Posted by Frank James at 10:00 am and updated at 11:30 am CST
This is Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign announcement, delivered in Springfiield, Ill., this morning with invocations of Abraham Lincoln and a call to a generation of Americans to strive toward the perfection of a more perfect union.
Read the full speech, delivered in a bone-chilling cold outside the old Capitol in Springfield, or see it in full, here in the Swamp. And, as always, your own good comments are encouraged.
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Announcement for President
Saturday, February 10th, 2007
Springfield, IL
Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea - that I might play a small part in building a better America.My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature - that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, there's a hole in his heart no government could ever fill.
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith.
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a state Senator.
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge - farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here - friends that I see in the audience today.
It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable - that it's possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we're willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
That's why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That's why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That's why we made the tax system more fair and just for working families, and that's why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
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.
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.
I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness - a certain audacity - to this announcement. I know 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.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
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.
For that is our unyielding faith - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. 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. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. It is because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people - as Americans.
All of us know what those challenges are today - a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.
What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. 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 big problems.
For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, and that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happens, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.
And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what's filled the void. The cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests 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 politics is over. It's time to turn the page.
We've made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.
But Washington has a long way to go. And it won't be easy. That's why we'll have to set priorities. We'll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.
And as our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let's protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let's make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. And let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country's middle-class again.
Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids have a safe place to go when they work. Let's do this.
Let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment to the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, that we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term.
Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore - we can work together to keep our country safe. I've worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world's deadliest, unguarded weapons. We can work together to track terrorists down with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our alliances and exporting those ideals that bring hope and opportunity to millions around the globe.
But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq. Most of you know I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake. Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it's time to start bringing our troops home. 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.
Finally, there is one other thing that is not too late to get right about this war - and that is the homecoming of the men and women - our veterans - who have sacrificed the most. Let us honor their valor by providing the care they need and rebuilding the military they love. Let us be the generation that begins this work.
I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.
He tells us that there is power in conviction.
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
That is our purpose here today.
That's why I'm in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.
I want to win that next battle - for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle - for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all.
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.
And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
Comments
I just can'y WAIT to hear Barack's next official annoncement for the presidency!
Posted by: Leo T | February 10, 2007 10:17 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPy7RnHwvmA
Posted by: Dale Peters | February 10, 2007 10:35 AM
Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it's time to start bringing our troops home. 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.
Amen!!! Bring them home.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | February 10, 2007 11:05 AM
President Obama...that has a great ring to it.
Good luck, Senator, if you get the nomination you have my vote.
Posted by: Greg from Lakeview | February 10, 2007 11:12 AM
Somewhere in dark depths of the liberal laboratory was created the most perfect P.C. candidate ever conceived.
He was created to appeal to every citizen who has tired of being a true American.
He, the one that the left-wing media extremists are already calling a "messiah".
He is black - but he's not really black.
A run-of-the-mill white person can vote for him without the fear of a "black" president.
Black voters can at least say they did not vote for the "white guy".
Hispanics...oh well. The ones that can vote will be more than likely swayed by the rampant political correctness that is strangling our country & vote for him any way.
He is John F. Kennedy, Tiger Woods & Al Gore all rolled up into one.
He is the perverbial boil on Hillary Rotten Clinton's side.
He has a smile that can charm a nation obsessed with an "American Idol" mentality(?)desperate for a pin-up & not a leader.
After mind-numbing hours of sitting in front of the tube, one cannot really blame the masses for being asses.
He claims Christianity but stands idly by while the black genocide of abortion is wielded for millions of dollars in annual profits by death mills like Planned Parenthood. Any "Christian" who does not defend life is no Christian.
Photographs of his half-naked body at the beach are making the rounds in the trash tabloid newspapers & reporters are swooning like teenagers over some dumb movie star.
He is making smoking cigarettes cool again.
He can do no wrong.
He is going around claiming his blackness when his white mother raised him.
Regardless of what anyone else says, anyone with the name Hussein is suspect in my book. Would we vote for a man with the name of Hitler even today?
Barack Obama: Hero to the fringes of society hell-bent on creating a one-world socialist existence that would love to wipe out America as the greatest nation in the world, even with all of its flaws.
Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency is a hideous experiment of desperation comparable to shooting craps on a filthy street corner in the back of the Godless minds of the demon-crats.
True American patriots will not allow this to pass.
www.ReyFloresAmerica.blogspot.com
Posted by: Rey Flores | February 10, 2007 11:20 AM
Is there anyone else running besides Clinton and Obama? Wouldn't know it to read or view the media.
Posted by: kasha | February 10, 2007 11:25 AM
What a loquacious jumble of typically liberal overachieving principles. We have all heard these proclamations and aspirations before from other failed candidates. A lengthy diatribe better suited for untested politicians than experienced statesmen. Every time I hear or read anything Obama, the more Hillary Clinton earns my vote every day.
Posted by: Robert Salm | February 10, 2007 11:26 AM
Finally a man with the strength to go forward with the issues we as human beings need to address and to have peace of mind in our daily lives. Diana G
Posted by: Diana V. Gutierrez | February 10, 2007 11:49 AM
Obama or Hillary? That's the best we can do? Sad, very sad.
Posted by: Beth | February 10, 2007 11:50 AM
Rey Flores, I looked at your blog and you seem by credentials to be well meaning. But as I scrolled down I saw the ramblings not of a “Chicano Mike Royko” but of another small-minded little hack.
I think the reason you hate Obama so much is that he forces you and those of your ilk to face the fact that your ideology is small-minded, and outdated. President Obama. Greg from Lakeview your right, it does have a nice ring!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | February 10, 2007 11:51 AM
Beth their side John M. ,Rudy and Duncan Hunter I do not think so at all.
Posted by: Dale Peters | February 10, 2007 12:02 PM
Yes Barack | No Iraq
Posted by: 17 | February 10, 2007 12:06 PM
Rey Flores, what is your concept of a "true American?" Is it the same concept that empowered one group of people to hijack America and pass laws that condemned and oppressed millions of people? Is a true American one who would rather support wealthy people getting more wealth more than one who would support a meagre increase in wage standards for people on the bottom? Is a true American one who unflinchingly regurgitates the venomous hatred of right wing idealogues without skipping a beat?
Mr. Flores (and I assume you are a male), you say "He was created to appeal to every citizen who has tired of being a true American." What absolute, and utter nonsense. Are you the hispanic (and I assume you are hispanic) answer to Rush Limbaugh. Your assertion of his wanting to create a socialist world is so yesterdays stale news (get over it). You might be able to improve your criticisms by being a little better informed and a little more creative. That way you can engage in some original dialogue. You have every right in the world to prepare yourself, to aspire to, and to run for the presidency of this country. Why don't you do it.
Posted by: GW | February 10, 2007 1:02 PM
Logic Prisoner?
What the hell is that?
Standards and values are timeless. You jumped on this Obama bandwagon like the rest of your "ilk".
I guess another way to look at your so-called open mind is to call it a hole in your head.
Obama shmobama.
He'll lose & you & Greg from Lakeview can cry on each other's sensitive man shoulders.
www.ReyFloresAmerica.blogspot.com
Posted by: Rey Flores | February 10, 2007 1:12 PM
Yes Barack | No Iraq
Posted by: 17 | February 10, 2007 1:41 PM
Rey Flores - takin' the crazy to a whole new level!
If Obama inspires loons like you to such overheated, sweaty prose as "shooting craps on a filthy street corner in the back of the Godless minds of the demon-crats," then he must be doing an awful lot right.
I look forward to him winning the Democratic nomination, and the subsequent explosion of your head.
Posted by: Shawn | February 10, 2007 1:57 PM
Barack sure is a pretty, little package with a nice red bow on from the outside. It'll be interesting to see what's inside over the next 2 years.
Posted by: Alan | February 10, 2007 2:19 PM
Obama talks a big game, says words that are inspiring, uplifting, promising, and hopefull. As Americans, it's not only our responsibility to choose the candidate that PROMISES to do the things to make our country better, it's also our responsibility to make sure they LIVE UP TO those promises.
It has been frustrating to hear every 4 years, the SAME promises on the SAME issues (war, social security, medical coverage, etc.) with nothing ever happening. I am just as guilty as others in voting for the candidate that seemed to promise the most.
I like Obama, I like Hilary, I like Rudy, I like McCain, heck I like whoever LIVES UP to the promises we are about to hear until election day.
Posted by: Jason | February 10, 2007 2:20 PM
Seasoned Startesman he may not be...perhaps that is what we need?
Bring the troops home, indeed!
I've been a life long Republican, not anymore!
Obama yes!
Posted by: Dave | February 10, 2007 2:28 PM
Stop this man who was abandoned by his black african father and was raised by his white mother and yet kept claiming his black heritage and denied/ignored/downplayed his white heritage.Talking about biting the feeding hand!
His stepfather is a muslim and he went to a muslim school for a couple of years in Indonesia. You never heard him mention that.
he owes all Illinois voters an apology. You elected him to the senate and what has he done for IL? less than two years, he can't wait to run from IL to Washington! How many of you would have elected him if he had declared that his eyes were on the whitehouse, only using senate as a temporary means?
His speech is hollow and empty and deceptive. Nothing new. Who is to pay for a low-skilled uneducated worker with a bunch of children? How much money he should make should depend on how much value he contributes and the supply and demand market.
Posted by: Lola Summers | February 10, 2007 2:29 PM
He looks a lot like Malcolm X, sans glasses, don't you think??
Posted by: steve t | February 10, 2007 2:30 PM
"Rey Flores America" ?
Little Rey,
We've been living in a "Rey Flores America" the last 6+ years with your heroes George Jr and Darth Cheney at the wheel of the "Titanic America" that they created for us.
Go away Rey,you are in the Minority now and the GOP is finished in "America" for the time being thanks to your heroes in the Whitehouse.
OBAMA IN 08 !!!
Posted by: John E. | February 10, 2007 2:38 PM
Ray Flores, you're a nutcase. Go Barack Go!
Posted by: Matt | February 10, 2007 2:38 PM
Rey, I'd respond to your little snit by I think Shawn summed it up. Takin' the crazy to a whole new level! p.s. 101st Screaming Eagle, think about it chicken hawk.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | February 10, 2007 2:40 PM
Barack evokes such jealousy in losers. Why are you guys even answering a guy with the last name of Flores. Probably a chicano wanting to identify with right wings whites so bad (who by the way really hate hispanics) that he couldn't wait to slave for them and their agenda. People let's not give ignorant sell out-s a platform.
GO BARACK
Haters take PROZAC!!!
Posted by: Ron | February 10, 2007 2:43 PM
Rey Flores, what an idiot! A real Christian? "Any "Christian" who does not defend life is no Christian." The same Christians who believe in the death penalty that has killed many innocent people? The same wacked-out Neo-Nazi, oh, I mean Neo-Cons, who are supposedly pro-life, but since the election of the Neo-Con god Reagan, there has been no move to eliminate Roe v. Wade?
Rey Flores, What is He Thinking?
Paid for by "Buckley Not For President"
Buckley
Posted by: Buckley | February 10, 2007 2:48 PM
Thank God. Not because I am going to vote for Obama or that I am glad he is running. I am just so thankful that our evening newscasts will no longer be saturated with stories about Obama thinking about running. It's not news that Obama is thinking about possibly making an announcement in December, January or February. Maybe now we can get some news coverage!
Posted by: Jason Baumann | February 10, 2007 3:01 PM
Obama is a man of Principles.....some airhead
politician said principles have no place in
politics.....he really said that.
Posted by: Marie | February 10, 2007 3:03 PM
Flores, you're absolutely crazy. What are you so worried about?
Obama is what this country needs...he'll win the presidency and maybe we'll finally start moving forward again.
Posted by: hh | February 10, 2007 3:05 PM
I hope the American public does not get fooled by a glib tounged amateur politician who has no experience in either national or international world affairs. What a mistake if he is nominated by the democrats. It would be a catastrophic disaster that would forever be a blot on the democratic party. He would certainly be advised to not be responsible for the fiasco that would forever follow him. Let's hope that cooler and wiser heads see the pitfalls that he would bring them. The American public may be ready for a black canditate, but not him.
Posted by: Ray Gorak | February 10, 2007 3:07 PM
I was a little girl of ten when I stood smooshed and cold, and too short to see in a crowd, could only hear the voice of John F. Kennedy, and I fell in love that day, with the man, with the dream; and so today, thousands stood in the cold, and the dream is renewed, and again today, I fell in love with another man giving a great speech, a great man, who will be a great president. President Barack Obama, he will make Abraham Lincoln and all of us proud!!!!
Posted by: mary l kelly | February 10, 2007 3:26 PM
True American patriots will not allow this to pass.
www.ReyFloresAmerica.blogspot.com
Posted by: Rey Flores | Feb 10, 2007 11:20:08 AM
You're right..."true" Americans will follow blindly the ill concieved visions of their leader right down the toilet. Whipped into a frenzy of fear against an enemy that didn't exist where the leader told them they were. Didn't possess the WMD's they were lead to believe. They will rally behind him even if he mismanages the very war they say is soooo vital to them. The "true" Americans will follow like sheep to the drums and bursting bombs and never question. Give me the "real" Americans who can tell the difference and question their leaders
and cut through the rhetoric and the bands playing to realize what the truth is.
Posted by: bill r. | February 10, 2007 3:30 PM
Barack Obama is the leader this country needs. Open minded enough to let new ideas grow and new opportunities flourish.
When are the conservatives going to realize that "liberal" is not a dirty word? Newt Gingrich is gone! You can't spit out the word "liberal" with same venom any more. The country is not buying it. Take a look at the electionlast November!! This is a time for us all to grow together instead of being split apart with your rhetoric of hatred and distrust.
I'll not give in to temptation to start throwing around epithets of my own. The time to be ONE country for ALL people is now and Barack Obama is the person to guide us.
Posted by: Steve | February 10, 2007 3:35 PM
I'd love to eradicate the concept of patriotism to a country and replace it with what's best for the planet. A christian feels blessed that citizens of other countries have jobs that provide for themselves and their families. If a candidate wants my vote, he/she will promote care for everyone (health care, etc) why REQUIRING the recipients do their part. People who won't exercise, lose weight, stop smoking can pay for their own health care.
Posted by: R. Dearon | February 10, 2007 3:52 PM
To those who don't want Hillary or Obama, who do you want? Don't just complain...tell us what's the better option. Rey, you're just jealous because the Republicans are done. You say you're against abortion, but if abortion were illegal, would you be on the list to adopt these babies? Of course not. Every time I ask a conservative that question, I get the same response. "Someone will take them." Real compassion there. Go away.
Posted by: Jeff | February 10, 2007 4:01 PM
I could find a good looking actor & script writer in Hollywood to sound good and look good.
"Words" with no details and no balance.
This man is a 99% pure Democrat based on his voting in the Senate. So where is this "bringing people together"? "Stand together"? More like stand on the LEFT.
Please someone write how they even knew who this man was 4 years ago???
If you want higher taxes and more illegals crossing into our country, Vote for this man.
So far, I wouldn't vote for any of the Dems or GOP candidates. Where are the best? We need a 3rd and 4th party of the people. Not just these 2 busted groups.
Posted by: Jack | February 10, 2007 4:05 PM
How very Abe-ish of him indeed. I'm wondering how Obama's christian faith differs from that of Bush and how it will differ in the White House. If the brevity of his political résumé is really his "greatest strength," is that what we Americans should be relying our hope on? Get more at NewsMax;http://www.newsmax.com/?s=bl&promo_code=2D3S-1
Know it.
Shelby the Intern
Posted by: Shelby the Intern | February 10, 2007 4:06 PM
Yeah! I can't wait to hear Baraks next official announcement either, too bad he's already planning to skip the next forum. It is possible for a politician to be out of things to say? NewsMax has more info;
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/2/9/75047.shtml?s=bl&promo_code=2D3S-1
Know it.
Shelby the Intern
Posted by: Shelby the Intern | February 10, 2007 4:11 PM
Why don't we call him what he is, an extreme liberal socialist. If you vote for him then you pay for his social programs and tax increases. It will be a sad day when this hack gets elected.
Posted by: Conservative American | February 10, 2007 4:14 PM
He has my vote.
Posted by: grob | February 10, 2007 4:15 PM
This is a paid advertisement for www.ReyFloresAmerica.blogspot.com
Rey we aren't buying anymore of what neo-con, knuckle draggers are selling. Change is good Rey. Embrace it or be left behind!
Posted by: Dunny Rummy | February 10, 2007 4:18 PM
A good speech,but somewhat disappointing since I was expecting a great one.
Posted by: James Reyes | February 10, 2007 4:26 PM
It is good to see a senator from Illinois enter the race.
I hope the canidates stick to the important issues and talk about building a better future for our kids.
The national debt is out of control. Health Care needs to be addressed. Many people have lost jobs in manufacturing. We need more unity in this nation.
Good luck Senator.
Sincerely,
Phil
citizen
http://www.philmitchell.org
Posted by: Phil Mitchell | February 10, 2007 4:27 PM
Ok You say Obama has not done a thing. Don't get this wrong I have not made up my mind yet. But you haters tell me any of the people you support did something like this.
http://www.helpaveteran.org
Posted by: Dale Peters | February 10, 2007 4:27 PM
What a beautiful speech. This country needs some one who can bring us back together and bring peace back to Iraq and our country. He may not have decades of Washington DC experience but look at all the canidates who "do"- Clinton? Her only claim to politics is running in NY where she never lived before then and her cheating low life husband. Bush Clan? Junior was just a govenor of a state that's 3/4 desert and has a pappy who screwed us all up the first time. Obama seems genuine and he hasn't traveled so far from the $13k/year job to where he can't remember what it's like to be an American and struggle. He seems like a guy who will make choices based on whats right, not what he or the lobbyists think should be right.
Posted by: AmMaz | February 10, 2007 4:29 PM
In regards to the "muslim school" issue--Everyone is making a big deal about Obama attending a "madrassa" and how, for some reason, it is bad. All madrassa means is school in Arabic. Plus even though he does have a thin Muslim background,I see that as a very positive trait in a candidate that would enable him to not be so narrow minded and ignorant about religion as most people seem to be. Even though he is a devout Christian, his prior experience with Islam would be a nice and, I believe, welcome change of pace in the presidential office compared to the present occupant. Its amazing what a little culture and willingness to see other sides will do for cooperation.
Posted by: Justin Parks | February 10, 2007 4:34 PM
This is in response to Rey Flores and his "The transition has begun" post on his blog....
I think this is great!!! Who cares if Bill's running the country again? Wouldn't it be nice to have a surplus in our budget again instead of a deficit?
Sure he had extra-marital dealings, but at least they weren't with lil boy pages.....
Hillary is one tough cookie, she can take it. She's the only person who is running that actually knows what the job entails and she can handle all the pressure. She's already lived that life.
She and Barack are attacked so much now is because the right really fears that they will truly make a positive inpact in and for the US. Bush had an incredible shot after 9/11, but we all know he screwed it up. How many oil companies do you think will contribute to the Republican candiates now?
You really don't give Americans enough credit. Anyone who doesn't vote for Obama because of his middle name is lame. The name Hussain is a popular Muslim name. It's like John. Get over it.
Obama may not have all the Washington DC years behind him, but this is a new era. It's time for new and freash ideas. Most policies that DC veterns had/practiced/worked on are obsolete.
Any "Christian" who does not defend life is no Christian.
Is that why all the Christians from Texas to Georgia all have guns???
It should read:
Any "Christian" who judges and looks down at other people is no Christian.
PS. Planned Parenthood has helped many a white middle-class teenage girls who would have otherwise gone to an alley somewhere or south of the border to dangerously terminate their pregnancy. Girls risk their own lives by not going to a Planned Parenthood for pregnancy termination.
Cheers everyone....
Posted by: Olga | February 10, 2007 4:35 PM
Okay, everyone needs to think a lot more and emote a lot less over Senator Obama. He is not a different type of democrat with new ideas and answers to our country's problems. If he was, he wouldn't be talking to any of the following people ever: Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Dick Durbin, Jesse Jackson, and all other socialistic liberals that think they know everything and don't contribute anything positive to our country. Senator Obama is a younger version of former President Jimmy Carter, and we all know how awful his presidency was for our country. Finally, why would anyone want to have Senator Obama as our President when he couldn't even get Honda to build their automotive engine plant in downstate Illinois. He lost out to Indiana, and, therefore, Indiana residents will benefit greatly from the 1,500 plus great jobs along with all the other jobs it brings to the surrounding area it is going to be built in. So much for his being such a help to our state and its citizens. He has been a terrible Senator for Illinois.
Posted by: johnw | February 10, 2007 4:36 PM
Okay, everyone needs to think a lot more and emote a lot less over Senator Obama. He is not a different type of democrat with new ideas and answers to our country's problems. If he was, he wouldn't be talking to any of the following people ever: Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Dick Durbin, Jesse Jackson, and all other socialistic liberals that think they know everything and don't contribute anything positive to our country. Senator Obama is a younger version of former President Jimmy Carter, and we all know how awful his presidency was for our country. Finally, why would anyone want to have Senator Obama as our President when he couldn't even get Honda to build their automotive engine plant in downstate Illinois. He lost out to Indiana, and, therefore, Indiana residents will benefit greatly from the 1,500 plus great jobs along with all the other jobs it brings to the surrounding area it is going to be built in. So much for his being such a help to our state and its citizens. He has been a terrible Senator for Illinois.
Posted by: johnw | February 10, 2007 4:39 PM
So far, I hear Obama, a guy with very little o no expriencie leading changes in a government, wanting to lead a country like our beloved UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
He TALKS BEAUTIFULLY, but I see NO substance in his message, I must admit he is an excelent orator, but like him, there are many politicians.
I am not a republican, in fact, am not a democract, although I have voted most often on the side of the democracts, am very independent on my vote, thus, I am leaning for Mrc McCain, an honest to goddness GREAT HUMAN BEING, with vast experience, not only in the government, but in life, a person who has tryed to do what is best for our country, even joining bipartisan commities, leading them, MCCAIN deserves to be our president, he knows first hand what is to be a soldier, he knows first hand what it takes to lead with integrity, he is defintely not an idiot like G.W. Bush, I BELIEVE IN THE EXPERIENCE AND HONESTY OF MR MCCAIN.
Javier Mauricio Gonzalez.
Posted by: Javier | February 10, 2007 4:56 PM
He's too liberal and has no experience. Wake up America. The Terrorists can't wait fo someone like him to be President.
Posted by: Robert M | February 10, 2007 5:00 PM
Anybody that gets the hate filled right this worked up...gets my vote!
Posted by: bill r. | February 10, 2007 5:13 PM
Obama may wind up like the Eisenhower-Stevenson contest of the 1950s.
I support Barack for president, but he may be the "intellectial" of the campaign vs a guy like McCain or other "down-home" republican.
Posted by: Bob Kholos | February 10, 2007 5:14 PM
Obama's unwaivering support for Cook County hacks such as Todd Stroger convinces me that he's just an another typical crooked Illinois politico and hardly deserving of hero worship. He may look and sound pretty, but it's the same old smoke filled rooms, insider back-slapping deals, crony nepotism and corruption. God forbid any Chicago politician ever gets to the White House!
Posted by: Jeremy K. | February 10, 2007 5:16 PM
Hey Rey, what the hell kind of Hispanic are you anyway? You sure aren't the kind I am. I guess it must be the kind that has always lived in America, a direct descendant of an Aztec king eh? Maybe that's what gives you that arrogant sense of entitlement. Or maybe you're the kind that never had parents that fled impoverished living conditions and a corrupt government in some Latin American dictatorship? Or maybe you're just plain homesick and would like to see this country become the banana republic the wiser generation of your family escaped from? Who knows? Who cares? Go sell your anti-American freeper garbage elsewhere, pendejo. Viva Obama!
Posted by: mg | February 10, 2007 5:18 PM
Beautiful speech! Let's make it happen!!! I can't wait to we all wake up from this hell we've been in since Fall of 2000...GO BARACK GO - for me for America - for us!
That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
Posted by: David Stanton | February 10, 2007 5:22 PM
In the 20 or so months that he has been the junior senator from Illinois, Obama has made a couple of flowery speeches, written two books, gone to Africa to look for his roots, has towed the Democratic party line and said he's against the way in Iraq, and has pretty much taken some of the wind out of Hillary Clinton's sails. Other than all of this, can someone tell me one thing he has done that qualifies him to be President of the United States?
Posted by: CGullang | February 10, 2007 5:28 PM
Shelby the Intern,
I didn't know that the GOP had a Wingnut Internship?....When did that happen?
Don't worry Shelby,one day you'll be a full blown NeoCon,keep working at it,the Republic party needs all hands on deck these days to keep their Titanic above water.
Posted by: John E. | February 10, 2007 5:31 PM
McCain he's the man. He has been through alot. He would make the best president. Obama still has milk om his face.
Posted by: Nancy Marie | February 10, 2007 5:33 PM
I was so proud today of our senator, Barack Obama---announcing his candidacy for president of the United States, with a legitimate shot at becoming the candidate and the president. He has thousands of avid supporters, with those who know him best and the longest loving him and believing in him the most.
He plans to take us away from the business as usual form of government that has been so harmful and divisive to our country.
He believes in peace, not war, and has said so from the beginning. He has a plan to get our country untangled from the horrific mess in Iraq so we can begin to heal the wounds around the world.
Posted by: vicki | February 10, 2007 5:35 PM
Cool, you can run for president without ever having accomplished a thing.
At least he doesn't have to defend his record. He doesn't have one.
I'm announcing my intention to run for the presidency. Compared to Mr. Obama, I may be over qualified. Please consider me when you cast your ballot.
Posted by: SU | February 10, 2007 5:41 PM
I chuckle at the way Obama tried to identify himself with Abraham Lincoln. If Lincoln were alive today, he'd tell everybody to vote Republican.
Posted by: Bruce | February 10, 2007 5:51 PM
True American patriots will not allow this to pass.
www.ReyFloresAmerica.blogspot.com
Posted by: Rey Flores | Feb 10, 2007 11:20:08 AM
That sounds like a thinly veiled threat. Is it? Speak up, "Rey," and leave your front door unlucked so the Secret Service doesn't have to break it down.
Posted by: A reader | February 10, 2007 5:52 PM
I'm a 48 year old, married with two children, college educated, white Lutheran Christian who will be voting for Obama and supporting his campaign with some of my hard earned dollars. Dollars that I earned after working my way through college and getting a teacher's degree with student loans that I'm just now paying off. I am a true American, a true Christian who likes feeling hope again.
Posted by: Tom | February 10, 2007 5:58 PM
McCain was swift boated by Bush and Rove those things will come back on him. McCain has moved into the far right. No one wants that but the far right who are a danger to this Country. By still pushing the lies to take us to war in Iraq. Nothing by the Republican party has made America safer. They claim we have not been attacked since 9/11 but yet they do nothing to protect us. They claim we are fighting them there not here. Fighting who there the People of Iraq while 50 other Countries now have the real teroorist in them. While Bin-Laden still runs free. We have a Military in trouble with equipment and benefits when thay get out. America needs to come as one. But not under the right. We will break under them.
Posted by: Dale Peters | February 10, 2007 6:01 PM
You people are a bunch of lemmings. Following your "Messiah" into the ocean. He is the only one who will come out of this a muti millionaire.
WAKE UP!
Posted by: Mary Claire | February 10, 2007 6:14 PM
Good honest people in the United States were losing hope in the future of this country and in society in general. Barack Obama appears to stand for beliefs and principles that seemed to have been buried by an American culture obsessed with greed and selfishness. Over the last few years, I was beginning to lose hope in our leadership...and even more disappointingly, I was beginning to lose hope in my fellow Americans. Deep down inside, I believe that we all believe in honesty, respect and accountability. In my opinion, America has fallen off track. But for some reason, Barack Obama has given me a sense a hope...a sense of pride...and a desire to bring a feeling of respect back to this wonderful country that I love so very much.
Posted by: Alex Bartkus | February 10, 2007 6:20 PM
McCain he's the man. He has been through alot. He would make the best president. Obama still has milk om his face.
Posted by: Nancy Marie | Feb 10, 2007 5:33:44 PM
McCain will love those words of endearment......
I'll go wake him and tell him.
Posted by: bill r. | February 10, 2007 6:21 PM
Hey Lola-
He has mentioned his upbringing, in his BOOK. I guess its more fun (and a lot easier) to just swallow the blanket statements that are both unfounded and untrue spoonfed to you by the right wing media. (O'Reily, Hannity, and all of Fox). Obama does discuss very openly in his TWO BOOKS about his past, his upbringing, etc. You might try actually making up your own mind by doing your own research instead of just repeating the one-liners that the right wing feeds you. What you just said, to those of us who have actually done our homework, and have educated ourselves, makes you sound very uneducated. No one will take you seriouly if they can debunk your argument in two seconds with FACTS. You're entitled to your own opinions, but you completely defeat your own argument when you don't research it. Go find out something on your own that you can back up and then come back to argue. Atleast then people will respect you.
Posted by: Ana | February 10, 2007 6:21 PM
I voted for Obama when he ran for the Senate. I liked what he stood for, and was impressed when came out to thank the voters who placed him in office the day after the election. That was two years ago. Personally, I think that it's too soon for him to run for President. I think that he should complete his term as a senator, perhaps run for an additional term, and then put his bid in for the Presidential nomination. He's a great candidate, but I feel that he needs more experience.
Posted by: tms | February 10, 2007 6:26 PM
"Cool, you can run for president without ever having accomplished a thing."
Hummm. Sounds like someone Molly Ivins used to call 'Shrub'.
Go Obama!
Posted by: Lauren | February 10, 2007 6:35 PM
I plan on voting for Obama in the primary purely to get rid of Hillary. She has enough on her hands with Bill, how'd she ever have time to run the country?
Posted by: reality | February 10, 2007 6:42 PM
Not one person in 100 has dispassionately examined Obama's voting record.
HOMESCHOOLERS BEWARE! Obama has consistently voted to destroy the hard-won rights homeschooling families in Illinois. He is AGAINST the rights of parents to teach their own children. DON'T BE FOOLED!
LIBERTARIANS BEWARE! Obama makes Hillary look like a moderate. He is an anti-freedom, commie weasal. As a political wag once opined,"He's so far left he left the country."
Posted by: bungalowdweller | February 10, 2007 6:44 PM
Hi Rey,
Your argument (if it can be called that) was so unfounded and untrue that I couldnt get through the cheesy rhetoric without laughing. Do you really believe you're a true Christian? You do nothing but hide your hatered, intolerance and judgement behind a word that actually used to mean something. You are not Christ like. You are not a Christian. Please stop spreading hate in the name of God b/c it only makes you incapable of being taken seriously and furthermore, it just makes God look bad.
PS: you would really judge a person based on their middle name? Is that what you believe the true link to terror is? Names? If so, we'd better get busy going after everyone named "Rey"...
Posted by: Ana | February 10, 2007 6:46 PM
Lola,
"Stop this man who was abandoned by his black african father and was raised by his white mother and yet kept claiming his black heritage and denied/ignored/downplayed his white heritage.Talking about biting the feeding hand!"
First of, all I am amused by the thinly veiled racism implicit in your "bite the hand" statement. Besides the inate inaccuracy of your statement, evident in the two books he has written, what exactly are you trying to say? Not to bite the hand of the white man who must have simply given Obama everything he has?
You see, the rub with being black in America is that even if one appears to be even 1/10 black, Americans consider him a black man. Whether Obama has a white mother or not does not affect the mindset of the overwhelming majority, even though this is a sorry testament to the state of affairs. In America, if you look black at all (the old "one drop" rule) you are black. End of discussion. If Obama were elected president, he would be America's first black president, and judging from your post you wouldn't like that one bit.
SU,
Have you ever been elected to the U.S. Senate from a major state (or a smaller one, for that matter)? How long did you serve in the State Senate before deciding to run for President? Have you been elected to any public office of any kind? School board even??
Posted by: Qualified | February 10, 2007 6:47 PM
Dear cave-dweller:
Please put your children in school, while they still have a chance.
Posted by: Helping hand | February 10, 2007 6:48 PM
Read Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals"
and you will understand why Obama stands a good chance of winning.
Posted by: Tim | February 10, 2007 6:50 PM
He is an anti-freedom, commie weasal.
Posted by: bungalowdweller | Feb 10, 2007 6:44:48 PM
Spoken like a true LIBERTARIAN Mr.Bungdweller
Posted by: bill r. | February 10, 2007 6:52 PM
How come everyone talks about Obama and that he has no foreign policy experience...Bush was a governor with no foreign policy agenda and everyone knows Cheneny and the far right is running the White House...lets go in a new direction and create something special...where every one in America and around the world will again look to the these United States as exceptional. But with all the tough talk from a C student named Bush who did not spend any time fighting no one there is no wonder the United States has lost respect throughout the world.
Go Obama Go Obama for President
Posted by: rghaynes | February 10, 2007 6:52 PM
Ray Flores letter is thr biggest pile of dung I have seen in a quite awhile. First of all, Obama is not responsible for the name his parents gave him? Should I believe Flores is an illegal immigrant because of his name? Christianity involves a lot more than one's stand on abortion. Based on his hateful comments, that does not include Flores. Flores believes that conservatives are the only patriotic Americans. His thinking would be appreciated in the former USSR where dissent was not tolerated. Try moving since you cannot stand Americans of different opinions, Ray.
Posted by: LES | February 10, 2007 6:52 PM
So, face reality here people as Smiling Barack
Obama is an empty suit who is going nowhere and
who will never be elected President as hard and
cruel as this reality is for you Barack Obama-
Manics! So face it both the Republican Front
Runners Sen. Amnesty John McCain,who was once the
darling of the newsmedia himself and Mayor Rudy
Guiliani will tear this young greenhorn idiotic
smiling,charisma happy,loser apart as will his
Democratic Primary Opponents Sen Hilliary Clinton
and Former Senator John Edwarda and the rest will
do so too,face it and make your 2008 Vote count
for someone,who can win in 2008 and don't waste
it on empty suit Barack Obama!
So,besides tell us all about your own Military
Service Sen.Obama or are you another Draft Dodger
like George W Bush and Dick Cheney? And then tell
us all about your foreign policy experience? As
the truth is Senator Barack Obama you don't have
any, do you?
Yes I'm sorry to burst all you slavishly devoted
Rock Star Barack Obama Lovers Bubble but its time
to face reality as we donot need eight more years
another George W Bush and Dick Cheney either in
Sen Amnesty John McCain!
Posted by: Sandy | February 10, 2007 6:56 PM
Experience is way overrated. Cheney, Rumsfeld & Co. had "experience". They brought us failure of historic proportions---not just in the disaster that is the Iraq war but in every area of government. I prefer a presidential candidate who has good judgment, purpose, depth, thoughtfulness, candor and intellect. Obama has all of those traits, and has demonstrated an ability to bridge the divide. Our country needs him now.
Posted by: vicki | February 10, 2007 7:02 PM
Just what makes this guy think he's qualified to lead this country and the free world? What has he done? Has he authored one major piece of legislation since he's been in the Senate? Did he author one piece of major legislation when he served in the Illinois Senate? I just hope that the American electorate is intelligent enough to make an informed decision and not be swayed by image alone.
Posted by: Don | February 10, 2007 7:24 PM
" If Lincoln were alive today, he'd tell everybody to vote Republican."
Haw haw haw haw haw! Haw haw haw haw haw!
Hoo-boy, you wingnuts are HI-larious! You know what you might want to try? Reading.
Posted by: bjf | February 10, 2007 7:34 PM
Yeah, Don, because the present administration is doing a whiz-bang job, aren't they?
Posted by: bjf | February 10, 2007 7:35 PM
I am a white female and a real Christian. I am proud to live in the greatest country in the world. That being said I'm really embarrased by some other so-called Christians and Americans. Here's a news flash - you can be a Christian without being a bigot. I knew that when Barack made it official, the racist nuts who call themselves Christians and pretend to be "true Americans" would come out of the woodwork. You make Christians look bad and you make Americans look bad.
In reading the thread above - I want to address some comments that I've also seen from other bigots. The "Hussein" issue...Guess what - the name "Hussein" in the Arab world is about as popular as "John" is in the English speaking world. Stop already! OH - but I forgot, you think all Muslims are evil. Ignorance must be bliss. If being a Christian is the only thing that you hold on to, why can't you accept that regardless of what someone's name is or who has ever been an influence in their life, they can still be a Christian as Barack is? What cave do you live in???????
The other comment that is getting really tired is about Barack not identifying with his White mother. Are you insane????? When has he ever denied being half white or having a white mother that he loved dearly before her passing? I have seen him in plenty of press discussing his mother and showing photos. I've also read his books. Stop the hate. It's the bigots who decided a long time ago that you aren't white if you have one drop of black in you. Now you want to get mad at a man for being identified or identiying himself as black? America identifies him as black. WHO CARES ANYWAY WHAT RACE HE IS. The bigots and fake Christians, that's who.
All you so-called Christians (i.e. Rey)please go pray to God that he will forgive you for using him in your hate-filled agendas. And PLEASE go educate yourselves before making anymore ignorant statements. You're really embarrasing yourselves and America.
Posted by: hk | February 10, 2007 8:05 PM
Seriously folks what’s this guy really done? For me it’s clear he hasn’t done enough to warrant the top job in the country and certainly not enough time in his current job to even know if he is successful at that level. We've got serious issues both domestic and foreign, not the time to bet on a "superman" with no experience and one that we don’t even know has done well at the job he currently holds, we'll need someone with a real plan and knowledge of how to execute it. Obama in 8 more years, then we'll see where he's at. Way to new for the top job. Anyone who thinks differently isn’t using all the capacity their brain will allow or you don’t like experienced persons and do please call me to run your organization as I'm tiring of my current job and being top dog somewhere else sounds ideal, again not really experienced but then again you don’t care about that anyway.
Posted by: Eric | February 10, 2007 8:06 PM
Experience ????
lets check........
1. Mr.Bush had a lot of experience ....but he failed to organize ....and gave us is 3000+ fallen heros.... and no sign of end to this war..
2. Mr. Clinton had a lot of experience...... he failed to organize..... and all we got was 9/11 attack, a fallen economy.
nobody....who stays in DC for long can bring the so called 'CHANGE' that everyone talks about....their ideas get overshadowed either by Corporate America or Military America..... this is what we are seeing for the past few decades....
every 4 years we talk about change...... if you really want a change..... this is our ONLY CHANCE.
VOTE FOR OBAMA OR keep looking for ever for a CHANGE.........
Posted by: aj | February 10, 2007 8:10 PM
If O' Bama were to win the Democratic nomination, it would be great news for the Republicans. His lack of experience and failure to articulate a real platform will be his undoing. I cannot see him doing well in the Red States.
Posted by: f dobson | February 10, 2007 8:19 PM
How would you like to own a little business, work 80 hours a week to get ahead and make it a success. Then when you die the US government steals half of it. Thats called the Death Tax. Obama voted to keep it.
He's just another lightweight Democrat, all talk, no action phoney.
Can you say Vice President Obama. Hillary will pick him as VP, write it down!
Posted by: Tg Special | February 10, 2007 8:29 PM
I wish him well on his campaign. I shall be voting for Barack Obama.
Posted by: sea-j | February 10, 2007 8:29 PM
ANYONE WOULD BE AN INPROVEMENT OVER THIS IDIOT BUSH, HE'S MIS-MANAGE THE NATION, MIS-USE FUNDS FOR THE ELDERLY, MIS-LEAD THE TRUTH, MIS-GUIDED OUR MILITARY, MIS-APPROPRIATED MONIES FOR HIS WAR WAGON, MIS-USED YOUNG AMERICAN LIVES, BUT HE'S "HAS" PROVEN HIMSELF TO BE A MIS-FIT. HOW REFRESHING IT WILL BE GETTING THE STRAIGHT FACTS FROM OBAMA. THANK GOD WE DON'T HAVE TO OUTSOURSE AN EXPEDITION TO FIND SOMEONE WE CAN TRUST AGAIN.
Posted by: DAN | February 10, 2007 8:31 PM
Over the past 4 elections I have not really been excited about any one person, but this time might be an exception. I like Obama and am happy to see him run. No matter who wins the next election, Obama, Clinton, McCain... I think the public will win. The last eight years have not been the best and I look forward to an interesting Presidential Race.
A.M.A.M.
http://amanamongmommies.blogspot.com/
Posted by: A Man Among Mommies | February 10, 2007 8:40 PM