Posted on 10/18/2006 4:18:51 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Senator Joins CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery For Exclusive Interview
(CBS) CHICAGO -- As U.S. Sen. Barack Obama continues his book tour and enjoys the royal treatment, he took time to sit down with CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery for a one-on-one interview.
Obama would not say whether he was now considering a run for President, but he did say his new book and all the publicity hype surrounding it were not timed to set the stage for a possible run.
But he acknowledged he is taking seriously the pleas he is hearing from so many people on his book tour who are asking him to consider launching a campaign for President.
“It’s a high-class problem to have. Oh, isn’t it terrible, people think I should run for President,” Obama said with a smile. “At the 2000 (Democratic) convention in L.A., I didn’t even have a pass to get to the floor of the convention. Four years later I’m giving the keynote.”
“And then four years after that, maybe you’re the nominee?” Flannery asked.
“Well, no,” Obama said. “The point is this stuff just moves on its own accord sometimes, and I think we’ve got a celebrity culture, a political culture that constantly needs to be fed.”
The senator also reflected on the impact of his recent trip to Africa.
‘For me, actually, the highlight of the trip was taking that AIDS test with (wife) Michelle, because the (Centers for Disease Control) officers who arranged for it said that we might have caused about half a million people to get an AIDS test,” Obama said. “which means we might have saved thousands of lives as consequences”
As to how many people came in for AIDS tests, Obama said the half million figure was “what they projected. We haven’t checked to follow up, but that’s what they indicated to us. And obviously, it’s pretty rare where you take 15 minutes and potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of people are impacted by it.”
For those with Obama-mania, the book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," might be a must-read, especially toward the end where he opens the door just a bit to let us see what he calls the "tension" in his marriage. He confesses that during his failed bid to defeat Rep. Bobby Rush in the 1st Congressional District in 2000, his wife, Michelle, was so unhappy with his long hours that all he would get when he was home was a "frosty peck on the cheek."
Mike Flannery will have more on this story on the CBS 2 News at 6PM. In the meantime, check out his complete interview with Sen. Obama to the right.
Oh please raise our taxes mr. savior!!!
Pleas????
I'm out on the streets all day and have not heard one plea.
Only plea is from the MSM.
To boil all of this down to about a dozen words....Osama Obama wants to be Hillary's Veep.
Osama HUSSEIN Obama to boot!
Sounds like something that goober from Arkansas would say.
As you all have heard, to have a winning sports team you need depth on the bench. This says a lot about the depth on the Democrats team when they fawn over the JUNIOR senator from Illinois. They have nobody else to go to.
And I'll add another thing. If the IL GOP party didn't dump Jack Ryan several years ago during his run for the US Senate seat, Barack would be bussing tables now. Instead we get Alan Keyes from Maryland to run.
Well, that's my rant for the night.
Or vice versa and after Obama is convicted for fraud, Hillary steps in to unite the party.
Please tell me that you don't *really* believe that The Former Twelfth Lady would allow Osama Obama to steal what's rightfully hers.
I won't be voting for Barak Obama, but what proof do you have that he's a "closet Muslim.".
I think he'd make a good President--of Ethiopia.
None, it's just a gut feeling. I know he was exposed to islamic teaching as a child. Ya just never know, but I'd hate to chance it.
I don't know if this guy will run, but I do think he'd get the Democratic nomination if he did. The Dems have been pining for anyone they can call the "next JFK" for 40+ years. Plus, he has a huge advantage over Hillary, Bayh and Edwards in that he was against the Iraq war. That will be a huge advantage in Democratic primaries.
And people said Bush was a greenhorn when he ran for prez in 2000? Sure, he didn't hold local legislative office like Obama did, but considering the family he comes from, that counts for a lot.
I would not be surprised to see him run with Hillary on the #2 spot. It could happen.
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