Obama or President in '08? Not So Certain About That ...

Chicago Defender's Dennis Conrad on first term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's (D) possible run for President in '08. Should he? Don't know - the timing just doesn't seem right given the immense fundraising power and political popularity of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who is ahead in the polls. Yeah - it'd be great to have a first Black president (we all hope for that). Still, there are other factors: Obama may be attractive as a party celebrity, but what will his "reticence level" amongst White voters be at this stage when they're faced to choose him and a White Republican? Advice to Obama: don't get hyped into a run. Serve out a good, healthy first and second term then examine the possibility in '12 or '16. We think he'd be seasoned at that point, his fundraising abilities sharpened and his public appeal locked. Still, we believe he'd make a good choice for VP in '08 (something Clinton should seriously think about) - which is what he might be angling for instead. This is a smart way to do it:

In 364 pages that cover everything from race to Iraq and constitutional law, Obama said the hardest part for him to write was the book's final, 28-page chapter, "Family," because "that touches on what's most important to me."

And as star-struck supporters line up for hours at bookstores this week, many begging him to run in 2008, the book they wait for him to sign reveals how he and his wife have struggled with his rise in politics.

"What we have argued about - repeatedly - is how to balance work and family in a way that's equitable to Michelle and good for our children," he writes, adding that during his first congressional campaign she declared: "You only think about yourself. I never thought I would have to raise a family alone."