Rare Video: Barack Obama Circa 1995

Curious to see what Barack Obama was like before he got into politics?

This rare TV interview from 1995 will give you some insight. One thing is clear - the guy is consistent. He's been talking about post-racial, non-polarized politics for over a decade now.

These clips are from the television show "Connie Martinson Talks Books", and in them Obama discusses his newly published "Dreams From My Father". Obama must have been only 33 or 34 years old at the time, but he was already a thoughtful and eloquent conversationalist. His manner of speaking hasn't changed much over the past thirteen years. Having read Obama's book and heard many of those same stories become fodder in this election, I thought it was great to take a time machine back to 1995 and hear Obama expand upon them outside of a campaign setting.

One can see that Barack Obama was already starting to think about issues of poverty and race in a political context. He mentions the "race card", Rev. Wright, his absent father, and his white grandmother -- all issues that would become oh so relevant here in 2008.

It was also rather tragic to hear him mention his mother, since we know she would succumb to ovarian cancer later that year.

I have decided against providing a synopsis of each portion so that you can be surprised by what you discover. Enjoy!

Part I



Part II



Part III