Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's preliminary decision Tuesday to seek the presidency propels him into the top tier for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and puts him in position to test how much his party and his country hunger for change.
Just 45 years old and two years into his first term in the Senate, Obama brings to the campaign the prospect of a new generation and style of leadership, with less experience in Washington and far fewer ties to the political polarization of the past two decades there.
An Obama campaign also would test whether America is ready for a nonwhite president.
Obama filed papers Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission that allow him to form a committee to raise money and hire staff toward a presidential campaign. He's scheduled a formal announcement of his candidacy for Feb. 10.
In a statement, Obama lamented that "our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, commonsense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions."
Obama's youth and lack of experience in Washington are, at once, among his strongest assets and most glaring weaknesses. Yet while many politicians in similar circumstances invoke the youthful John F. Kennedy, watch for Obama to conjure up a bolder comparison: Abraham Lincoln.
Obama's formal declaration of candidacy will come two days before Lincoln's birthday - in the Illinois state capitol of Springfield, where he and Lincoln both served, rather than his hometown of Chicago. The speech could be in the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln served, though details hadn't been worked out Tuesday.
Obama approaches the campaign with polls showing him in the top ranks of a largely open race for his party's nomination, along with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
Obama is competitive in each of the first four states that are scheduled to vote for a Democratic nominee next year - he's running fourth in Iowa, second in Nevada, second in New Hampshire and third in South Carolina - according to recent polls by the American Research Group.
Clinton leads in all four states, but she commands only about a third of total support. She's expected to declare her intentions soon.
Other announced Democratic candidates include Sens. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Joseph Biden of Delaware, Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. New Mexico's Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to announce his candidacy later this month. All score lower in early polls than Clinton, Obama and Edwards.....
The only problem with this article as it went on is that why should be youth or age be a factor in whether someone is capable enough to lead. To be quite honest, I believe Obama is a great candidate for President but just not this go round. I would support for a Vice Presidential nominee for Obama in 2008 before a Presidential run. However if he wins the Democratic Party nomination, I would support him and be willing as well as ready to campaign with him anytime, anywhere. Youth shouldn't a factor in any election. Look at the credentials of a candidate and make your decision.
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