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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (100)	12/1/2006 8:32:36 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 149317

And it may possibly also end somethings.... HILL BARACKING OFF By IAN BISHOP Post Correspondent December 1, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - Iowa Democrats say there's a growing feeling in the key 2008 state that Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to take a pass on the presidency if rising rival Barack Obama jumps in. "She's been quiet and, you know, there's a question that we all hear is that she may not get in this if Barack Obama gets in," Iowa Interim Democratic Party Chairman Rob Tully said. Obama, the Illinois senator and surging Democratic darling, is raising his profile with national TV appearances and an upcoming trip to New Hampshire, while Sen. Clinton has been holed up at her home in Chappaqua and hasn't appeared in public in over two weeks. There was no sign of life at her house yesterday, and Secret Service agents at the Westchester County property wouldn't say whether she was there. Some experts say Clinton's sputtering start may be too much to overcome Obama's popularity. Tully noted she is not building an adequate political organization in Iowa, which holds the first caucus of the 2008 contest. "I have never seen a reaction other than Bill Clinton in terms of the excitement that people have to meet Barack Obama. Some people just wanted to touch him," Tully told Fox News Channel. One Iowa source doubted Clinton's ability to compete in the state, telling The Post, "Bill Clinton largely passed over Iowa when he ran, and Sen. Clinton has sent very little money here" from her political action committee. Clinton's camp dismissed the speculation over her future. "As we have said before, Sen. Clinton's decision-making is not dependent on anyone else's plans," said her spokesman, Howard Wolfson. Clinton is the only top-tier presidential contender to spend zero time meeting and greeting local voters in the kickoff states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Meanwhile, New Hampshire officials say her MIA campaign status won't hurt her in the Granite State - yet. Kathy Sullivan, the state party chairwoman, insisted there is plenty of time for primary voters to chitchat with candidates before making up their minds. But she revealed that Obama has already bested Clinton in the personal, retail politics that New Hampshire voters and party bigwigs crave. "He called up after the elections to say congratulations, because New Hampshire had the absolute best day of any Democratic Party in the country," said Sullivan, referring to a congressional election sweep and huge state Legislature gains. During the call, Sullivan asked Obama if he'd headline a celebration bash the party is planning for Dec. 10 - a press-the-flesh opportunity with Granite State honchos that Obama jumped at. Sullivan did not receive a congratulatory call from Clinton. Also yesterday, outgoing Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack became the first big-name Democrat to formally announce a presidential bid. ian.bishop@nypost.com

To: tejek who wrote (100)	12/2/2006 1:32:58 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

Obama speaks about faith, sexuality By Mike Dorning Tribune national correspondent Published December 1, 2006, 10:00 PM CST LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- Sen. Barack Obama, a pro-abortion rights Democrat contemplating a presidential run, on Friday received a warm embrace from one of America's best-known evangelical pastors and an enthusiastic ovation from a national gathering of church leaders not traditionally welcoming of liberal social views. Obama delivered a speech rich in references to Christian faith, moral imperative and common purpose, urging churches to join with allies among the secular to fight the spread of AIDS and other social ills. "We have a stake in each other," Obama said. "I am my brother's keeper and I am my sister's keeper…what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart. And if we people of faith believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done." The Illinois senator spoke before about 2,000 mostly evangelical pastors and church leaders at a World AIDS Day summit at the Southern California suburban mega-church that is home base to Rick Warren, leader of a network of evangelical churches and author of the best-selling "Purpose Driven Life" series of books. Obama has been a prominent advocate among Democrats for a more determined effort to engage evangelicals and church-going Americans. His appearance at Warren's Saddleback Church follows a speech last June in which he argued for a greater role for faith in political discourse. Warren has been a leading voice in a growing movement among evangelicals to expand the movement's political agenda beyond the familiar cultural issues of abortion and gay rights to causes such as AIDS, global disease, poverty and the genocide in Darfur. Warren's invitation to Obama stirred public rebukes from several prominent Christian conservative leaders, who argued that the senator should be denied the forum because of his support for abortion rights. But Warren greeted the senator on-stage with an open-armed bear hug and warm words of praise. He introduced Obama along with Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a favorite of Christian conservatives, who also spoke, as leaders of "integrity…civility…(and) humility." He described his admiration for the Illinois senator's "heart and soul" and called him "my friend." "We've got to stop criticizing and start cooperating," Warren said. Obama, whose father is Kenyan, recounted his own journeys in Africa to illustrate the toll AIDS has taken in the developing world. But he also devoted much of his speech to a South African woman known as Leo, profiled in Chicago Tribune feature, a struggling nanny who borrowed money to care for an expanding charge of orphans left behind as her brothers and sisters and then neighbors died from AIDS. "Here's the thing—my faith tells me that Leo's family is my family," Obama said. "We are bound together as God's children, and I have a commitment to them that I cannot relieve because of geographic distance or economic distance." Obama said he embraced the roles the church has to play not only in committing financial and human resources but also in "providing people with a moral framework on a faith basis to make better choices" such as sexual abstinence and marital fidelity. But he added, "I have to respectfully but unequivocably disagree" with conservatives who oppose promotion of condoms and microbicides. "I don't accept the notion that those who make mistakes in their lives should be given an effective death sentence," Obama said. The senator called for a $1 billion per year increase in the United States current commitment to spend $15 billion over five years fighting the spread of AIDS in less developed countries. He urged the church leaders to turn away from politics that would look upon the unfortunate and "blame their problems on themselves…a politics that's punitive and petty, divisive and small." "My Bible tells me that when God sent his only Son to Earth, it was to heal the sick and comfort the weary," Obama said. Tim Morgan, deputy managing editor for Christianity Today, who watched the speech, said Obama spoke about his faith with a natural ease that resonated with the audience. "He almost speaks here like a pastor. The amazing thing is he does it so well," Morgan said. "That's why he gets a standing ovation from an ardently, ardently pro-life audience." Several church leaders in attendance said they came away with a favorable impression. "You can tell he has a Christian perspective….Caring for people is the no. 1 thing about being a Christian," said John Smith, senior pastor of Crossroads Church in Loveland, Colo. "It didn't feel like he was politicking. It felt like he was a person of faith, and he felt comfortable talking about that." But others noted it would not be enough to make them political supporters. Robert Myers, senior pastor of Miami Baptist Church in Miami, Fla., was among those who stood and clapped for Obama but said the senator's support for abortion rights was an insurmountable obstacle. "I wouldn't want him making appointments to the Supreme Court. I wouldn't vote for him," Myers said. "But if we had to have a Democrat, I'd like to have a Democrat like him." chicagotribune.com