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GQ Magazine selected President-Elect Barack Obama as one of its “Men of the Year” and he is featured on one of four GQ December 2008 covers and in a tribute article written by Senator Ted Kennedy.  See all covers here and a video interview of GQ Magazine’s deputy editor on Obama’s selection.  The remaining Men of the Year covers are Michael Phelps, Leonardo DiCaprio,  and Jon Hamm.  The magazine hits newsstands on November 25, 2008 and is online now at GQ.com .

Here is an excerpt of Kennedy’s article.

I had already come to know Barack as a Senate colleague who was gifted with a rare combination of talent and principle, vision, and a capacity to transcend divisions of party, ideology, and race. Once he announced his improbable campaign for the presidency, I listened as he spoke to the heart of America, and moved the young in spirit as well as age, by challenging us to think of something bigger than ourselves, something more powerful than the incremental politics of caution. I sensed a deep yearning in our people for the kind of person he is and the kind of president he will be: a fighter who cares passionately without demonizing those who differ, a leader who sees the world clearly without being cynical and shows the world the best of America, a president who will not shred the Constitution but uphold it. [...]

As he moved from victory in those first snowy days in Iowa, to a setback in New Hampshire that revealed both his grit and his grace, to the intensity of South Carolina, I found myself stirred by the power, the poetry, and the authenticity of his call for change. I had not felt this way about a candidate since the 1960s. I talked with my wife, Vicki, my family, and a few close friends. I heard from my niece Caroline that wherever she traveled, people told her that the last leader who had inspired them in this way was President Kennedy. It was time again, I had decided, for “a new generation of leadership” and I could not stand aside.

Source: Game Changer of the Year

Photo credit: Mark Seliger

According to the Huffington Post, (See: GQ Names Barack Obama “Man Of The Year” With Ted Kennedy-Written Tribute) photographer Mark Seliger took the cover photograph of Obama in Philadelphia on October 3, 2008 and was given only a minute and 45 seconds for the photo shoot.

Also via Huffington Post is a video of GQ deputy editor Michael Hainey discussing the selection with Harry Smith on CBS News Early Show.  The selection was made before the election.

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Barack Obama GQ Men of the Year Cover December 2008