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Obama launches White House bid
17/01/2007 08:09 - (SA)
Nedra Pickler
Washington - US senator Barack Obama on Tuesday launched a presidential campaign that could make him the first black person to occupy the White House, and he immediately tried to turn his political inexperience into an asset with voters seeking change.
The freshman Illinois senator - and top contender for the Democratic nomination - said the past six years have left the country in a precarious place, and he promoted himself as the standard-bearer for a new kind of politics.
"Our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, commonsense way," Obama said in a video posted on his website. "Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions. And that's what we have to change first."
Obama, whose father was Kenyan, filed paperwork forming a presidential exploratory committee that allows him to raise money and put together a campaign structure.
He is expected to announce his candidacy on February 10 in Springfield, Illinois, where he can tout his experience in the state legislature and tap into the legacy of hometown hero, Abraham Lincoln.
Positive reaction
In a brief interview on Capitol Hill, Obama said the reaction has been positive and added, "We wouldn't have gone forward this far if it hadn't been this positive".
Obama's soft-spoken appeal on the stump, his unique background, his opposition to the Iraq war and his fresh face set him apart in a competitive race that also is expected to include front-runner senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
Obama has uncommon political talents, drawing adoring crowds even among the studious voters in New Hampshire during a much-hyped visit there last month. His star has risen on the force of his personality and message of hope - helped along by celebrity endorsements from the likes of talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and actors Matt Damon and Edward Norton.
- AP
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