Obama Inches Toward 2008 Run, Says Public `Hungry' For ChangeOkay, okay, I know, argh! The dust has barely settled from the mid-terms! Well, this is the political climate we live in. Until, there is full public and no private funding for these elections these people have to declare really early so that they can start funding their campaigns.
By Heidi Przybyla
Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Barack Obama inched closer to a presidential run with his first visit to New Hampshire, home of the inaugural primary election in the campaign for the White House.
Obama, who went to the Granite State yesterday to headline a Democratic Party victory celebration, told reporters that ``people are very hungry'' for leadership that moves beyond the ``small and petty slash-and-burn politics that we've seen over the past several years.''
Speaking later to a sold-out crowd at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, the Illinois Democrat outlined an agenda that includes universal health care, a new energy strategy that takes advantage of alternative sources of fuel, fiscal responsibility and a national security policy that is ``tough and smart.''
Buzz around an Obama run has intensified since he said in October that he is considering seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. He plans to make a decision in early- to mid-January.Full Text
Now, should Obama run? I have no idea. I do know that if he is going to run, he needs to do it in 2008. By 2012 he will either not be a Senator anymore or will be a "Senator". Huh, what? You ask. It is rare that anyone has a large majority in the Senate and most Senators tend to be more pragmatic than their House counterparts. So, the longer one is in the Senate the risk is greater that you can be painted a "flip flopper." John Kerry on line 1. Unfortunately, most Americans don't understand the difference hence he either runs now or most likely forfeits any chance at a nomination down the road.
