Sen. Barack Obama's Book Club

Frist says he won't make White House run

POSTED: 12:10 p.m. EST, November 29, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2008, the most high-profile campaign dropout among Republicans more than a year before the first convention delegates are chosen.

"In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close. I do not intend to run for president in 2008," Frist said in a statement -- his only planned comment on the decision.

Earlier, Frist had decided not to seek a third term in the Senate. His announcement Wednesday caps a 12-year stint in electoral politics in which he rose from an underdog in his 1994 Senate campaign to the position of majority leader a mere eight years later.

Among the Republicans already exploring a White House bid are Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also is considering pursuing the GOP nomination.

Other potential GOP contenders include Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Charles Hagel of Nebraska, Govs. George Pataki of New York and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California.

Obama will party with state Democrats

Junior senator to make first Granite State trip                                                                             
By SARAH LIEBOWITZ - Concord Monitor

Barack Obama - first-term U.S. senator from Illinois, Democratic fundraiser extraordinaire and best-selling author - is inching toward a 2008 presidential bid.

On Dec. 10, Obama will attend the New Hampshire Democratic Party's celebration of their Election Day sweep, which tipped the balance of power in the House, Senate and both congressional districts. The event will mark Obama's first trip to New Hampshire since he emerged as a potential presidential candidate, and it signals his growing commitment to a possible run, according to political analysts.

"He's dipping his toes into the political waters. And I expect he'll find it very comfortable," said Wayne Lesperance, an associate professor of political science at New England College in Henniker.

The announcement had many New Hampshire Democrats gasping with glee yesterday, eager to reflect on Obama's legislative experience (or lack thereof), his eloquence and his charisma. The national attention - which has included magazine photo spreads, and a visit with Oprah Winfrey - has generated excitement that's unrivaled in the early 2008 presidential campaign, some said. In the month since Obama said he was considering a run for president, the anticipation has reached a fever pitch.

Obama to Join Democrats in New Hampshire

By BEVERLEY WANG
Associated Press Writer

Nov 28, 8:44 PM EST

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who is mulling a presidential bid, will make his first visit to New Hampshire next month.

The Illinois senator will join the state's Democrats on Dec. 10 for a belated celebration of their big win in the midterm election. Obama has traveled to Iowa, site of the leadoff presidential caucuses, but New Hampshire hasn't been on his itinerary.

Obama has gotten encouragement to seek the presidency in 2008 from fellow Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who sent a letter to political supporters this week encouraging them to sign a "Run, Barack, Run" petition.

High court to hear pivotal global warming case

A dozen states, large cities argue that emissions need to be regulated

Updated: 2:50 p.m. CT Nov 26, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court hears arguments this week in a case that could determine whether the Bush administration must change course in how it deals with the threat of global warming.

A dozen states as well as environmental groups and large cities are trying to convince the court that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate, as a matter of public health, the amount of carbon dioxide that comes from vehicles.

Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas are burned. It is the principal “greenhouse” gas that many scientists believe is flowing into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate, leading to a warming of the earth and widespread ecological changes. One way to reduce those emissions is to have cleaner-burning cars.

Hagel: U.S. should pullout of 'mismanaged' Iraq

POSTED: 10:39 p.m. EST, November 26, 2006

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A leading Republican senator called Sunday for American troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq, declaring that a U.S. pullout is needed to head off "impending disaster" in the nearly 4-year-old war.

"There will be no victory or defeat for the United States in Iraq," Sen. Chuck Hagel wrote in Sunday's edition of The Washington Post.

Instead, he said, President Bush should use the upcoming report from a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker to begin laying the groundwork for a "phased withdrawal" of U.S. troops.

"If the president fails to build a bipartisan foundation for an exit strategy, America will pay a high price for this blunder -- one that we will have difficulty recovering from in the years ahead," Hagel wrote.

"To squander this moment would be to squander future possibilities for the Middle East and the world. That is what is at stake over the next few months."

Hagel, of Nebraska, served in Vietnam as an infantry sergeant and is now the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Though he voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq, he has been an increasingly outspoken critic of the administration's management of the conflict.

Sen. Obama is already demonstrating strong leadership

From Daily Kos:

Obama has led ethics reform in the Senate. Harry Reid assigned Obama to do it. Most of his bills have been blocked or tabled by the Republicans.

Obama is going to introduce a bill calling for Universal Healthcare.

Obama cleaned up the IL State Senate, taught Law at the UChicago Law School, and is the top fundraiser in the Democratic party -- he was the only person in 2004-2005 to be invited to all 50 states to raise $$.

Obama rented a small apartment on the South Side of Chicago until he became a Senator -- because he could not afford to own a place on his State Senator salary, even with his wife the hospital administrator. (Read the Men's Vogue with him on the cover for more.)

 

by kath25 on Sun Nov 26, 2006 at 01:57:50 PM PST

     

Obama talks with top advisers in Iowa

It looks like Sen. Obama is making the right moves in Iowa.  John Norris is a major player in Iowa, and his possible support of Obama would go a long way.

The Illinois senator gets filled in on the caucus leadoff state as he weighs a 2008 presidential bid.

By THOMAS BEAUMONT - DEM MOINES REGISTER
November 26, 2006

Democrat Barack Obama has sought the advice of top campaign workers in Iowa and has established a seedling support network in this state as he prepares to decide whether to seek the 2008 presidential nomination.

The first-term Illinois senator has surrounded himself with advisers rich in experience in Iowa, the leadoff caucus state.

Obama has vaulted to the top tier among prospective candidates for the Democratic Party's nomination, even as the new star in the party says he has not made up his mind about running.

The Iowa connections of Obama's campaign advisers and the senator's behind-the-scenes inquiry into the Iowa caucuses are hardly an announcement that he is running for president. But they show he is visualizing the presidential campaign process, in the event he decides to run.

Obama said last month he was considering a campaign for president, as enthusiastic crowds turned out for his political appearances on behalf of other candidates and as he traveled the country promoting his best-selling autobiography.

Shortly after the Nov. 7 election, Obama telephoned John Norris, the Des Moines Democrat who ran John Kerry's winning campaign in the 2004 Iowa caucuses.

                  

Tonight: Sen. Obama on ABC's Nightline

Welcome to Sen. Barack Obama's Book Club

Since Sen. Obama is one of the most intelligent and inspiring leaders of our time, it's only appropriate that his supporters gather together in an intellectual format. 

Americans have had enough with the Republican status quo, proven by the overwhelming sweep of Democratic victories across the nation in November.  Whereas Gore and Kerry didn't quite have the charisma to carry progressives over the finish line, Sen. Obama is in a league of his own.  He's Howard Dean with a smile.  He's got Clinton/Kennedy-esque charisma.  He's the pragmatic man for whom we've been searching to lead us out of the Bush quagmire.

Whether Sen. Obama decides to run in 2008 for the White House is up to Sen. Obama.  It's a huge sacrifice that he and his family would have to endure, and no one can blame them if they decide it's simply too much for their family to handle.

But, if Sen. Obama decides to take the plunge, then we stand ready.  The Obama movement will grow to be the biggest grassroots network in the history of American politics.  And what better place to start than deep in the heart of Texas!