Blanked Out

The confirmation comes none too soon. (emphasis added)

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.

(…)

“Given the response I’ve been getting the last several months, I have thought about the possibility” although not with any seriousness or depth, he said. “My focus is on ‘06. … After November 7, I’ll sit down and consider it.”

Obama was largely unknown outside Illinois when he burst onto the national scene with a widely acclaimed address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

In recent weeks, his political stock has been rising as a potentially viable centrist candidate for president in 2008 after former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced earlier this month that he was bowing out of the race.

MN Publius has a good rundown of the response Obama has been getting from the Minnesota grassroots.

In my personal experience there is no other candidate who would get more support from the Minnesota grassroots than Obama. Russ Feingold, our friendly neighborhood Senator, comes very close.

Obama’s previous statements that he would not run in ‘08 is a non-issue. To be honest, the fact that he’s won a Grammy will be more of a problem to some people.

While politicians should never rule out running for higher office, Mark Warner’s drop from the list of contenders changed the presidential landscape considerably and shifted the ‘08 spotlight to Obama.

Warner dropped out for the same reasons that would have made him a great President. Even though this was his best chance and an opportunity that would probably never come again, he realized his heart wasn’t in it 100%.

Only that kind of maturity can save us from the amateur hour that is the Bush Administration.

Obama agrees:

On Sunday, Obama dismissed notions that he might not be ready to run for president because of his limited experience in national politics. He agreed the job requires a “certain soberness and seriousness” and “can’t be something you pursue on the basis of vanity and ambition.”

Amen! The fact of the matter is that Obama has two very young children. An Oval Office run would bring stress that the rest of us can’t even dream of - the only person who knows if Obama has what it takes to be President is Obama himself.

The rest of us can only hope.

Below the fold is a list of wonkish links to 2008 prescience.

Obama has not committed to run so many sites are not factoring him in until he does. Regardless, the following sites are great sources of information:

Oval Office 2008
http://www.ovaloffice2008.com/

Currently the best blog to focus only on the 2008 Prez Race. Has a couple of well researched features. Completely non-partisan - the author is based out of London. Check out the button poll - Obama leads by a factor of 4 across both parties. Non-scientific for sure but have you ever been to a political convention? Buttons are everywhere. An early button lead might matter…

Patrick Ruffini’s 2008 Wire
http://www.patrickruffini.com/2008wire/

Don’t both flaming me - I know Ruffini’s was Bush’s webmaster in 2004. Doesn’t matter. His 2008 news tracker is the best and is easily the most technologically advanced I’ve seen. If anyone knows of a news tracker this good from the left, I’ll gladly add it to the list.

The Invisible Primary by ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1754637

I’m not sure if this is going to be updated again (it should - it lists the story as Vol. I) but it is a robust look at everything that must be factored into a presidential run. The candidates are then scored accordingly.

Democracy in Action
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/P2008.html

The no-frills jewel in the blogosphere. Also great for people who need more background on the framework of a presidential race.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 22nd, 2006 at 1:55 pm and is filed under Nat'l Conventions 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.