Obama to form panel to explore presidential bid

[DansDarkSide]

I believe if there is a Black man as president in my lifetime it will be Obama. More power to you man, But the bears still suck.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/...ers/index.html

Video- http://www.barackobama.com/video/

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday he is taking a first step toward running for president next year.

"I will be filing papers today to create a presidential exploratory committee," the Illinois Democrat said, adding that he will announce his final decision February 10 from his hometown of Chicago.

He made the announcement in a video posted on his Web site -- www.barackobama.comexternal link.

"The decisions that have been made in Washington over the past six years and the problems that have been ignored have put our country in a precarious place," he said in the video.

In addition to citing "the tragic and costly war that should never have been waged," Obama mentioned health care, pensions, college tuition and "our continued dependence on oil" as issues that need work.

But he said it is the "smallness of our politics" that most bothers him.

"Today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common-sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan and gummed up by money and influence that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions, and that's what we have to change."

Obama said his final decision will be made based on what he learns over the next several weeks as he travels the country "listening and learning about the challenges we face as a nation."

However, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the senator will not travel to the first four states on the Democrats' nomination calendar -- Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina -- before his announcement next month.

The Federal Election Commission confirmed that it received Obama's paperwork.

Forming an exploratory committee is an initial -- but not a required step -- in running for president or any federal office. Such committees allow potential candidates to begin quietly raising funds and "testing the waters" on whether they should run for office.

Funds raised in exploratory committees only need to be disclosed if potential candidates decide to run for office, at which point they must go back and disclose any "exploratory" money raised thus far.

If Obama runs, he will join an already crowded field of candidates who either have declared their intentions to seek the 2008 Democratic nomination or who are widely expected to run. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is the perceived front-runner, but she has not officially declared her candidacy.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee, declared his candidacy late last year, as did Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, a liberal critic of the war in Iraq, and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut also have said they will seek the nomination.

Other Democrats mentioned as possible candidates include the party's 2004 presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark; and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted on December 5-7, Obama trailed only Clinton when registered Democrats were asked who their top choice for the party's presidential nominee would be.

Clinton was the No. 1 pick for 37 percent of the Democrats polled, while Obama was the choice of 15 percent of those surveyed. Former Vice President Al Gore was the only other potential candidate who enjoyed double-digit numbers, with 14 percent.

Gore has said he does not plan to seek the 2008 nomination.

The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

[Swiss Miss]

I watched a part of the video on his site announcing his panel but it seems like he has had the panel there for a long time.

Between him and Hillary Clinton as the D candidates, I don't foresee any wins, unfortunately. It'll be an election of Firsts, that's for sure. First black. First woman. There's also talks of the R's considering Condi Rice to run. Typical for them to try and 1 up the D's by choosing a BLACK FEMALE. It's an all-in-one minority who will surely lose to the white male she'll undoubtedly go against.

It's going to be an interesting race next year. I can't wait.

[Ottawaman42]

His campaign now is one which will lead to an unbeatable combination of himself and Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008.

He will be the standardbearer in 2016 after serving two terms as the Vice-President.

The best part is his outright refusal to get into name-calling and sticking to what matters.

[DansDarkSide]

There is no way in hell Hillary will become president.

[Ottawaman42]

What fantasyland have you been in the last few years? She is the leading candidate for the Democrats for a reason.

Bet your bottom when she wins the nomination you will see an influx of female voter registration unlike anything since JFK in 1960.

Time you got out of the cave and realized a woman can and in this more than likely will win the Presidency.

[Martin]

Lets try to keep it civil with the politics.. Disagreeing is fine aslong as name calling doesnt break out.

Im actually rootin for Hillary aswell. But Rudy would be a good president aswell.. He's the only republican president I would ever vote for. As I usually go democratic.

[waltky]

Obama gonna expand the war into Pakistan???
:shock:
Thought he was in favor of pulling the troops out of Iraq.

Obama Might Send Troops Into Pakistan
Aug 1, 2007 - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists even without local permission if warranted - an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid. "Let me make this clear," Obama said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

The excerpts were provided by the Obama campaign in advance of the speech. Obama's speech comes the week after his rivalry with New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton erupted into a public fight over their diplomatic intentions. Obama said he would be willing to meet leaders of rogue states like Cuba, North Korea and Iran without conditions, an idea that Clinton criticized as irresponsible and naive. Obama responded by using the same words to describe Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq war and called her "Bush-Cheney lite."

Thousands of Taliban fighters are based in Pakistan's vast and jagged mountains, where they can pass into Afghanistan, train for suicide operations and find refuge from local tribesmen. Intelligence experts warn that al-Qaida could be rebuilding here to mount another attack on the United States. Musharraf has been a key ally of Washington in fighting terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but has faced accusations from some quarters in Pakistan of being too closely tied to America.

More My Way News - Obama Might Send Troops Into Pakistan

Uncle Ferd in the Background singin'...

... Big at the bottom, little at the top...

... somethin' in the middle goin' - Flippity-flop!

[waltky]

Obama gonna cut off the gravy train...

Obama's Pak quips stir up storm in US
3 Aug 2007, The Democratic presidential aspirant also said he would make the US aid to Pakistan conditional to Islamabad closing down terror camps.

Democratic presidential aspirant Barack Obama set off a firestorm of debate in Washington on Wednesday by advocating direct American military intervention in Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, jolting a US political establishment that critics say has long coddled Islamabad and its excesses. In what was billed as major foreign policy address at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and therefore implied premeditated remarks, Obama offered a stunning "get out of Iraq in order to take the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan" policy in the war on terror, should he be elected president.

He also said he would make the hundreds of millions of US aid to Pakistan conditional to Islamabad closing down terror camps and evicting foreign fighters who make the country a staging ground for attacks in Afghanistan. "I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges," Obama told Washington's policy wonks who largely subscribe to the administration's kid-glove treatment of Islamabad. "But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. ... If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will."

The freshman Senator, who has been disparaged about his lack of foreign policy experience, also warned that the US should not turn a blind eye to upcoming elections in Pakistan that may not be free or fair, saying "our goal is not simply an ally in Pakistan, it is a democratic ally." His blunt remarks immediately set off a damage control exercise from Washington's old guard that experts say has been protective of Pakistan as a client state at the expense of its people.

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[waltky]

A lil' friendly advice for Obama...

Obama Gets Warning From Voter: Don't Fight With Democratic Rivals
Monday, August 13, 2007; Presidential hopeful Barack Obama was warned by a friendly voter Monday to avoid public spats with his Democratic rivals -- but remarks he made later could add fuel to the criticism against him.

Maggie North of Claremont told Obama he risks becoming part of the usual political scene if he keeps being drawn into well-publicized disputes with rivals. He and chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton have jabbed at each other over foreign policy, the war on terrorism and the use of nuclear weapons. "You can be it," North said at a small gathering at a Hanover restaurant Monday morning that drew eight people. "But you've got to stop -- excuse me for being blunt -- you've got to stop getting involved in the way people are fighting each other, chewing you up a little more."

"That's what you do when you run for president," Obama responded, getting a laugh. But during a later appearance before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama made a comment likely to further the spats he was warned about. Answering a question on how he would refocus U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism, he said, "We've to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."

Earlier this month, Obama drew criticism when he said he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists even without local permission, if warranted. North, who is considering an Obama endorsement and backed Howard Dean in 2004, praised Obama as someone fresh, but she said she worried that he was hurting himself. Obama explained infighting among the candidates is part of the process. "Some of that's OK, it thickens your skin. ... Putting you through the paces like that is part of the hazing that's required for the job," he said.

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[waltky]

Pandering to the gay vote...

Michelle Obama Woos Homosexuals
July 01, 2008 - The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd of homosexual activists last week that her husband wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and reverse the rule on homosexuals in the military. Michelle Obama also drew parallels with homosexual advocacy groups and the civil rights movement, referring to events "from Selma to Stonewall."

Speaking to the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Committee last Thursday in New York City, Michelle Obama said her husband supports "a world where federal laws don't discriminate against same-sex relationships, including equal treatment for any relationship recognized under state law." "That is why he supports robust civil unions," she said. "That is why he has said the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide for themselves how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union or a civil marriage."

The Illinois senator has spoken little about homosexual issues on the campaign trail, but a position paper on his Web site says that Obama wants to "fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure 1,100-plus federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally recognized unions." The DOMA has two parts: one defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and the second part says a homosexual marriage in one state does not have to be recognized in another state. Such a law could have added impetus since the California Supreme Court ruled last month to legally recognize homosexual marriages. Meanwhile, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, and New Hampshire have enacted legal unions for homosexual couples either through legislation or court order.

The absence of a federal law could mean that the more than 40 states that have bans -- either constitutional or in statute -- on same-sex marriage would be required to recognize a homosexual marriage license from another state as a legally binding contract. Sen. Obama's position paper was likely referencing the federal definition provision that would extend Social Security and other government benefits to same-sex couples, said Lynn Wardle, a law professor at Brigham Young University. Nonetheless, this could effectively nationalize same-sex marriage, Wardle said.

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