about it. And we, in fact, released an email just recently from the seller of the home that confirmed that Mr. Resco had nothing to do with the price that I got for my house. He got into trouble that was completely unrelated to me. And that trouble that he's in right now is completely unrelated to anything that I have done.

MR. MORAN: Will you release that material?

SEN. OBAMA: There isn't much material to release.

MR. MORAN: Emails, correspondence.

SEN. OBAMA: We have provided people with all the information that's needed to make an assessment.

MR. MORAN: Is that a no?

SEN. OBAMA: Terry, we have released all the information. I don't know what information the Clinton campaign is referring to.

MR. MORAN: I think the bottom line question for voters on this issue might be, you call yourself a reformer --

SEN. OBAMA: Right.

MR. MORAN: You talk about your judgment --

SEN. OBAMA: Right.

MR. MORAN: And yet how could you enter into this transaction with a long-time contributor who at that time was known to be under investigation for corruption? What does that say about your judgement?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, I think -- understand, Terry, that this was a transaction that was completely above board. That was a standard real estate transaction. And I've already said that this was a mistake. And I've never made a claim that I've never made mistakes.

MR. MORAN: Obama's real concern may not be Tony Rezko, but sustaining his remarkable run, the crowds, the enthusiasm, the hope. Enthusiasm is a transitory thing. Is it possible that it could evaporate?

SEN. OBAMA: No. No.

MR. MORAN: You see this rock star quality in the crowd.

SEN. OBAMA: This is what people have been saying for months. This is what people said when I first announced. They said, ah, you know, it's a flash in the pan, it'll fade. I don't have much of a romantics here. I think there's a whole bunch of people in this crowd who have lost jobs, lost healthcare. They're not in it out of infatuation. They think that this is how we're going to change the country. And I think they're right.

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