Posted on 10/22/2006 8:00:05 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so.
The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision until after the Nov. 7 elections.
"That was how I was thinking at that time," said Obama, when asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about his previous statements.
"Given the response I've been getting the last several months, I have thought about the possibility" although not with any seriousness or depth, he said. "My focus is on '06. ... After November 7, I'll sit down and consider it."
Obama was largely unknown outside Illinois when he burst onto the national scene with a widely acclaimed address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
In recent weeks, his political stock has been rising as a potentially viable centrist candidate for president in 2008 after former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced earlier this month that he was bowing out of the race.
In a recent issue of Time magazine, Obama's face fills the cover next to the headline, "Why Barack Obama Could Be The Next President." He is currently on a tour promoting his latest book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."
On Sunday, Obama dismissed notions that he might not be ready to run for president because of his limited experience in national politics. He agreed the job requires a "certain soberness and seriousness" and "can't be something you pursue on the basis of vanity and ambition."
"I'm not sure anyone is ready to be president before they're president," Obama said. "I trust the judgment of the American people.
"We have a long and vigorous process. Should I decide to run, if I ever decide to, I'll be confident that I'll be run through the paces pretty well," Obama said.
Barack Hussein Obama
Run Barack Run !
He should run in 2008.
It will be good experience for the next opportunity to run against a Republican non imcumbent in 2016.
Didja see yesterday where he wanted to give Syria and Iran a hand in Iraq ?
This guys nuttier then 10 fruitcakes.
Even Kerry says do it, Obama, there'll be tons of fun.
That's Obama? Guess I never saw a picture of Skeletor before.
Looks like he's doing everything right so far, for ex: stumping for Ed Rendell in PA.
So... 'The Shrill' is damaged goods, so now Obama is the New Savior ????
>> The media Frankenstein awakens. His star is as organic as a plastic bottle.
Obama is Swahili for 'hothouse flower'
is it just me or does the name Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. seem destined to not be listed among name such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan ......?
Obama isn't weighing a run. He doesn't have the money or the political clout. He is, however, hawking a new book, and media coverage will push sales. This is exactly what Colin Powell did mid-1995, when he toyed with the idea of running for President, using the idea (which he never seriously entertained) to make a few million off a best-selling memoir.
Wow...he really takes his PR that seriously...
Hillary is going to ask him to be her VP, it's the only way to keep the Black vote for herself. Besides, Obama is not exactly ready for prime time, evidenced by his remark this week-end that he thinks that the US should demand that Syria and Iran take responsibility for Iraq. I thought they said that this guy was smart and savvy, but that remark is neither.
After that Hillary outlaws all elections. Arrests all Republicans, and kills all the Christians and Jews.
She has the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem defiled, and sits herself on a throne in the temple.
I am already bored with this guy.
Bill Clinton became President of the United States. Need I say more?
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