I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.

This is Barack Obama in 2004 before he had held any national political office.

For years later he would be elected the first black president of the United States.

Our pride is based on a very simple premise.

Summed up in a declaration made over 200 years ago.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that is the true genius of America.

I'm Lillian Kenningham with The Washington Post and this is the 43rd episode of Presidential.

I shall resign to the presidency of the 15th century.

I shall resign to the presidency of the 15th century.

This is our very final episode of the series but it is our last episode chronicling the people who have served already as president of the United States.

So I think it's fitting that in this episode we come full circle to a question that we've really been asking since the very beginning.

Who are we?

Well that question, who am I, is essentially at the very core of Obama's own personal story.

And his search for an answer parallels our own search to better understand the complexity of America's history and identity.

This is an episode about reaching our first black president 220 years into the American presidency and beneath that it's an episode about looking inward and reflecting on who we are as a nation.

I have two guests for this episode and they're both named David.

One is David Axelrod, the political advisor and the second is journalist David Marinus, who's here with me now.

Well I mean I'll start by just saying you know welcome back.

David.

Thank you, Lily.

Here not long ago for listeners who listened to the Bill Clinton episode and you know as with Bill Clinton you've studied Obama through both your reporting for the post and through the biography of Obama you did.

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