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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that it was great her fellow Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama, is thinking about running for president. Polls show Clinton is the front-runner among potential 2008 Democratic presidential contenders and she said Friday during a debate that she has also been thinking about running. "I think it's great that anybody thinks about whatever they want to do in the future," she said when asked about Obama during a campaign stop at a senior citizens' center just north of Albany. "I'm focused on my campaign. I'm focused on reaching as many voters as possible, talking about...

(AP) London, March 2, 1867: Karl Marx, a rising star among centrist economists, announced today the publication of the first volume of his work, 'Das Kapital'.OK, perhaps I exaggerate a tad. But is there any man of the left that the MSM is unwilling to cast as a "centrist" or moderate, particularly when he is seen as a potential Democratic presidential nominee? The Associated Press offers a perfect illustration of the phenomenon this evening. This article reports Barack Obama's indication on today's Meet The Press that, earlier protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, he is indeed contemplating a run for the...

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...

'We've got a nice spirit in here' For the umpteenth time in his short career, Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday deflected talk of a presidential run -- but did show off some diplomatic chops that could come in handy one day. As a war of words escalated inside 57th Street Books between a store manager and photographers trying to snap Obama's picture -- a snotty who/what/where/how come? scrap -- Obama cut the conflict short. "Don't get salty, now," he warned the two camps. "We've got a nice spirit in here." Truce. But lasting peace between media members and those assigned...

In his second memoir in 11 years, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Sen. Barack Obama paints a picture of America as it is and as he believes it should be. Obama, 45, tackles faith, politics, values, race, opportunity and the United States' place in the global village in the 288-page tome from Crown Publishing Group scheduled to hit bookstore shelves Tuesday. The title of Obama's new book comes from the keynote address he delivered at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004, in which he said the "audacity of hope" is "God's greatest gift to...

Sen. Barack Obama has the charisma and ambition to run for president, but is he ready to answer the tough questions? Foremost among them is whether he will run in 2008, and he's not denying it. But the mania surrounding the Illinois Democrat's book tour is reminiscent of the Colin Powell mania in 1995, when the general leveraged speculation of a presidential run into huge book sales. And that's not all they have in common.

This Saturday my beloved Sen. Barack Obama has decided to grace me with his presence at my place of employment, Rock Valley College. The event entitled President's Office 06/07 (BARACK OBAMA TOWN HALL MEETING) in the PEC 105 at 09:00am-11:00am. I really don’t know much about the guy or what he has done for the state. Well, I do recall him attaching a spending bill of $52 million for the Congo but that’s about it. I might have an opportunity to ask a question. Any suggestions? Serous questions please and please keep in mind that he is not “officially” running...

Barack Obama's one-time rival for the U.S. Senate wants him to run for president in 2008 -- a move that could leave Obama's Senate seat vacant again. State comptroller Dan Hynes, a fellow Democrat whom Obama trounced in the 2004 primary, said Thursday the country hungers for the senator's leadership. In a letter, Hynes urged Obama to run and said the advice was "deliberately timed" to coincide with the senator's trip to Iowa, the state with the first presidential caucus. "Barack Obama is a man for these times," Hynes said. "He and he alone can restore the hope and optimism...

NAIROBI, Kenya - During a visit to his father's homeland, Sen. Barack Obama electrified the thousands of Kenyans who thronged every stop of his tour. Some hoped for promises of largesse, others to bask in the glory of a successful African-American politician, but all wanted to see the man they consider a local kid made good. "Simply by coming here, he was making a very important statement. He was telling all Kenyans, and especially our youth, that the sky is really the limit," columnist Dominic Odipo wrote in Kenya's oldest newspaper, The Standard. This despite the fact that Obama never...

Opening shot The late Steve Neal was vigorous and unrelenting in his attacks on Sen. Dick Durbin. Eloquent, razor-sharp keelhaulings, again and again, for Durbin's bobbling O'Hare reconstruction, for his not commanding respect, for a variety of sins. This did not go over well with the senator. I remember Durbin once showing up for an editorial meeting. "Where's Steve Neal?" he demanded. "I want to see him!" You could tell he was angry. I, as the junior member of the board, was dispatched to Steve's office to go fetch him. But Steve had vanished, through luck or design, a skill...

WASHINGTON — When Sen. Barack Obama heads to Africa for a five-nation tour this week, he will take with him a credential no other U.S. senator can claim — and one that may make Africans listen to what he has to say. Obama departs Friday on a 15-day tour that will take him not only to his father's homeland, but also to South Africa, Congo, Djibouti and Sudan. While he has visited Africa twice before, this trip is certain to be different. (snip) Earlier this year, Obama attached an amendment to a pending bill that would provide up to $52...