Barack Obama Interview: Complete Transcript

maybe a multiple of three or four.

Are you committed to returning every dollar connected to Tony Rezko? Will you do that?

OBAMA: Absolutely. I mean, keep in mind, George, that, you know, what we've done is we've traced any funds that we know of that we think were connected to him.

And if there any other funds that were connected to him that we're not aware of, then we will certainly return them. It's in our interest to do so.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Caroline Kennedy endorses you in the New York Times. This morning she says, "I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me my father inspired them. And for the first time, I believe that I have found that man."

Mark Halperin reports, on Time Magazine's Web site this morning -- and our reporting seems to confirm it -- that Ted Kennedy is also on the verge of endorsing you. Is that true?

OBAMA: Well, you know, I'll let Ted Kennedy speak for himself. And nobody does it better. But obviously, any of the Democratic candidates would love to have Ted Kennedy's support. And we have certainly actively sought it.

And you know, I will let him make his announcement and his decision when he decides it's appropriate.

STEPHANOPOULOS: We will be watching for that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Also, Florida is coming up on Tuesday, the Florida primary. Of course, the Democratic National Committee has said that the delegates will not count because Florida moved up its primary.

But the other day, Senator Clinton said that she wants the Florida and Michigan delegations seated at the convention. And she asked her delegates to vote for it. Will you do the same?

OBAMA: Well, you know, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to abide by the agreement that all the candidates, including Senator Clinton, made when we were out campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, which was that we would not campaign, and we would abide by the Democratic National Committee rules when it came to the seating of Florida and Michigan delegates.

You know, obviously, both are extraordinarily important states that are very important to the Democrats winning in November. But what I'm going to do is, I'm going to stick to the pledge that I made.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, that means you will not ask the delegates to vote for it. But bottom line, do you agree with the Clinton camp, given the fact that we're seeing hundreds of thousands of Floridians going to the polls already, voting by absentee -- there are likely to be more on Tuesday -- that those votes are going to matter in some important way?

OBAMA: Well, there are no delegates at stake, and all of us agreed not to campaign there. So, you know, as I said before, when I tell people I'm going to do something or not do something, I try to stick to it. And that's what I'm going to do with respect to Florida.

STEPHANOPOULOS: The longer this campaign goes on and the nastier it gets, the more pressure that's going to be on both you and Senator Clinton to come together and show a united front in November. Are you open to having Senator Clinton as your running mate, and vice versa serving with her?

OBAMA: Oh, you know, I think it's premature, George, to talk about running mates. I mean, we've got a lot of election left here. So all of us, I think, are competing vigorously. Senator Edwards is running a terrific campaign as well.

And what I want to do is try as much as possible to spend the remaining weeks and potentially months of the campaign talking about the issues that all Democrats should be concerned about, and I think all Americans should be concerned about. You know, I already mentioned making sure that we have tax relief for middle-income and working Americans.

I think that the issue of college affordability is absolutely critical, so I've proposed a $4,000 tuition tax credit for every student every year in exchange for national service. We've got to talk about energy and climate change, which I think is going to be extraordinarily important not just for our economy and our environment, but also for our national security.

And finally, I don't want the war in Iraq to be forgotten. I think that I continue to meet every single day young men and young women who have been injured in war, families who are being strained by the fourth or fifth rotation. We're still spending $9 billion every single month that we could be investing in broadband lines in rural areas and rebuilding bridges and roads here in the United States of America.

That has to be our focus. And in fact, there has been a convergence on a lot of ideas among the Democrats. My suspicion is that by the time we get a Democratic nominee, the party will be unified and it will be energized.

We have doubled turnout, essentially, in every single contest from what we did four years ago. And we are seeing huge numbers of independents and Republicans flock into the Democratic primary. So there are a lot more folks who want change than folks who are satisfied with the status quo.

I think that bodes well for the November elections.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you believe the party will come together. Senator Obama, thanks very much for your time this morning.

OBAMA: It was great to talk to you, George. Thank you.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So long.