This is a column collection, or as one colleague called it, "history in real time," recounting my perspective on the highs and lows of this presidency from an African-American perspective. More than simply a column collection, the book has a substantial introduction that frames the [Barack] Obama presidency, explores the way Obama was treated by the political establishment and also how this first black president treated "his" people. In the epilogue, I use numbers to tell the story of African-American gains and losses during this presidency.

President [Barack] Obama's pick of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education was abysmal.

I do know that there are down-ballot people who have run on the Green Party, and some have been successful.

We have a very large military community - veterans and others - who basically do believe in the militarism.

One of the challenges, I think, is that Americans are not sufficiently vested in foreign policy.

The president [Barack Obama] did introduce a jobs bill that could not clear Congress. The Republicans simply would not work with him.

Sometimes, I repeat myself, and that was a second elimination [of Barack Obama]. I worked with a team, including a great editor who, as the project came together, suggested other additions and eliminations. It was a process.