O: A Presidential Novel
Encyclopedia
O: A Presidential Novel is a fiction book by an anonymous author (speculated to be John McCain
's 2008 senior campaign advisor, Mark Salter
) about the 2012 U.S. presidential race
. It was released on January 25, 2011. The marketing strategy for the book has been compared to the 1996 roman à clef
, Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, which was also initially ascribed to an anonymous author. Its stated objective is to "offer some resonant truths about what President Obama is really thinking".
As part of its pre-publication publicity, Simon & Schuster sent an e-mail to numerous writers and journalists asking them to decline to comment if they are asked whether they are the anonymous author. The publisher has said that the author "has been in the room with Barack Obama
", prompting speculation on whether he or she is a political reporter, an administration insider, or a Democratic Party strategist. The New York Times remarked, however, that "much of what passes for inside knowledge in these pages would be known to anyone who’s read a bunch of campaign accounts".
Shortly after the book was published, Mark Halperin
of Time reported that his sources had confirmed the author is McCain aide Mark Salter
.
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's 2008 senior campaign advisor, Mark Salter
Mark Salter
Mark Salter is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches....
) about the 2012 U.S. presidential race
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
. It was released on January 25, 2011. The marketing strategy for the book has been compared to the 1996 roman à clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
, Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, which was also initially ascribed to an anonymous author. Its stated objective is to "offer some resonant truths about what President Obama is really thinking".
As part of its pre-publication publicity, Simon & Schuster sent an e-mail to numerous writers and journalists asking them to decline to comment if they are asked whether they are the anonymous author. The publisher has said that the author "has been in the room with Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
", prompting speculation on whether he or she is a political reporter, an administration insider, or a Democratic Party strategist. The New York Times remarked, however, that "much of what passes for inside knowledge in these pages would be known to anyone who’s read a bunch of campaign accounts".
Shortly after the book was published, Mark Halperin
Mark Halperin
Mark E. Halperin is the senior political analyst for Time magazine, Time.com, and MSNBC and serves as a board member on the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. He is the co-author of Game Change.-Personal:Mark Halperin is the son of Morton Halperin and Ina Young. He has...
of Time reported that his sources had confirmed the author is McCain aide Mark Salter
Mark Salter
Mark Salter is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches....
.