During the call, there had been some churn about the statement. The key line read, “It is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now.” After the draft was circulated, calls and emails were lobbed in to Donilon and McDonough to take out the line altogether, with Gates and Clinton insisting that we at least take out “it must begin now.” As Obama was about to walk out to deliver his remarks, I asked him what he wanted to do. “Leave it in,” he said. The following day, when Gibbs was asked what Obama had meant by “now,” he replied: “Now
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