20 September 2008 Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet Now that he’s finally fired up on the soup-line economy, Barack Obama knows he can’t fade out again. He was eager to talk privately to a Democratic ex-president who could offer more fatherly wisdom — not to mention a surreptitious smoke — and less fraternal rivalry. I called the “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin (yes, truly) to get a read-out of the meeting. This is what he wrote:
Friday 29 August 2008 Obama launches historic campaign Barack Obama has accepted the Democratic Party's historic nomination to run for president of the US in front of a crowd of some 75,000 people.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The dream lives on, Kennedy says
U.S. Democrats paid nostalgic tribute last night to Sen. Edward Kennedy, the last of three political... 'br"It had the feeling of a final farewell.
U.S. Democrats paid nostalgic tribute last night to Sen. Edward Kennedy, the last of three political brothers who became iconic figures in American liberal politics over the past half century.
In the process, they got more than they expected.'br"The 76-year-old senator from Massachusetts, who was found to have a form of brain cancer in May, delivered a surprise speech at the Pepsi Centre before a crowd that erupted in chants of "Teddy, Teddy, Teddy."
"My fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here," said Kennedy, nearly overcome with emotion. "And nothing, nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight.
Sunday Jul 27, 2008 US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held talks Saturday with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London. Mr. Obama said later that a strong trans-Atlantic relationship is needed to deal with a wide range of world issues, including climate change, terrorism and the financial markets. Mr. Obama also had a breakfast meeting with former prime minister Tony Blair. The London visit was the last stop on an international tour that took Mr. Obama to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe. On Saturday, during talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, Mr. Obama stressed that Iran had to be stopped from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Sunday 29 June 2008 The U.S. Democratic Party candidate for president, Barack Obama, will visit Europe and the Middle East this summer. He'll visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. No dates were announced for security reasons. Political observers say that the senator from Illinois wants to use the trip to show voters that he is at ease speaking about foreign affairs. Mr. Obama has also indicated that he might visit Iraq and Afghanistan sometime this summer.
Tuesday 17 June 2008 Gore backs Obama for presidency
Former US Vice-President Al Gore endorses the Democratic candidate for the presidency, Barack Obama.
Campaign Conversations: Barack Obama John Harwood of The New York Times and CNBC interviews Senator Barack Obama about gas prices, taxes, housing and other economic issues
Friday 13 June 2008
Mr Obama kicked off his next campaign, the one against John McCain, with a tough speech on the economy in which he accused his Republican rival of pursuing a continuation of George Bush's policies. Mr McCain hit back, describing his rival as a typical tax-and-spend Democrat. See article
Sunday 01 June 2008 Obama Quits His Church After Months of Criticism
Barack Obama said his estrangement took root in controversial remarks by the former pastor, who once was his spiritual guide ABERDEEN, S.D. — Senator Barack Obama has resigned his membership in Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, which he attended for nearly two decades, following months of controversy about pastors and their political views.
Wednesday 21 May 2008 Obama 'within reach' of victory
Barack Obama says he is close to securing the Democratic nomination for US president, after Oregon and Kentucky vote.
Monday 19 May 2008 Obama and the Jews Pssst. Have you heard? I have. I heard that Barack Obama once said there has to be “an end” to the Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank “that began in 1967.” Yikes!
Monday 14 April 2008 Democrat rivals defend abortion
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say they back abortion rights and profess their Christianity at a faith forum.
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has sought to tackle the issue of race and defuse a controversy over comments made by his former pastor.
Senator Obama said he understood the history of anger between black and white Americans but that the US could not afford to ignore race issues.
He referred to the uproar over what he called the Rev Jeremiah Wright's "profoundly distorted view" of the US.
Wednesday 19 March 2008
RARE CANDOR ON RACE The
Globe, the Star
and the
Post front, while The
National, CTV
News, La Presse and the
Citizen go inside with Barack Obama’s speech (video here) about
his controversial pastor and the broader issues of race in America. Before
an appreciative but restrained sit-down crowd in Philadelphia, Obama spent
more than thirty minutes delivering a self-written speech that condemned
the hotly debated sermons delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Wright of
Chicago’s Trinity United Church. Yet Obama stopped short of
rejecting Wright himself, saying, “I can no more disown him than I
can disown the black community,” and making a pointed comparison
between Wright and Obama’s white grandmother, who unquestionably
loved her black grandchild yet “uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes
that made me cringe.” Obama went on to outline his view of
America’s “racial stalemate”: Between blacks that are
legitimately, if sometimes bluntly, resentful over a legacy of
discrimination entrenched in law and culture alike; and whites who
“don’t feel they have been privileged by their race” and
thus resent affirmative action and other programs to better the lot of
blacks. The speech is largely reported straight in today’s
papers—the Globe is the most effusive, with a front-page layout that
implicitly compares the junior senator from Illinois to the Dalai
Lama—as the sheer volume and detail of its content is difficult to
digest for a campaign press corps that has adapted to a lean and fast news
cycle. The depth and breadth of Obama’s remarks, however, will bring
them into play when the campaign touches on issues that range far beyond
race, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, poverty, education and
the family.
Daniel
Caseyis a Montreal-based MediaScout writer
for Maisonneuve Magazine.
There was no such indecisiveness from the Republicans; John McCain won enough delegates to deliver him the party's nomination when he cruised past Mike Huckabee in all four states up for grabs on March 4th. Afterwards, the senator from Arizona paid a visit to the White House to receive an endorsement from his former nemesis, George Bush. See article
Obama takes clear Maine victory
Barack Obama wins in Maine to complete a weekend of victories advancing his Democratic nomination hopes.
Sunday 10 February 2008 Obama Gets Convincing Wins in 3 States
By KATE ZERNIKE
Barack Obama beat Hillary Rodham Clinton in contests in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington State as Mike Huckabee showed that he is still attracting Republican voters.
Sunday 10 February 2008
Obama takes US poll clean sweep
Barack Obama closes the gap on Hillary Clinton in the race to become the Democrats' presidential candidate.
Wednesday 06 February 2008 Much has been made of Barack Obama's speech-making capabilities in the last couple of weeks, and Hillary Clinton has even been accused by some people of cribbing some of his phrases. But is it is possible that Obama himself borrowed one of his signature lines, from a most unlikely source? "I tuned out the NH debate the other night to watch Man of the Year, in which Robin Williams plays a comedian who gets 'elected' President," one reader commented on John Heilmann's piece about Obama in last week's New York. One of Williams's speeches in the film, he noticed, was strikingly similar to one Obama gave in an ad in Iowa: "We are not a nation of red states or of blue states; we are the United States of America." So we got a copy of both speeches, played them one after the other, and, well, what do you know? Now, we're not accusing anyone of plagiarism: Like "I'm a uniter, not a divider" before it, it's a pretty facile construction, one that could have easily just, you know, seeped in. But on the off chance that Obama's aides are turning to Hollywood for inspiration, we highly recommend studying Martin Sheen in The West Wing. Or Michael Douglas in The American President. Now that's a man who would sweep the primaries. [Thanks Diana N]
Tuesday 05 February 2008 An Open Letter to Paul Krugman ...We have some disagreements about health policy. You have been lambasting Senator Obama for months now because he fails to propose an individual mandate. I support Senator Obama, though I in no way represent the Obama campaign.
Monday 04 February 2008 Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested Obama in Senate
An Illinois controversy pitting two important constituencies against each other put Barack Obama’s legislative skills to the test.
Friday 01 February 2008 MoveOn Endorses Obama By JEFF ZELENY
The liberal group, which has 3.2 million members, could help with foot soldiers in Tuesday’s primary.
Thursday 31 January 2008 Seeing Red Over Hillary
Even newly armored by the spirit of Camelot, Barack Obama is still distressed by the sight of a certain damsel.
Tuesday Jan 29, 2008 Echoes of the New Frontier
Senator Ted Kennedy gave a powerful boost to Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination...
Sunday Jan 27, 2008 Obama triumphs
Senator Barack Obama scored a decisive win last night over Senator Hillary Clinton in South Carolina....see also Race 2008
Tuesday 22 January 2008 Clinton and Obama clash in debate
US Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama exchange insults in South Carolina.
Friday 11 January 2008 A Candidate Not a Cause ...Barack Obama had some role in his own defeat, too. I keep thinking now, with the wisdom that hindsight affords, of an Obama event in Salem a few days before the primary. The police turned away 4,000 people at the door because there was only room for 1,000 inside the hall. I had never seen anything like that in politics.
Wednesday Jan 9, 2008 Obama's lack of foreign-policy experience won't hurt
One of the arguments against Barack Obama's candidacy for the U.S. presidency is that he doesn't have any foreign-policy experience. A president, argues Hillary Clinton, has to be "ready on Day 1." As in ready to respond to terrorism or a major international crisis.
THE LAST DROP: Mr. Obama’s victory in this overwhelmingly white state [Iowa] was a powerful answer to the question of
whether America was prepared to vote for a black person for president. What was remarkable was the extent to which race was
not a factor in this contest. Surveys of voters entering the caucuses also indicated that he had won the support of many
independents, a development that his aides used to rebut suggestions from rivals that he could not win a general election. In
addition, voters clearly rejected the argument that Mr. Obama does not have sufficient experience to take over the White
House, a central point pressed by Mrs. Clinton.
– The New York Times’ Adam Nagourney
Friday 04 January 2008 Obama and Huckabee win first 2008 vote DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Barack Obama took a big step on Thursday toward becoming the first black U.S. president as his campaign for change caught fire in Iowa and swept him past Hillary Clinton in the opening Democratic nominating contest.
January 3, 2008 John Edwards’s Caucus Speech The following is a transcript of John Edwards's address to supporters after the Iowa Caucuses
Monday 30 July 2007 Barack Obama has still got work to do IT WAS a surreal affair. The first debate among Democratic presidential candidates to be sanctioned by the party’s national committee was co-hosted by CNN and YouTube and let the public submit questions as video-clips.
Monday 30 July 2007 In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd There was something improbable about the new guy from Chicago via Honolulu and Jakarta, Indonesia, the one with the Harvard law degree and the job teaching constitutional law, turning up in Springfield, Ill., in January 1997 among the housewives, ex-mayors and occasional soybean farmer serving in the State Senate.
Saturday 07 July 2007 YouTube becomes electoral battlefield
In the new age of online distribution, a major player in the election could be a gorgeous lip-synching model in a racy video supporting Barack Obama
Sunday 06 May 2007 Obama camp in MySpace row with leading fan
Barack Obama, one of the leading candidates for the Democratic party's 2008 presidential nomination, has ended up in the middle of a cyber-squabble after wresting control of a fan site from an enthusiastic backer.
Tuesday Feb 13, 2007 Barack Obama, having tossed his non stove-pipe hat in the ring last Saturday in the city where Abraham Lincoln served in the state legislature, is emerging as America's principal Valentine (nor for Australian Prime Minister Howard)
Wed1298 Barack Hussein Obama, Democratic Senator from Illinois, born in Hawaii, with genuine African (Kenya)-American roots, retains an unblemished political history and remains a very interesting possible presidential candidate capable of uniting the country. Despite his opposition to the Iraq campaign, he appears to be enjoying much support from people in areas of the country whose residents have also supported the military. He exhibits charisma not seen since Bill Clinton and, unlike his current main rival, Hilary Clinton, although Senator Obama has been steadfast in his views on the war in Iraq, he is not a polarizing force and even in a highly pro-military state like Vermont, he is popular. The one glitch in the personal history of this possible candidate is the fact that the lack of blemishes in his political history might derive from the relatively short time he has served in the Senate.
Barack Obama took his first formal step towards running for president by forming an exploratory committee. The senator from Illinois, who has held his seat for two years, is considered a front-runner for the Democratic nomination along with a certain senator from New York who is expected to make her intentions known (officially) soon. See article
COMMANDER-IN-BRIEFS by Nick Haramis January
17, 2007
In late December, Barack Obama sat down for what must be the most
nerve-racking hour of anyone’s life: to dish on Oprah. Yesterday,
Obama sat down before the cameras again, this time to
announce on his website
that he will be forming an exploratory presidential committee, a step
that will allow him to raise money and put together a formal campaign. A
45-year-old, first time senator, Obama will officially announce his plan
to run for president on February 10. Obama was born in Hawaii to a Texan
mother and a Kenyan father. He lived in Jakarta, Indonesia for a while
before returning to the US to live with his grandparents at the age of
ten. He graduated from Columbia and then Harvard, where he was the first
African-American elected editor for the Harvard Law Review.
That may end up not being the only first for Obama as an
African-American. Although the
Star considers Obama a “long shot,” he is proving to be
popular with the American people and is currently positioned second after
Hillary Clinton in the polls to be the next American president. Obama
outlines his majority-friendly politics on his website, discussing the
needs of working people, skyrocketing health care bills and tuition costs.
A decidedly unifying presence, Obama says, “We coach Little League in
the blue states and have gay friends in the red states. There are patriots
who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it…we are
one people.” The
Globe describes its new crush as someone with “dazzling
charismatic appeal,” while the
Star forgives Obama for his “youthful flirtation with
cocaine.” In his online video, Obama explains that Americans are
“hungry for a different kind of politics.” The Globe, however,
quotes Dick Bennett, president of America Survey Group, who isn’t
nearly sated: “With Obama, there’s a lot of sizzling right
now, but there’s not much meat.” Ultimately, the Big Seven
seem content not to taste the meal, but simply to marvel at the
presentation. Until Obama tackles the harder issues—a hard line on
Iraq needs to be made explicit—potential voters will need to satisfy
themselves with news of his best-selling book and his previous Grammy
awards. And then there’s always that swimsuit photo in People
magazine.
17/01/07 globe Obama in '08? Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy Tuesday, saying the U.S. is in a "precarious place" and that Americans are hungry for a new type of political leadership.
Other Democrats who have announced a campaign or exploratory committee are 2004 vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't announced yet, but she's expected to be a front-runner.
Friday 12 January 2007 The humanitarian group says television networks in the United States are not reporting enough news from certain troubled regions of the world. The group claims the networks devoted just minutes of news coverage last year to 10 issues it identified as the most under-reported stories of 2006. Among the 10 were the daily toll claimed by tuberculosis and malnutrition as well as conflicts in the Central African Republic, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Somalia, Colombia, Chechnya and parts of India. The group says that many conflicts world-wide are profoundly affecting millions of people yet they are almost completely invisible.
Friday 12 January 2007
U.S. President George W. Bush has cautioned that his decision to send more troops to Iraq would not yield immediate results. In a speech Thursday to soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia, Mr. Bush appealed for patience. He said the American people have to understand that even with the addition of some 21-thousand troops, which he announced on Wednesday, the suicide bombings in Iraq won't stop immediately. But he said he expects positive results over time. American public opinion has turned against the Iraq war in which more than 3,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Democrats who control Congress, and even some in Mr. Bush's own Republican Party, oppose his plan to increase troop strength in Iraq.
It is 9 A.M. on a fresh, sunny Saturday in Rockford, Ill., and nearly a thousand people have gathered in the gymnasium at Rock Valley College to participate in a town meeting with their Senator, Barack Obama. It is an astonishingly large crowd for a beautiful Saturday morning, but Obama--whose new book, The Audacity of Hope, is excerpted starting on page 52--has become an American political phenomenon in what seems about a nanosecond, and the folks are giddy with anticipation. "We know he's got the charisma," says Bertha McEwing, who has lived in Rockford for more than 50 years. "We want to know if he's got the brains." Just then there is a ripple through the crowd, then gasps, cheers and applause as Obama lopes into the gym with a casual, knees-y stride. "Missed ya," he says, moving to the microphone, and he continues greeting people over raucous applause. "Tired of Washington."
see 57 min - Oct 19, 2006 Charlie Rose - An hour with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). He discusses the speculation about a presidential run in 2008, his political ideology, the current state
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