With presidential candidate Barack Obama noted for his cool nature under pressure, a radio programme has spoken to his former law school colleagues in a bid to build a better profile of the potential leader.
Obama recently told 60 Minutes: ” One of the things I’m good at is getting people in a room with a bunch of different ideas – who sometimes violently disagree with each other – and finding common ground, and a sense of common direction.”
Researchers from National Public Radio’s All Things Considered programme found that this may not be a new trait, with Obama having been the first black president of the Law Review at Harvard Law School.
His former classmate Brad Berenson told the programme that Obama never took sides, but rather was a negotiator even then and it helped him to build his unflappable reputation, which may take him to the White House.
Obama – whose campaign mantra is ‘No Drama Obama’ – has said he intends to help Africa get out of poverty if he gets into power, aiming to eliminate malaria within seven years.