BARACK OBAMA ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY

On February 10, before thousands of supporters in Springfield Illinois, Barack Obama formally announced his bid for candidacy for the 2008 presidential elections.  In a speech at the State Capitol, the 45-year old senator spoke of change and called for the end of war in Iraq.

In his speech, Obama invoked Abraham Lincoln and cited several challenges the nation is facing brought about by “the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics -- the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.”

Obama, a son of a Kenyan father and an American mother is said to be the most formidable African-American to ever seek the highest office. He has gained popularity over the last year by openly opposing the war in Iraq and calling for the phased pull out of troops. During his speech at the State Capitol the Illinois senator said, “It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war,' Obama said. 'That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace.”.  His policy on Iraq is clearly what provided his political career steam and may very well be what will set him apart from the other candidates and the White House.