Four days before the Des Moines Register was slated to release its presidential endorsement, editors received a phone call from President Obama. In the conference call, Obama offered as, editor Rick Green put it, an "insightful glimpse into [his] vision for a second term. He made a genuine and passionate case for our endorsement and for election."

Unfortunately, Obama asked for the discussion to be off-the-record. But after Green released a blogpost stating he could not reveal what was said in the call no matter how valuable the discussion would be to swing state voters in Iowa, the President has released the conference call transcript.

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