The results in both the Democratic and Republican primaries defied expectations. Senator John McCain, with a campaign team in disarray, was written off by virtually all pundits at the start of the season. After a bruising battle, Senator Barack Obama emerged as the victorious nominee, defeating Senator Hillary Clinton. What happened along the campaign trail? Do the results shed any light on the upcoming campaign for the general election? What do the results say about the campaign process, the candidates, the mood of the American people and what they want from their leaders?

As the two candidates prepare for the party conventions that take place in August and September, we have brought together two highly-respected political commentators to answer these questions and much more about the race to the White House. Both journalists have followed the election and candidates closely, bringing knowledge, understanding and perspective about this very important presidential race.
Charlie Cook is the publisher of The Cook Political Report and political analyst for the National Journal Group. He is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on U.S. elections and political trends in the U.S.. David Brooks has been an op-ed columnist for The New York Times since 2003. Prior to that, he was senior editor at The Weekly Standard since its inception in 1995, and spent nine years at The Wall Street Journal. He has also been a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly.

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