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Barack Obama declares Presidential Bid

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Kristina
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« on: February 11, 2007, 12:04:39 am »

Obama declares he's running for president
POSTED: 11:27 p.m. EST, February 10, 2007
Story Highlights• Sen. Obama addressed thousands in town square of Springfield, Illinois
• Listed poor schools, economic hardships, oil dependence and Iraq as priorities
• "Failure of leadership" to blame for not meeting nation's challenges, Obama says
• Before politics, practiced civil rights law, taught at U. of Chicago Law School



Sen. Barack Obama told supporters that if he's elected president he will tackle tough issues like poor schools, oil dependence and Iraq.



SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama stood before a cheering crowd in his home state Saturday and announced he will seek the 2008 Democratic nomination for president.

Invoking the memory of fellow Illinoisan and the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, the first-term senator addressed thousands packed into the Springfield, Illinois, town square on a chilly day in America's heartland.

To chants of "Obama! Obama!," he told the crowd: "It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people -- where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America." (Watch as the crowd erupts when Obama officially declares his candidacy )

If the 45-year-old Obama were elected, he would become the nation's first African-American president.

"And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America."

Obama told the crowd he would tackle problems like poor schools, economic hardships and oil dependence, saying a "failure of leadership" is to blame for not meeting the nation's challenges. He also implored the crowd to demand that there be "universal health care in America by the end of the president's first term."

He called the Iraq war a "tragic mistake" and said, "It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war. That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008.

"Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace," he said. (Watch the senator lay out his plan for Iraq )

He also lauded what he called the founding fathers' "genius" in creating a system of government that can be changed. He cited examples throughout history -- from the American Revolution to the Civil War to the Great Depression -- in which Americans have demanded, and effected, change.

"We've done this before. Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more, and it is time for our generation to answer that call," he said.

The absence of sound policy is not what's holding the country back, he said.

Rather, Obama said, "what's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics -- the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle the big problems of America."

'Long enough' to know better
The senator acknowledged that he hasn't been in Washington long, but said he is familiar enough with the city's political machinations to understand that change is in order.

"I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness in this -- a certain audacity -- to this announcement," Obama said. "I know that I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington, but I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change. (Watch how name recognition may be Obama's best weapon )

He added, "People who love their country can change it."

Admitting the tactic is typical of aspiring candidates, Obama promised to overhaul a political system he says is dominated by lobbyists and special interest groups "who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."

"They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. The time for that kind of politics is over," he said. "It's time to turn the page right here and right now."

Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and white American mother, then invoked Lincoln again.

"He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks, but through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people."

Despite his brief tenure in the Senate, Obama has quickly gained popularity as he pondered his bid to break the Oval Office's color barrier.

According to a University of New Hampshire Survey Research Center conducted this month, Obama placed second, behind Sen. Hillary Clinton, among New Hampshire Democratic primary voters. Obama snared 21 percent of the vote in that popularity poll, trailing Clinton by 14 points. (Full story )

Other Democrats seeking the office include Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware; Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut; former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and Sen. Clinton of New York.

While speculation abounds over whether a black presidential candidate can be viable, Obama -- whose first name comes from the Swahili word for "one who is blessed" -- has not let the color of skin hinder his career.

He attended Harvard and Columbia universities and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He entered politics in Illinois, where he practiced civil rights law and taught at the University of Chicago Law School.

His first foray into politics came in 1997, when he took his seat in the state Senate, where he served until 2005. He was sworn in as a U.S. senator in 2005.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html
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Kristina
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« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2007, 12:06:45 am »

Obama wants to take, then give
POSTED: 9:54 a.m. EST, February 8, 2007
Story Highlights
• Obama is asking if he can raise general election money now and give it back later
• The Federal Election Commission plans to look into the question
• 2008 race could cost each nominee $500 million, strategists say

 
 
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is asking whether he can take money from donors who want him to be president, then give it back later.

The Federal Election Commission said Wednesday that it will look into the novel question.
Obama is indicating that he wants to at least keep the option of using the public financing system for his presidential campaign if he becomes the Democratic nominee. To do so, the Illinois senator could not spend any money from contributors for political purposes, but instead use federal funding that is expected to total about $85 million for next year's general election.

"Senator Obama has long been a proponent of public financing of campaigns, and we are asking the FEC to take a step that could preserve the public financing option for the party's nominees," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

Strategists from both parties estimate that the 2008 race could cost each nominee $500 million -- far more than the Presidential Election Campaign Fund can afford. It is financed through the $3 checkoff on federal income tax returns.

Obama has decided to raise unlimited private contributions for the primary and general campaigns, following the lead of chief Democratic rivals Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards. Edwards and Obama also say they won't accept money from lobbyists or political action committees.

But Obama's lawyer, Robert Bauer, suggested in an advisory opinion request to the FEC that Obama may want to participate in the public financing system for the general election if he's nominated and the Republican candidate agreed to do the same.

"Should both major party nominees elect to receive public funding, this would preserve the public financing system, now in danger of collapse," Bauer wrote.

But a Republican will not be nominated for president until next year, and it's impossible to know whether the candidate will agree to public financing. So Obama wants to know if he can raise the general election money now and give it back later if an agreement is reached.

While both President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry rejected public funding for their primary campaigns in 2004, they did accept $74.5 million each for the general election campaign.

Three Republican and three Democratic commissioners have 60 days to respond, unless the FEC decides to honor Obama's request for an expedited response. At least one commissioner, Republican Michael Toner, appeared open to Obama's idea but said he needs to examine the law to see if it would be prohibited.

"We're dealing with uncharted territory here," Toner said. "We have candidates that face unique fundraising challenges and political pressures in the 21st century, and I think the law needs to adapt whenever possible to meet those challenges."

All other presidential campaigns would have the right to weigh in with their comments before the FEC makes a decision.
Obama established a presidential exploratory committee last month and plans to announce his candidacy on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/08/obama.fundraising.ap/index.html

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Volitzer
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« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2007, 04:41:34 pm »

Seems like at this point may the best Democrat win. Smiley
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Matt
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« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2007, 08:58:07 pm »

Barack Obama would hands down be the best the Dems have.  Hillary is too "nuanced" and "positioned."  Plus, Barack had the foresight to be against the war, while Hillary was for it. 
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Matt
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« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2007, 02:11:55 am »

Obama well-traveled in brief Senate career POSTED: 9:51 a.m. EST, February 15, 2007
Story Highlights
• Obama's overseas travels in 2005 and 2006 cost taxpayers nearly $28,000
• Freshman senator has traveled to Russia, Iraq, Kenya
• Obama is one of two freshmen on Senate Foreign Relations Committee

 
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama's two years in the Senate have taken him around the world, from Russia to Iraq to Kenya -- an itinerary more costly to taxpayers than any other senator who took office with him.

The Illinois Democrat's travels in 2005 and 2006 cost taxpayers nearly $28,000 as he studied nuclear proliferation, AIDS, Middle Eastern violence and more.

Eight other freshmen senators took office in 2005, and about $19,200 was the most anyone spent for government-paid travel, according to reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records.

Obama's journeys are unusual for such a junior senator, but not for someone thinking of a presidential run someday.
"Valuable or not, it's the thing they all do to show that they're knowledgeable about the world," said Stephen Hess, a George Washington University professor and former presidential aide.

Obama, who announced his candidacy on Saturday for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, was one of two freshmen members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the 109th Congress. He spent $18,822 in per diem and transportation costs in 2006 as he visited Middle East hotspots and toured Africa. The previous year he spent $8,313 visiting the former Soviet Union and the United Kingdom.

The freshman with the next greatest spending on taxpayer-funded trips was Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, whose visits included China, Russia and the Middle East at a cost of about $19,200. Ranking third was freshman Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, who spent $17,867 to visit China and Kuwait, among other places. Neither is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

However, other freshmen also took trips -- both foreign and domestic -- funded by private groups, which Obama does not accept. If Coburn's privately funded trips are included, his total travel amounts to nearly $29,000 for the two years, more than any other freshman.

Obama's travels were also eclipsed by some of the committee's more senior senators.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, for instance, spent more than $61,000 on just taxpayer-subsidized trips during 2005-2006. Sen. Richard Lugar, the Indiana Republican who was then chairman of the committee, spent more than $94,000 in combined taxpayer- and privately funded trips.

Obama's staff issued a brief statement saying he's proud that his Russia trip led to an anti-proliferation law and that his Africa trip encouraged people to be tested for AIDS. Staff members also released a letter from Lugar praising Obama's personal diplomacy on the African trip.

Before he went to Africa, Obama told The Associated Press that the trip held "symbolic power" because he is the only black U.S. senator.

"What a trip like this does is it allows me to really target a wide range of issues that come up on the international stage and help Americans appreciate how much our fates are linked with the African continent," Obama said at the time.

The official travel spending figures reported to the government don't include the cost of flights on military aircraft, which are often used on overseas trips by a congressional delegation. They also omit the staff time and security costs incurred by the U.S. embassies in the countries lawmakers visit.

Senators often bring along aides at additional expense to taxpayers. Obama took his foreign policy adviser and communications director to the former Soviet Union at a cost of $18,576. On the African trip, he took two aides, spending about $6,000 in campaign funds to offset the cost of one.

Obama's trips clearly aren't junkets and could educate him about important issues while strengthening his presidential resume, Hess said.

In Africa, Obama was often treated like royalty. Adoring crowds showed up wherever he went in Kenya, the home of his father.

Obama met several times with AIDS researchers and activists, and he and his wife publicly took an AIDS test to encourage Kenyans to do the same. He caused a stir by speaking out against corruption and the corrosive role of tribal loyalties in the Kenyan government. He also met with African presidents and activists, and traveled to remote villages, refugee camps and U.S. military posts.

And, Obama found time to take his family on a safari -- something he did not bill to taxpayers.
When Obama went to the Middle East, he met with Israel's foreign minister, spent two days in Iraq talking to officials and military commanders, and made stops in the Palestinian territory, Jordan and Kuwait.

During his trip to the former Soviet Union, Obama joined Lugar in touring dilapidated weapons factories in Ukraine, watching workers destroy explosives and visiting the site where a nuclear missile was being dismantled.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/15/obama.travel.ap/index.html

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Luke Hodiak
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« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2007, 04:22:00 pm »

Is black America ready to embrace Obama?
POSTED: 12:46 a.m. EST, March 1, 2007
Story Highlights
• In a new poll, Obama leads Clinton 44 to 33 percent among black voters
• Some blacks doubt that Obama understands their experience
• Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, is the Senate's only black member
• Polls say blacks are less likely to believe America is ready for a black president
From Candy Crowley and Sasha Johnson
CNN Washington Bureau

 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In recent months, ABC News-Washington Post polls showed Sen. Hillary Clinton running 40 points higher than Sen. Barack Obama among blacks voters asked to name their preference in the Democratic primary.

But in Wednesday editions, the Washington Post reported a poll that has Obama leading Clinton by 11 points among black voters -- 44 percent to 33 percent. Obama is the Senate's only black member and has been campaigning across the country for the last couple of months. Clinton is his chief rival for the 2008 presidential nomination

That change represents a stunning 24-point swing, but does it mean the black community has embraced the Illinois Democrat as its candidate?

Not exactly.
"Obama does have a plurality of black voters right now. He doesn't have a majority yet," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "That means a majority of blacks still aren't sure about him.

"Forty-four percent favor him. That's certainly good news for him, but I think the Obama camp would like to see that be significantly higher."

Among blacks, Obama's favorables are high (70 percent), but Clinton's are higher (85 percent). Plus, Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have deep roots in the black community.

Blacks, in part, may be slow to warm to the candidacy of Obama because, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll suggests, they are less likely than whites to believe that America is ready for a black president.

The poll, conducted December 5-7, 2006, found that 65 percent of whites thought America was ready, compared with 54 percent of blacks. The poll's margin of error was plus-or-minus 5 percentage points.

George Wilson, the host of XM Radio's "GW on the Hill," hears doubts about Obama all the time from his black audience.
"There is this doubt 'But is America ready for a black president?' " Wilson told CNN. "And the overall consensus from my callers is that America is not ready for an African-American president."

Even at a rally for Obama in South Carolina you hear it:
"I'm being honest," Akyshia Gantt, an African-American, said. "No, I think -- which is bad -- that America is not ready for that, but I don't think they are." (Watch doubts expressed about Obama in black community javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/politics/2007/02/28/crowley.obama.black.vote.affl','2007/03/14'); javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/politics/2007/02/28/crowley.obama.black.vote.affl','2007/03/14')Wink

Part of Obama's problem with black voters is that he is viewed by whites as the first black candidate with a legitimate shot at the White House.

"When white America has embraced a candidate -- as they have with Barack Obama -- there is a certain amount of distrust that goes with this among a number of African Americans," Wilson said

In an interview with National Public Radio, Obama acknowledged the dynamic:
"In the history of African-American politics in this country there has always been some tension between speaking in universal terms and speaking in very race-specific terms about the plight of the African-American community," Obama said. "By virtue of my background, I am more likely to speak in universal terms."

Obama suffers, in part, because voters are not familiar with him and there is doubt whether the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, who was raised in Hawaii and educated in elite schools, can relate to the black American experience.

This has been described as "not black enough," a notion and a phrase that Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who is a noted civil rights leader, rejects.

"I don't think he has any of the hang-ups that a lot of people that are victims of segregation and racial discrimination tend to have," Lewis said. "I think he's free of it, and he's running as an American citizen."

Forty-two years ago this Sunday, Lewis was beaten in the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama -- a day that became known as "Bloody Sunday." Now, 43 African-Americans serve on Capitol Hill, and thousands of black politicians serve nationwide.

Time has made Lewis a true believer.
"In the depth of my heart, I believe it is possible for Sen. Obama to become president of the United States," Lewis said. "I think the American people are prepared to take that great leap. They're prepared to lay down the burden of race."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/28/obama.black.vote/index.html

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Volitzer
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« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2007, 06:39:40 pm »

M L King's dream fulfilled.  Wink
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Matt
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« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2007, 03:50:37 am »

Dems cancel debate over Fox chief's Obama joke
POSTED: 7:01 p.m. EST, March 10, 2007
Story Highlights
• During speech, Roger Ailes deliberately confuses Obama, bin Laden
• Democrats say network is biased against them
• Debate was to have been held in August in Nevada
• Fox News vice president says MoveOn.org owns Democratic Party

 
 
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- A Nevada Democratic presidential debate that was to have been co-hosted by Fox News Network was canceled by organizers, in part because of a joke by Fox Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes about presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama.

Democrats canceled the debate Friday. They said a comment by Ailes during a Thursday night speech to a group of radio and television news directors indicated the network was biased against their party.

"It's true that Barack Obama is on the move," Ailes said, deliberately confusing the Illinois senator's name with that of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. "I don't know if it's true President Bush called [Pakistan President Pervez] Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?' "

Even before Ailes' remarks, there was intense pressure from the liberal group MoveOn.org to cancel the August event as part of its boycott of Fox.

Ailes has served as a campaign adviser to Republican candidates, including former Presidents Reagan and Bush.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards dropped out of the debate Thursday, citing, in part, Fox's participation.

Fox News Vice President David Rhodes responded to the debate cancellation with a written statement saying MoveOn.org owns the Democratic Party.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/10/debate.canceled/index.html

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