Obama's Bestseller No Surprise

The New York Times insists that the out-of-the-box success of Barack Obama's new book "The Audacity Of Hope" is a "surprise" bestseller.

Its rapid rise to the No. 1 spot on the New York Times nonfiction list next Sunday, placing the author, the freshman Democratic senator from Illinois, ahead of heavyweight authors like John Grisham, Bill O’Reilly and even Bob Woodward, is something of a publishing stunner.

Granted, those are all publishing heavyweights. But Obama sold a gazillion copies of his memoir "Dreams From My Father" and -- rare for a politician -- received rave reviews for his writing. He did a massive publicity tour timed to the mid-term elections and amidst a burst of speculation that he would run for President. I wouldn't have predicted who would be #1 among those writers -- though probably John Grisham might have been the pick. But it's hardly surprising that Obama would be right in there. If it stays #1 for the next three months, then I'll call it a surprise.