Obama A Hit As He Honors Martin Luther King
Obama A Hit As He Honors Martin Luther KingNo Presidential Announcement Yet Get breaking news alerts(CBS) CHICAGO The buzz Monday was that Sen. Barack Obama will reveal his intentions on a possible presidential run on the Oprah Winfrey show this week.
Sen. Barack Obama was a hit Monday at two appearances honoring Martin Luther King Jr. even if he didn't deliver what much of the crowd clearly wanted: a declaration that he will run for president.
He emphasized that he was "not making news today" concerning a decision on a White House bid, saying that will come later.
Obama's press secretary told CBS 2 that, despite a national television report and speculation on Internet Web sites, Obama will not be making his announcement on the Oprah show. But he added that the expected presidential announcement is coming "very, very soon."
The cheers for Obama were loud and long at the Rainbow PUSH King Day Breakfast, where a Congressional colleague praised the decision that will soon be announced.
"Barack, now is the time to run for President of the United States," said Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
"It's a long, nonstop line between the march in Selma in 1965 and the inauguration in Washington in 2009," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the coalition's founder and a one-time presidential candidate himself.
Obama said thinking of the slain civil rights leader's life was humbling, and added: "I've gotten a little attention lately, but the fact of the matter is all I do is stand on the shoulders of others."
He noted that King was six years younger than he is now when he was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.
"Whatever challenges we face are nothing like the challenges our parents and grandparents faced," Obama said. "The torch has been passed to this generation, but we haven't always taken it up. We haven't pushed the boundaries of what is possible. We have much more work to do."
The crowd enthusiastically applauded and cheered his remarks.
While Obama did speak briefly downtown, he chose a church in Harvey as the setting for his main King Day speech.
Later, in an address at a King remembrance service at St. Mark Cathedral in nearby Harvey, Obama said: "I'm not making news today. I'm not here to make news. There will be a time for that."
Referring to his visit to the economically depressed south Chicago suburb, he said: "Some folks were surprised I was coming to Harvey. But as I recall, Dr. King wasn't hanging out in Manhattan, Dr. King wasn't hanging out in Beverly Hills. We'd do well to remember that before he was a leader of men, he was a servant of God."
Screaming admirers managed to get his autograph after the address, in which he advocated removing troops from Iraq, rebuilding struggling areas such as Harvey and increasing civic activism and called on people, especially fathers, to be better parents.
After sharply criticizing politicians, Obama declared some problems could be solved closer to home.
"I don't care who's in the White House. A daddy's still gotta be a daddy. You gotta look after your children," Obama said.
"I really hope he runs for president," said one such fan, 44-year-old Shanya Ingram of Ford Heights. "I'm glad I brought my granddaughter to hear what he was saying. It was so true."
The first-term senator has gained national attention since 2005 when he was sworn into office. He recently has made appearances in key primary states and according to several Democrats, he also has hired policy, research and press staff for a campaign to be run from Chicago.
On CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Obama said he'll announce a decision about whether to launch a presidential bid "fairly soon."
The first order of business is the one that should come soon if Obama decides to run -- filing papers with the Federal Election Commission and announcing the formation of an exploratory committee.
That must happen so Obama can start raising money and hiring a staff.
Timing is everything here because one of Obama's main potential Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton, is expected to make her announcement within days. If both Obama and Clinton run, they will be competing for funding and staff.
CBS 2's Mike Flannery and Rob Johnson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_015113840.html
Sen. Barack Obama was a hit Monday at two appearances honoring Martin Luther King Jr. even if he didn't deliver what much of the crowd clearly wanted: a declaration that he will run for president.
He emphasized that he was "not making news today" concerning a decision on a White House bid, saying that will come later.
Obama's press secretary told CBS 2 that, despite a national television report and speculation on Internet Web sites, Obama will not be making his announcement on the Oprah show. But he added that the expected presidential announcement is coming "very, very soon."
The cheers for Obama were loud and long at the Rainbow PUSH King Day Breakfast, where a Congressional colleague praised the decision that will soon be announced.
"Barack, now is the time to run for President of the United States," said Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
"It's a long, nonstop line between the march in Selma in 1965 and the inauguration in Washington in 2009," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the coalition's founder and a one-time presidential candidate himself.
Obama said thinking of the slain civil rights leader's life was humbling, and added: "I've gotten a little attention lately, but the fact of the matter is all I do is stand on the shoulders of others."
He noted that King was six years younger than he is now when he was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.
"Whatever challenges we face are nothing like the challenges our parents and grandparents faced," Obama said. "The torch has been passed to this generation, but we haven't always taken it up. We haven't pushed the boundaries of what is possible. We have much more work to do."
The crowd enthusiastically applauded and cheered his remarks.
While Obama did speak briefly downtown, he chose a church in Harvey as the setting for his main King Day speech.
Later, in an address at a King remembrance service at St. Mark Cathedral in nearby Harvey, Obama said: "I'm not making news today. I'm not here to make news. There will be a time for that."
Referring to his visit to the economically depressed south Chicago suburb, he said: "Some folks were surprised I was coming to Harvey. But as I recall, Dr. King wasn't hanging out in Manhattan, Dr. King wasn't hanging out in Beverly Hills. We'd do well to remember that before he was a leader of men, he was a servant of God."
Screaming admirers managed to get his autograph after the address, in which he advocated removing troops from Iraq, rebuilding struggling areas such as Harvey and increasing civic activism and called on people, especially fathers, to be better parents.
After sharply criticizing politicians, Obama declared some problems could be solved closer to home.
"I don't care who's in the White House. A daddy's still gotta be a daddy. You gotta look after your children," Obama said.
"I really hope he runs for president," said one such fan, 44-year-old Shanya Ingram of Ford Heights. "I'm glad I brought my granddaughter to hear what he was saying. It was so true."
The first-term senator has gained national attention since 2005 when he was sworn into office. He recently has made appearances in key primary states and according to several Democrats, he also has hired policy, research and press staff for a campaign to be run from Chicago.
On CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Obama said he'll announce a decision about whether to launch a presidential bid "fairly soon."
The first order of business is the one that should come soon if Obama decides to run -- filing papers with the Federal Election Commission and announcing the formation of an exploratory committee.
That must happen so Obama can start raising money and hiring a staff.
Timing is everything here because one of Obama's main potential Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton, is expected to make her announcement within days. If both Obama and Clinton run, they will be competing for funding and staff.
CBS 2's Mike Flannery and Rob Johnson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_015113840.html
posted by presgore19 at 8:45 PM
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