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."

Campaign Finance Victory for Obama

From The Hill

• Obama Ruling Could Prove Moot, Backfire (The Politico)
• Obama, McCain Say They Would Agree to Public Campaign Financing (Bloomberg)
  

Obama Hasn't Quit His Day Job

From AP via abcnews.com

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to change the government's formula for giving states money for homeland security, with the early voting states getting a little extra.

Obama wants states that have a bigger risk from the terrorist threat to get more of federal homeland security dollars also a recommendation from the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks. That's an unpopular idea among lawmakers from smaller states who would lose funding on the switch."

Guess Who's Coming to Selma: Barack and Hillary

A new poll shows Obama gaining in popularity among black voters - and this trip to the site of the Civil Rights Movement's "Bloody Sunday" is sure to give him an even stronger foothold in the demographic. Listen to Senator BO's interview on NPR.

Limbaugh on Barack Sr.'s Bigamy

From rushlimbaugh.com

Rush says he magnanimous ignored this detail about the Obama family until the attack on Mormon Mitt Romney's mulit-wived father.

It's Monday...must be Ohio

Senator BO continues his little money followed by BIG MONEY tour across America. But as this AP photo at CantonRep.com shows not evvverrrryyybody was happy about Obama's visit.
Not to worry - the female Barack supporter in the pic poked the protesters eyes out with the pin of a "Barack in the Day" campaign button.

Move Over Brownback, Here Comes Obama

The junior senator from Illinois scooted on down to neighboring Kentucky over the weekend...even though Brownback had Jesus send a snowstorm to Chicago to try to keep Obama out.

"Obama apologized for the delay, saying snow in Chicago kept him from arriving sooner.
"There was no way I was not going to make 3,000 people coming out," he said to audience members who paid $25 a ticket for the event. A higher dollar fundraising event was scheduled later at a nearby hotel."

Oscar Who?

From the nationalledger.com

Obama v. Clinton. And the Winner Is...

The Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page opines about Clinton and Obama's Oscar Winning Perofrmance

Quickly on the heels of the big crowds and big-money fundraisers came a titanic war of words between the Illinois senator's supporters and those of the presidential frontrunner, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Oh, pass the popcorn!
In this corner, we have movie mogul David Geffen, whom you may recall from earlier episodes of Washington life as a big booster and running buddy of President Bill Clinton. That was so last century.
Last week, Geffen co-hosted a $1.3 million star-studded Beverly Hills fund-raiser for Obama, followed by dinner for a few VIP donors with the senator and his wife, Michelle, at Geffen's palatial home. Geffen also slung a few barbs at Sen. Clinton. In an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, he called her unelectable and raised questions about both Clintons' ethics and trustworthiness. "Everyone in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it's troubling," Geffen told Dowd. Ouch.
Round Two: Clinton's chief spokesman, Howard Wolfson, responded with a demand that Obama disavow attacks from Geffen, whom Wolfson incorrectly called Obama's "finance chair," and return Geffen's money - "If Senator Obama is indeed sincere about his repeated claims to change the tone of our politics," Wolfson said.
In fact, Geffen is only a fundraiser, not a member of Obama's campaign. Obama's chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, dismissed Wolfson's demands.
"We aren't going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters," Gibbs said. "It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when he was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom." Ouch again.
With that double-barrelled counterpunch, Gibbs reminded everyone of the mid-1990s Lincoln bedroom campaign finance scandals that the Clintons would rather we forgot.

Page (sorta) says the winner is...

"With misgivings about Mrs. Clinton's viability already worrying many in her base, despite her frontrunner status in the polls, I don't see how reminders of the grim side of the Clinton years hurts Obama in any way.
And Wolfson's reaction revealed a curious touchiness for a frontrunner's spokesman. I imagine it must be quite painful for Team Clinton to watch what they see as another free pass for Obama in his mostly favorable media coverage. But, if anyone should know better than to try holding candidates accountable for what each and every one of their supporters say, it is the Clintons.
Meanwhile, Obama was wise to lay low and emerge later at a Houston fundraiser with his halo intact as Senator Peacemaker. He called for an end to the "tit-for-tat" that dominates politics. That was a good move to make before another "tat" could come flying his way from the Clinton camp.
Since the country is waiting with either hope or dread for Obama to stumble in his rapid ascendancy, it says a lot about his instincts and the reflexes of his campaign team that they responded rapidly and passionately to the Hillary aide's jabs. Obama and his people appear to have learned from the mistakes of earlier candidates who let accusations fester for too long in the media boilers until they took on an undeserved appearance of truth.
I often hear from people who complain about news coverage that "focuses on the candidates instead of the issues." But that ignores, in my view, how much the candidates themselves are the issue."

Fidelity Fracas, Leaving Hillary for Barack

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Arianna Huffington says..."It's like being married, and suddenly you fall in love. You're a good person, and a loyal person ... you have a history with the Clintons,'' she said. "And you feel like you're cheating.''

If some Democrats have cheating on their minds, it coincides with the rise of Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, who has attracted big crowds and evidenced that elusive quality of political charisma, "something you cannot manufacture,'' Huffington said. "It is priceless -- and we haven't seen it for a long time.''

And that has posed trouble for the old love: Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York senator, front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and the wife of former President Bill Clinton.

Tom Vilsack's Withdrawal Could Be Boon to Obama

Senator BO is already angling for Vilsackers left without jobs since the Iowa Governor is bowing out of the race.

From the San Jose Mercury News/AP:

"Other campaigns immediately began to seek out Vilsack's well-respected staff, hoping to pick up talented political operatives with experience in the first nominating state, and his political backers.

Gary Hirshberg, CEO and founder of Stonyfield Farm yogurt, was one of Vilsack's earliest and most prominent New Hampshire supporters. He said two minutes after Vilsack's announcement, Obama called seeking his support. Hirshberg told Obama he wasn't ready to commit to another candidate yet.

"Although we're absolutely undecided, I was very impressed," Hirshberg said. "Though we can wring our hands now about the role of money in these campaigns, it's still really vindicating to me to see, particularly here in New Hampshire, that grass-roots, house-to-house, person-to-person politics is still the order of the day. I think Senator Obama just proved that."

Obama Zero's-In on Cheney

Obama Riciducles Cheney's Iraq Comments (San Francisco Chronicle/AP)

Obama, speaking at a massive outdoor rally in Austin, Texas, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision this week to withdraw 1,600 troops is a recognition that Iraq's problems can't be solved militarily.

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."

Maureen Dowd: "Baddest One Hit My Hand"

Professional pot-stirrer, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, adds fuel to the Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton fire-fight.

She starts her Wednesday column with a few words from movie-mogul-money-bags and Barack supporter David Geffen...

“Whoever is the nominee is going to win, so the stakes are very high,” says Mr. Geffen, the Hollywood mogul and sultan of “Dreamgirls,” as he sits by a crackling fire beneath a Jasper Johns flag and a matched pair of de Koonings in the house that Jack Warner built (which old-time Hollywood stars joked was the house that God would have built). “Not since the Vietnam War has there been this level of disappointment in the behavior of America throughout the world, and I don’t think that another incredibly polarizing figure, no matter how smart she is and no matter how ambitious she is — and God knows, is there anybody more ambitious than Hillary Clinton? — can bring the country together.

“Obama is inspirational, and he’s not from the Bush royal family or the Clinton royal family. Americans are dying every day in Iraq. And I’m tired of hearing James Carville on television.”

You gotta love it.

Call Don King, Barack and Hillary Stick and Move

Yes the Obama-Clinton jab-a-thon that's been going on for the past few days is fun times. But, the really interesting thing about this ABC News article is the part about John Edwards' appearance on Today.

"This morning, for example, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., said on NBC's "Today" show: "I think it's awfully early for that sort of sniping back and forth."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!?!?!?
Just the night before Edwards was doing pah-lenty of sniping himself at a democratic candidate's forum in Nevada.
In fact it was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, not Edwards, who took the high road at that event.

"I think if we're going to win we have to be positive," Richardson said. "I think these name-callings are not good."

John, make up your mind. You can't be attack dog AND diplomat at the same time.

Obama Apologizes for Saying U.S. Troops' Lives Wasted in Iraq.

From abcnews.com
"Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., entered the race for the White House over the weekend and is immediately feeling the hot spotlight of scrutiny that accompanies a presidential campaign.

Obama has twice apologized since implying that U.S. troops had died in vain, telling a rally crowd in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday, "We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized, and should never been waged, and on which we have now spent $400 billion, and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted."

Barack on 60 Minutes

A clearly enamored Steve Kroft interviews Senator Barack Obama on the Big Sixty.

Obama Winning Myspace Race

From SFGate.com
In case you're counting, a new group blog called techPresident tracks, among other things, how many "friends" the leading presidential candidates have on MySpace.

Sen. Barack Obama is leading all Democrats with more than 38,000 friends. Sen. Hillary Clinton is in second place with about 12,000 even after a sudden plunge in the number of friends professing support. (That's John Edwards in third place on the techPresident graph, followed by other Democratic candidates.)

from techpresident.com

The Clinton MySpace page, which isn't an official campaign site, is back up and has posted the following message:

"For some reason MySpace deleted us recently. We are working to get back to 24,000 friends. Please re-add us send out a bulletin letting your friends know to support Hillary on MySpace."

Obama Aims, Fires at Hillary

From London's Telegraph newspaper












and from Politico.com

NewsMax: In Iowa - Obama Hot, Clinton...Not So Much

From Newsmax.com

Obama's Rapid Response to Aussie PM's Attack

Yes.
Team Obama has learned a lesson from the Madrassa Mess. Instead of letting negative comments from Australian Prime Minister John Howard marinate and generate more bad headlines than necessary - the Senator came out swinging immediately.
Sunday morning, Bush buddy Howard was bashing Barack's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. But by early afternoon the Senator's staff had issued a very well crafted response. Then, by mid-afternoon...networks like CNN were airing comments from Obama himself, as he fired back from Iowa.