It's Barack By A Nose

From Barack-Obama.TV

"For the first time Barack Obama is the frontrunner in a reliable nationwide
poll about the Democratic presidential nominations. Obama leads with 32%,
Hillary Clinton can count on 30% and John Edwards trails at 17%. Rasmussen
has conducted the poll around the 25th of April.

Together with earlier reliable opinion polls this results in the graphical overview..."

Get Thee Behind Me Jeremiah

From the NYT

"Few of those at Mr. Wright’s tribute in March knew of the pressures that Mr. Obama’s presidential run was placing on the relationship between the pastor and his star congregant. Mr. Wright’s assertions of widespread white racism and his scorching remarks about American government have drawn criticism, and prompted the senator to cancel his delivery of the invocation when he formally announced his candidacy in February.

Mr. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate who says he was only shielding his pastor from the spotlight, said he respected Mr. Wright’s work for the poor and his fight against injustice. But “we don’t agree on everything,” Mr. Obama said. “I’ve never had a thorough conversation with him about all aspects of politics.”

BOO. Ghost of Rezko Haunts Obama Again

from bellevillenewsdemocrat.com/ap

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he had no idea longtime friend and now-indicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko was behind problem buildings in the South Side district that Obama once represented as a state senator.

"Should I have known these buildings were in a state of disrepair? My answer would be that it wasn't brought to my attention," Obama said Monday.

Rezko's Rezmar Corp. obtained millions in government funds to rehab apartment buildings for the needy.

Court and city documents show 30 of the apartment buildings owned and managed by Rezmar have since been subject to foreclosures, code violations and lawsuits filed by the city, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in its Monday editions. About a third of those 30 buildings were in Obama's Illinois Senate district."

It's 11 P.M. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

From New York Magazine

"The next behind-the-scenes battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is shaping up between their young and potentially rich campaign pawns: The HillBlazers vs. Generation O. Gen-O is a different kind of concept to match a different kind of politics, the Obama camp says, more about "friendraising" than the charmless money grabs that usually come with cutthroat, celebrity politics. But the Hillary camp insists the Obama kids are just HillBlazers with a different kind of branding."

Barack Closing In

from msnbc.com
"Perhaps more troublesome for Clinton is that 52% have an unfavorable opinion of her in the poll, versus 45% who have a favorable view. By comparison, Obama has a 52%-27% fav/unfav rating.

In the GOP field, Giuliani is at 35%, McCain at 22%, Fred Thompson at 10%, and Romney at 9%. Moreover, the poll finds that just 36% approve of Bush's job; only 25% approve of Alberto Gonzales' job; and just 26% believe the troop surge in Iraq is making the situation there better."

Team Obama Gets a Shot of Estrogen

from barackobama.com

Sweet Follows the Money

From the Chicago Sun-Times Lynn Sweet:
"The Obama campaign prefers the emphasis be on the army of small donors who are giving -- and raising -- money for Obama. In truth, though, there are two parallel narratives -- and the other is that Obama is also heavily reliant on wealthy and well-connected Democrats.

While Obama took money from federal lobbyists and political action committees for his Senate war chests, he is not for his presidential campaign. That ban does not preclude non-lobbyists who have interests in federal matters or who lobby other government entities.

Those at the top of the Obama fund-raising pyramid -- people who pledge to raise at least $250,000 -- get a gold VIP lapel pin with the letters "NFC" fashioned in the campaign's logo.

The letters stand for Obama's National Finance Committee, and the group met in Washington on Wednesday for a retreat at a hotel with the Obama professional fund-raisers, campaign manager David Plouffe and chief strategist David Axelrod, among others. After raising $25 million in the first quarter -- creating a national network almost from scratch -- their challenge in the second quarter is to show they were not just grabbing the low-hanging fruit."

Wisconsin Hearts Obama

From Wisconsin Radio Network

"Senator Barack Obama (D-Il) brings his presidential campaign to Wisconsin tonight and picks up a major state endorsement

Milwaukee Mayor and former Congressman, Tom Barrett, says Obama is the right candidate at the right time.

While he admires all the democrats running for the White House, Barrett says the country is at a crossroads and he feels Senator Obama is the one to provide a new generation of leadership.

Barrett is confident Obama, coming from Chicago, will not turn his back on cities such as Milwaukee. The Mayor says he would have a partner in the White House trying to fight the tide of illegal handguns, upgrading the schools and helping people find jobs to support their families.

Barrett says Obama's experience as a state legislator and now Senator will help him hit the ground running at the White House."

Hmmmmm.

...or Ludacris?
From the Huffington Post

"Obama was the only presidential candidate that actually called for Imus's firing. For taking that stance, he was hailed as bold and courageous. Imus, though, was the easiest of targets. Obama made only one appearance on his show, and he owed absolutely no allegiance to him. Billionaire Beverly Hills entertainment mogul David Geffen is another matter. Geffen is the president and CEO of Insterscope Geffen A&M records and gangster rapper Snoop Dogg is his long standing and one of his top-selling artists.

Now let's flash back a month before Imus's foot in the mouth racist crack drew Obama's ire. A beaming Obama sat at Geffen's dinner table at his Beverly Hills mansion and delivered a 25 minute dinner speech to a core of doting and fawning Hollywood luminaries and heavy financial hitters that included Stephen Spielberg and Jennifer Anniston. Geffen punctuated the Obama Hollywood star-filled love fest with a well-publicized trash of the Clinton's, to which he had once dumped millions into their campaign coffers, and declared that he was switching allegiance to Obama."

Obama - Imus

From the Post-Chronicle

"Many civic and government leaders called for Imus's resignation or termination. Many will give Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson credit. Truth be told, they had nothing to do with it.

If it were not for the words of Democratic Presedential hopeful from Illinois, Sen. Barack Obama, Imus probably would have kept his job. Sharpton and Jackson's credibility is shaky at best and their theatrics are well documented.

No, it was the word of a soft-spoken man, a black man, vying for the most powerful post in the world that is responsible.

Sen. Barack Obama is the only 2008 presidential hopeful from either party to say that radio host Don Imus should be fired over the racial slurs. Sen. McCain, a regular on the Imus show in the past, simply accepted Imus's apology and thought the issue should die there. Rudolph Giuliani said the same after basically being hunted down like a dog.

Hillary Clinton caught flat-footed as usual, said basically nothing. She simply stated that she was never on his show and never would be.

Obama On Wednesday told ABC News he thought Imus should be fired and that he would never appear on the "Imus In The Morning" show again. Obama said Imus' remarks fed "some of the worst stereotypes" his own daughters face in America. Obama called the comments "degrading."

Obama is the new voice of Black America and the Democratic Presidential candidate just flexed his muscle."

Poll: Obama Most Likely to Get U.S. Out of Iraq

From Reuters via Yahoo News:
Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards are the 2008 White House contenders most likely to lead the country out of Iraq according to an online straw poll of members of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.

Rangel: Obama Should Be Veep

From the New York Observer:

Here's the WNBC transcript of the interview, which will air on Sunday:

PRESSMAN: Would a Clinton-Obama ticket be very strong?

Rep. RANGEL: Wow. Well, I'm saying that.

PRESSMAN: You said wow.

Rep. RANGEL: Because I would find it very exciting. But I think that the
Republican bench is so weak that we could get by with more this time than if it was a very close election.

PRESSMAN: Would you lobby Obama to take the number two spot?

Rep. RANGEL: I don't do that. And besides, you know, as I do, that people running for president, they never say they're interested in the number two spot. I mean, they have to let you know that they're running for president and that's all they will consider.

PRESSMAN: Yeah, but all you're doing is sucking your thumb and sort of
thinking about the future. You're not he.

Rep. RANGEL: All I know is that I'm supporting Hillary and once we're over the hill, I'll be glad to get involved and see who would be the best candidate for us to win.

Obama Zeros in on McCain (sortof)

From the Los Angeles Times/AP

"The idea that the situation in Iraq is improving because it takes a security detail of 100 soldiers, three Black Hawk helicopters and a couple of Apache gunships to walk through a market in the middle of Baghdad is simply not credible and not reflective of the facts on the ground," Obama said in a taped interview broadcast as part of the forum sponsored by MoveOn.org.

While not mentioning McCain by name, Obama criticized comments made by the Arizona senator last week after touring Baghdad's Bab al-Shariq market. He and other members of a congressional delegation traveled in armored military vehicles and wore body armor during the hourlong excursion."

Obama Ethics Violation?

The "Corruption Chronicles" points to a "Drudge Report" post about a meeting the Senator had with chief campaign media adviser David Axelrod.

The CC says

"Barack Obama, the popular Illinois senator and top Democratic presidential candidate, has evidently violated Congressional ethics rules by using his taxpayer-funded Capitol Hill office for campaign activities."

Another Swing Thru NYC for Senator Obama

From gothamist.com

"Senator Barack Obama is coming back to New York City today, for some late TV night face time AND to raise even more money. While Senator Hillary Clinton's camp is playing it cool and Clinton strategist Howard Wolfson telling the Daily News. "We're thrilled with our hometown support," the Post lists all the former Clinton donors who are now supporting Obama. Obama has two fundraisers on his agenda and he'll be appearing on Late Night with David Letterman tonight. Pollsters and consultants say that as much money as Obama raises in New York, Clinton is sure to win the state primary. Which is true - but he can just take the NY cash and spend it elsewhere. And one of Obama's fund-raisers want him to go to Harlem to, as the Post suggests, "[seek] a beachhead in the neighborhood where Bill Clinton keeps an office."

Low-Key, High Impact Campaigner

From the International Herald Tribune

"COLO, Iowa: Senator Barack Obama is not big on what he calls red-meat applause lines when he campaigns in small communities like this one, just northeast of Des Moines. He does not tell many jokes. He talks in even, measured tones, and at times is so low-key that he lulls his audiences into long, if respectful, silences.

Obama likes to recount the chapters of his unusual life: growing up in Hawaii, living overseas, community organizing in Chicago, working in the Illinois Legislature, though not his years as a U.S. senator.

He talks - often in broad, general strokes - about an Obama White House that would provide health care to all, attack global warming, improve education, fix Social Security and end the war in Iraq.

His campaign events end almost as an afterthought, surprising voters used to the big finishes typically served up by the presidential candidates seeking their support. "Thank you very much, everybody; have a nice day," Obama said pleasantly in Dakota City, Iowa, one afternoon, with a leisurely wave of a hand. He headed over to a table where copies of his books, brought by audience members, had been neatly laid out, awaiting the slash of his left-handed autograph."

Obama's "Home for Heroes"

"The Illinois senator told The Associated Press he would introduce legislation Monday that he calls Homes for Heroes. The plan would establish grant and voucher programs to encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans.

"Veterans are far more likely to be homeless than non-veterans and part of it is because we're not providing services to them as they transition out of the service," Obama said in an interview before a campaign rally. "Part of it is because there is just not enough affordable housing."

more

All About the Benjamins, Baby

From the New York Daily News:

"Hillary Clinton thought that raising more money than her rivals would be the easy thing.

Yesterday, she found out how wrong she was.

The Democrat's presidential campaign was rocked to the core as rival Sen. Barack Obama revealed he equaled, and possibly even bested, her in the cash dash she had counted on dominating.

Obama announced he raised $25 million in the past three months from 100,000 people, compared with the record-setting $26 million haul Clinton pulled in from half as many donors."

Blast From Barack's Past

A central character from Obama's book "Dreams from My Father" suddenly shows up- fresh out of prison - and asking for money.
From Arab News:

"The story first appeared in The Wall Street Journal, and was then picked up by ABC News. The story involves a good high school chum of Sen. Obama, Keith Kakugawa. But the story of their friendship is ultimately tragic — Obama’s friend is now an out-of-prison drug addict living on the street."

more

Clamoring for Obama's Health Care Specifics

The junior Senator from Illinois has been taking his own sweet time in laying out his vision for the future of the country's health-care system...
and that has the snipers sniping.
From the Washington Post:

"Republican National Committee spokesman Chris Taylor responded that maybe the infusion of money into Obama's campaign would lead to more specifics in his health care plans.

"With all these funds, maybe now he'll be able to hire someone to write a health care plan for him," Taylor said."

But the delay is all part of Obama's strategy - his response:

"Obama acknowledged he was moving cautiously in assembling a health care proposal to ensure he can build the political support needed to move the plan forward if he's elected president.

Obama noted that in previous campaigns, presidential candidates have offered detailed proposals without building that political support, only to see the issue fade after the election.

"Every four years presidential candidates trot out their plans, then nothing happens," Obama said. "How do we build a movement for change so that when a president is elected there is actually a constituency and a consensus that is built so we can move the agenda through Congress."

Failure to agree on changes to the health care system could be catastrophic, he said.

"We will go through another decade of dealing with this issue," Obama said."

Obama-Joseph-and Mary

From CBS Chicago:

"A sculpture depicting Senator Barack Obama as Jesus has caused a stir now that it is on public display and Obama's campaign is trying to distance him from the artwork.

Undergraduate art student David Cordero created the sculpture for his senior show at the School of the Art Institute, which opened Saturday. He said the intention was to create a dialogue.

Obama's spokeswoman said the senator respects the First Amendment, and does not believe the artist was trying to be offensive.

But the spokeswoman said Obama is not a fan of art that offends religious sensibilities.

The figure shows Obama with his trademark smile, standing under a blue neon halo and wearing robes resembling those in which Jesus is often depicted, and with his hands in the traditional peace sign of Jesus' sacred heart."

CHA-CHING!

From cnn.com

"Sen. Barack Obama raised "at least $25 million" for his presidential bid since January 1, all but matching Sen. Hillary Clinton's haul for the same three-month time period. Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, earlier this week reported raising $26 million."

Bloggers Boo Obama

From Real Clear Politics

"In an interview with the AP yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama said that he expects Congress will provide funding for the Iraq war without attaching a timetable for withdrawal should President Bush veto the current bill, because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops."

"My expectation is that we will continue to try to ratchet up the pressure on the president to change course," the Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't think that we will see a majority of the Senate vote to cut off funding at this stage."

The leftwing site Daily Kos, head of the Democrats' antiwar base, is outraged:

What a ridiculous thing to say. Not only is it bad policy, not only is it bad politics, it's also a terrible negotiating approach.

Instead of threatening Bush with even more restrictions and daring him to veto funding for the troops out of pique, Barack just surrendered to him.

Let me repeat that -- Obama just surrendered to Bush."

Hello

From the Chicago Tribune

"In addition, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a relative newcomer to the national political scene, is expected to report that he has raised more than $20 million for his presidential bid during the same period, the first quarter of this year, according to three sources in and around his campaign.

Aides to former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said Sunday that he has raised more than $14 million for his campaign, doubling his first-quarter total from four years ago as he geared up to run for president in 2004."

Barack Bashes Bush

Obama puts on his professor of constitutional law shoes and stomps all over George and the boys.

From AP via boston.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday accused President Bush of failing to respect the Constitution amid the uproar over the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

The Illinois senator also took a swipe at embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Obama has joined several other Democrats in calling for Gonzales to resign.

"I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution," Obama told an audience at a campaign fundraiser. "I believe in an attorney general who is actually the people's lawyer, not the president's lawyer."

Run Barack Run

From AP via the Washington Post

Barack Ovid-bama

Some British poet has actually analyzed the two poems the senator wrote 25 years ago.
Go figure.
From The Guardian:

A Call for Action from Team Obama

...the campaign marks fourth anniversary of Iraq war by taking the opportunity to remind voters again that Senator BO was against military action from the get go.
Read release here.

Cautious Barack Appears on Larry King Live

Heart surgery be damned. CNN staple Larry King was not going to pass up the opportunity to ask the man who could be America's next president the semi-tough questions his producers prepared for him. Fresh from the hospital King asked the Senator about everything from the Iraq War, to revamping health care, to the now infamous interview where mogul, and new Barack supporter, David Geffen bashed former friend Hillary Clinton.

Not a bad showing by Obama, but the Senator was not his usual smooth self. You could see the wheels turning during the Iraq part of the interview... "don't let me say soldiers lives are being wasted, don't let me say soldiers lives are being wasted." Larry gave him a chance to address last month's blunder - and he did a very cautious clean up.

Senator Bo Joins the Gonzalez Beatdown

From the Nashua Telegraph
"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said President Bush should fire any political aide linked to the decision last year to fire eight federal prosecutors.

Obama didn’t mention anyone by name Friday, but the comments come as e-mails show Bush political strategist Karl Rove asked in January 2005 about firing all U.S. attorneys.

“To the extent that you’ve got political consultants making decisions about replacing U.S. attorneys because they are not engaging in politically motivated investigations, I think those individuals should be fired,’’ Obama, an Illinois senator, said during an interview with The Telegraph between campaign stops."

Obama in East Bay

The California Majority Report has the photo evidence of just how popular Senator BO is in the Bay Area. It's estimated some 12-thousand people came out to hear his stump speech. One highlight...plans to revamp health care.

Obama on Fire

Both Senator's Obama and Clinton spoke at a candidates' forum held by the International Association of Firfighters. Chris Cillizza over at the Washington Post says Hillary won the speech-off.
Judge Senator O's remarks for yourself.

Slate Pokes Around in Obama's Books

From slate.com

"Let's start with the big picture: net worth. According to Obama's most recent public financial statements, he and his wife, Michelle, were worth between $500,000 and $2 million at the end of 2005 (excluding whatever equity they have in their $1.65 million Chicago house).

The bulk of this wealth came from $1.2 million in royalties Obama received that year for The Audacity of Hope and a previously published book (part of a $1.9 million, three-book deal). The $1.2 million figure is presumably pretax, which means that, after paying the IRS, Obama probably kept about $600,000." (more)

Sharpton v. Obama...Where's The Love?

Can't we all just get along?
It started out smooth enough back in late January when Rev. Al Sharpton headed to D.C. for a chat. The two even posed together in front of a portrait of Thurgood Marshall.

Here's AP's report from that day:
"The civil rights activist spent the day on Capitol Hill, meeting with the four Democratic senators who are pursuing the presidency - Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Joe Biden of Delaware, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois. Each met privately with Sharpton in their office. "I'm not making any endorsements today," Sharpton, who ran in 2004, told reporters at the end of his meeting with Obama. Obama said the two talked about their shared agenda of fighting for the dispossessed. "I assured him that I not only want to hear his views and thoughts and policy recommendations, but publicly any of us who step into this fight for the nomination have to be held accountable and speak to these issues," he said.

Fast forward to March 4...both are again in the same place - Selma, Alabama. But this time Barack is not just the junior senator from Illinois - he is a full-fledged presidential candidate with a s!@#load of cash rolling in. While everyone focused on the much-hyped sermon showdown between senators Obama and Clinton, it was easy to miss the distinct chill between Obama and Sharpton. There would be no photo ops together on this day - and Sharpton saved his most laudatory remarks for Hillary.

Then, a week later, the lid blew off.
The New York Post put it on blast:
















The article severely complicated a relationship that was already touchy at best and opened a floodgate of accusations, counter-accusations and name-calling.
A panelist on NPR called Sharpton a Black "buffoon". (seriously Michael Meyers of the NY Civil Rights Coalition actually said it)
Another roundtable guest pointed the finger at Camp Hillary for planting the story - while Sharpton himself says it was Team Obama that blindsided him with the 'jealousy' charge.

The game is always divide and conquer guys.
Figure it out. Move forward.

Sweet on Michelle

Chicago Sun-Times/Lynn Sweet

Sweet column: Michelle Obama steps up campaign role. Rudy in Chicago.

(screenshot from Huffington Post) WASHINGTON -- Michelle Obama, an extraordinary stump speaker and potentially one of Sen. Barack Obama's most effective surrogates, is poised to step up her role in her husband's presidential campaign.

"I hate following my wife," Obama joked, speaking at a New York fund-raiser Friday night after being introduced by Michelle. When someone in the crowd yelled that Michelle should run, Obama said, "Yeah, she's too smart to run. It is true my wife is smarter, better looking. She's a little meaner than I am."

Hardly that. She is, according to spokesman Bill Burton, the "most important adviser" to the Illinois Democrat.

But with the demands of the campaign growing, Barack Obama simply can't be everywhere. John Edwards -- who hits Chicago this week for a fund-raiser -- has wife Elizabeth circulating on his behalf, and everyone knows that Hillary Rodham Clinton has a powerful helper in former President Bill Clinton.

Michelle Obama switched her University of Chicago job to part time, and the Obama campaign has tapped Melissa Winter, a veteran of two presidential campaigns, to serve as her chief of staff in the campaign's Chicago headquarters."

Obama Gets Oragnized

From BarackObama.com

"On March 31st, I'd like you to host a Community Kickoff event. Whether your local group has already been meeting or this will be the first time supporters will meet in person, this kickoff event is the next step in expanding your reach.

I'll be in a town in Iowa the same day working to build our support there. We'll have a live video stream and a conference call from this Iowa event starting at 3 PM Central time so that you can see first hand how we're building our community of support in this crucial first contest.

We've put together the materials and online tools you'll need to make it happen. Will you start planning a Community Kickoff event right now?"

What The Hell?

As if the Obamas didn't have enough to worry about...

Lynn Sweet Sour on Team Obama

...at least at the moment.
Here's what she had to say about the Senator's recent "stealth fundraising":

"Barack Obama's image managers don't want you to know about most of the donor events he is headlining -- including one tonight in Manhattan for Democratic elites where the top hosts have raised $100,000 each for Obama's White House bid.

Obama makes his second visit this week to New York -- Hillary Rodham Clinton territory -- as his campaign insists you don't deserve to be able to know where he is going to raise millions of dollars unless he or his operatives feel in the mood.

In the span of about five hours Monday night, Obama appeared at small events in Manhattan, and then he breakfasted with donors Tuesday morning.

Last Sunday, the Obama campaign wanted all of the stories to be about his visit to Selma, Ala., to mark the anniversary of a historic voting rights battle -- so there was no advance official disclosure that he was flying to Boston from Alabama to scoop up campaign cash.

The Obama team pushed back one Boston event so Obama could stay longer in Selma. He used the time to create a photo op with himself and former President Bill Clinton without archrival Hillary in the frame. I watched Obama skipping out of Bill Clinton's induction into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame -- after allowing a decent amount of time for pictures.

Obama's counselors did not want you to know that on Feb. 22, he hit St. Louis for a fund-raising event. They did not want you to know about the existence of fund-raisers in Ohio."

(more)

Farrakhan on Obama

From ABC News

"I like him very much. I like him, he has a fresh approach," the Nation of Islam's leader said. "And I'm fearful, because there's a structure in our government that no matter who sits in the seat of power, there are forces that one has to contend with if one is able to attract the masses of their votes. Barack Obama is doing quite well."

Farrakhan said that if Obama was avoiding controversial black leaders like himself, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Rev. Jesse Jackson for fear of alienating white voters it would be an acceptable price to pay for an Obama victory.

"If avoiding me would help him to become president, I'd be glad to stay in the background, because of the taint that's on the minister," he said. (more)

Obama's Pastor Snub: Sign of a Bigger Problem?

"Obama slights his own pastor, another error in wooing blacks" (Chicago Sun Times)

Mary Mitchell writes:

"Obama took some bad advice from campaign staff who underestimated the impact such a slight could have on a candidate who has to woo the black vote. Now, the shuttered prayer has come back to haunt him.

Although sources close to the campaign assured me that the relationship between Obama and Wright is "closer than ever," in an interview with the Times, Wright "expressed disappointment but no surprise" that Obama "might try to play down their connections."

And Mitchell brings up an issue Barack Oblogga touched on last month -

"...this entire incident provides some insight into a missing ingredient in Obama's campaign stew.

"First of all, I don't know who you would call in Barack Obama's campaign," Conrad Worrill told me.

Worrill is the national chairman of the National Black United Front, and a longtime grass-roots political organizer across the country. If he doesn't know who to call, that's a problem.

"It is clear that black people want to support his candidacy," Worrill said. "What is missing is an African-American at a high level to assist in structuring black participation in his campaign in black communities across the country."

Obama's campaign claims this is not a matter of "neglect," but that Obama's had a slow start in putting together his staff. Two weeks ago, he brought Ertharin Cousin on board as a senior adviser for African-American and women's outreach."

Evangelicals Probe "Inside Barack Obama's Church"

First - the originator of the phrase "Audacity of Hope" (Rev. Jerimiah Wright) gets barred from speaking at Barack's coming out party....then he has to deal with CBN News bum-rushing the pulpit.

David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network writes:
"I’ve been to Barack Obama’s church. Before I give you my impressions, I want to alert you to the fact that there is a growing chorus of critics who believe Obama’s Church is bad news. Some are calling it too liberal and that it promotes a black separatist agenda." more

The South Carolina Split

From foxcarolina.com

COLUMBIA, S.C. Illinois Senator Barack Obama will be speaking to the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus at a special event next month.

Obama's selection comes after a disagreement with supporters of New York Senator Hilliary Clinton.The Caucus' invitations committee had already invited Obama and he had accepted when Clinton supporters questioned the selection.

Charleston Senator Robert Ford and Hopkins Senator Darrell Jackson had questioned the invitation, but conceded yesterday.Orangeburg Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter says it's important to have Obama speak as an example to young African-Americans.She says Obama's candidacy is historic. Others point to campaigns by Greenville native Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Al Sharpton, Shirley Chisolm and Carol Moseley Braun.

Forget New Hampshire, and Iowa....it's gonna be all about South Carolina in 2008. Dems need to get a reality check from John McCain on just how crazy Sowf Carolacky can be.

• "Clinton can't bounce Barack" (NY Post)
  

Obama Answers Questions About Finances

From the NTY

Less than two months after ascending to the United States Senate, Barack Obama bought more than $50,000 worth of stock in two speculative companies whose major investors included some of his biggest political donors.

One of the companies was a biotech concern that was starting to develop a drug to treat avian flu. In March 2005, two weeks after buying about $5,000 of its shares, Mr. Obama took the lead in a legislative push for more federal spending to battle the disease.

The Senator responded that:
"...he retained a broker upon the recommendation of a wealthy friend and top contributor, George W. Haywood. The senator said he did not specifically instruct the broker to follow the investment patterns of Mr. Haywood, who along with his wife, Cheryl, has contributed nearly $50,000 to his campaigns and political action committee.

“What I wanted to make sure was that I didn’t want to invest in companies that would potentially bring conflicts with my work here or not abide by some public statements I’ve said in terms of how things work,” Mr. Obama said. “Obviously, the thing didn’t work the way that I wanted it to, which is why we ended up discontinuing it.”

But, he added: “It wouldn’t be surprising to me that he was recommending stocks similar to me that he would be recommending to others.”

Barack Hearts Beyonce

From America's Next First Lady
















more

The Audacity of Dissing Your Preacher

From the NYT

The Bill Factor

The overflow crowd outside Brown's Chapel where Barack Obama was speaking was clearly larger than the one outside First Baptist where Hillary Clinton was in the pulpit. But neither one of them caused the kind of excitement among the crowds that former President Bill Clinton elicited whenever his shock of white hair appeared.

From the Montgomery Advertiser:

An estimated 8,000-11,000 people walked across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge Sunday afternoon, the most to take part in the bridge crossing celebration since almost 20,000 people came in 2000 to see then President Bill Clinton.

Although presidential hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton joined a list of civil rights notables in the annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday“ as well as the successful march from Selma to Montgomery, it was Bill Clinton who was once again the star.

“He’s a rock star. There is just no other word for it,” said Kaye Ivy, 31, of Tuscaloosa. Her 12-year-old Lantz Lipham shook hands with Hillary Clinton and Obama, but started shouting “I got his picture,” when he got a picture of Bill Clinton with his cell phone. The crowd applauded.

Camera flashes were like a strobe light as the former president stepped out of his security vehicle to join in the march. Following the march he was inducted into the National Voting Rights Museum Hall of Fame.

“We want Bill to be the president again!“ said Robin Rembert of Selma. Getting out her cell phone, she began frantically calling a friend. “This is who I’ve been waiting to see all day,“ Rembert said. “I love Bill Clinton.“

But can Bill transfer his popularity to Hill in quantities large enough to beat Obama?
CNN's Queen Crowley asks that very question.

The Selma Secret

The NYT also provided this handy little map to show just how close the churches were.










What VERY few of the news outlets bothered to mention is what lies between the two churches...the George Washington Carver housing projects. A symbol of just how far many black people HAVEN'T come since that march across the Pettus Bridge in 1965.

While Sen. Obama's oratory was more inspiring than Sen. Clinton's - she had one trick up her sleeve besides Big Willie. Hillary took at least a half hour out of all the marching and speechifying to hold a very it-takes-a-villagey meeting with some of the people who run the child care center at those projects. It was the kind of small, face-to-face meeting that could very well help her hold on to some of the votes apparently being siphoned by Obama.

Given Sen. BO's admirable history of working to empower people trapped in public housing - it was surprising that his team did not make sure he spent some quality (highly publicized) time in Carver Homes - and that they did not have him mention the plight of those people...and millions more like them... in at least one of his THREE speeches of the day.

Playing Nice in Selma...But Still Need Buffers

From the NYT
"The visit to Selma, a historically rich, economically struggling city, became a proxy battle for black support between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, whose candidacy represents a threat to Mrs. Clinton’s traditional base. That competitive dynamic intensified on Sunday with the debut of Mr. Clinton on the campaign trail, six weeks into his wife’s bid, and among a bloc of voters who are at once devoted to the former president and torn between his wife and Mr. Obama.It was the first side-by-side appearance of Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton in the 2008 presidential campaign, and the political theater of the two campaigns overlapped repeatedly, but with a polite tone that contrasted with their political skirmishing of recent weeks."

Pouring It On As Thick As Molases

Obama v. Clinton - The Sermon-Off

Hil's Hometown Paper Calls It: Barack Wins Selma Showdown

The New York Daily News says the junior senator from Illinois bested the junior senator from New York as both gave pulpit speeches on civil rights sacred ground.

Both campaigns spent a carefully choreographed Sunday in Selma, Alabama site of "Bloody Sunday" - the 1965 beatdown Black protesters got while demanded their right to vote.

From the Post:

"Hillary Clinton was very good, Barack Obama was a little better.

In the battle for Selma — and the black vote across the U.S. — yesterday's round went to the senator from Illinois.

Both were greeted enthusiastically at historic black churches, where they pumped up the congregations with fiery speeches. Both were cheered as they marched to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, walking in the steps of civil rights pioneers beaten bloody 42 years ago.

But on a day when two presidential heavyweight contenders came to town, it was Obama's intensely personal and provocative remarks at Brown Chapel AME Church - and the rock-star treatment he received along the route of the march - that gave him an edge."

Guess Who ELSE Is Coming to Selma...

That's right none other that the "First Black President" himself, husband of Hillary, Big Willie, William Jefferson Clinton.

From CBS News:
In competition for a key Democratic voting bloc, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is enlisting the help of her husband, former President Clinton, at a weekend civil rights commemoration headlined by a formidable black rival, Sen. Barack Obama.


From CNN:
"As they battle for support in the black community in their quest for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will attend Sunday's commemoration of the historic 1965 Selma voting rights march.

However, Clinton will bring along a not-so-secret weapon -- her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

"There is no white politician in America who is more popular in the African-American community than Bill Clinton," said Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist. "So she has a very strong card to play."

The results of one recent poll suggest that card is one she may need.

An ABC News-Washington Post survey, taken late last week, found that Obama, from Illinois, was the choice of 44 percent of black Democrats, compared to 33 percent for Hillary Clinton, with a sampling error of plus or minus 8 percentage points. That was a marked shift from the beginning of the year, when she led Obama 60 percent to 20 percent.

However, the poll found that the New York senator's favorable rating among black voters was 85 percent, compared to 70 percent for Obama, although his favorability has climbed 16 points since the beginning of the year.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, one of the leaders of the Selma march 42 years ago, said the competition for black voters between the senators is "a very difficult position to be in, but it's a good position to be in."

"We have choices," he said.

Simmons said that while black voters have a great deal of loyalty for Bill Clinton, "the question is whether that loyalty transfers to Hillary Clinton, and that's really the test she'll have to meet."

On Sunday in Selma, the former president will be inducted into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame. It will be the first major public appearance the Clintons have made together since Hillary Clinton announced in January that she would seek the Democratic nomination, and political observers will be looking keenly at how well she fares alongside her husband.

"There is, of course, something of a risk that when the Clintons appear next to one another, sometimes Bill can outshine her, and his connection to the community," said political analyst Stu Rothenberg of The Rothenberg Political Report."

'No Nukes for Iran' says Obama

From AP via ABC News

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday blamed Bush administration failings in Iraq for strengthening the strategic position of Iran, which he says must be stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Illinois senator said that means "direct engagement" with Iran similar to the meetings with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War."

more

Obama on Gore

Senator Obama talks to CBS News about the prospect of former veep Al Gore squeezing into an already crowded race.

"Barack Obama concedes that Al Gore entering the presidential race would seriously alter the political landscape.

The Illinois senator told The Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith that the former vice president would be an "extraordinarily formidable" candidate if he were to join the Democratic fray, adding, "He would have as good a resume as anyone in the field, better — uh — than anybody in the field."