1.16.2007
Obama Inches Closer to Announcing (ChicagoTribune.com)
By David Mendell
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 15, 2007, 9:26 PM CST
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama inched closer to revealing his intentions about running for president on Monday, adding a "very" to the "soon" in his assessment about when an announcement will come.
"We will have an announcement very soon," Obama (D-Ill.) told reporters outside St. Mark Cathedral in Harvey after delivering an emotional keynote speech to celebrate Martin Luther King's birth.
Prefacing his address in the church, Obama turned to media crews and declared that he was "not making news today" about a run for the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, Obama has sought advice from a widening circle of political advisers and has hired staff in key states.
Even if many blacks view Obama as the premier political leader, he said that the day of celebration for King would have been the wrong moment to declare whether he will seek the presidency in 2008.
"I didn't want to use this day to indicate my plans because I am humbled by what Dr. King accomplished," he said. "I don't think that whatever my political plans are, [they] are comparable to the heroic struggles that he went through, and I don't want to draw false parallels."
Obama said that he is weighing issues such as his personal safety and loss of privacy but hinted that those matters would not affect his decision.
(More ... Chicago Tribune > Breaking News)
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 15, 2007, 9:26 PM CST
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama inched closer to revealing his intentions about running for president on Monday, adding a "very" to the "soon" in his assessment about when an announcement will come.
"We will have an announcement very soon," Obama (D-Ill.) told reporters outside St. Mark Cathedral in Harvey after delivering an emotional keynote speech to celebrate Martin Luther King's birth.
Prefacing his address in the church, Obama turned to media crews and declared that he was "not making news today" about a run for the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, Obama has sought advice from a widening circle of political advisers and has hired staff in key states.
Even if many blacks view Obama as the premier political leader, he said that the day of celebration for King would have been the wrong moment to declare whether he will seek the presidency in 2008.
"I didn't want to use this day to indicate my plans because I am humbled by what Dr. King accomplished," he said. "I don't think that whatever my political plans are, [they] are comparable to the heroic struggles that he went through, and I don't want to draw false parallels."
Obama said that he is weighing issues such as his personal safety and loss of privacy but hinted that those matters would not affect his decision.
(More ... Chicago Tribune > Breaking News)
Labels: 2008 election, Chicago Tribune, Obama
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