Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Obama coy on 2008 presidential run in softball interview

As regular visitors to Marathon Pundit are aware, Barack Obama has been plugging his book, The Audacity of Hope, all over the Chicago area at book signings.

CBS 2 Chicago's Mike Flannery got Obama to sit down for a 20 minute or so interview. The full interview is available on the below link. Barack talks about Africa, his marriage, and of course speculation that he may run for president in 2008.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

Obama would not say whether he was now considering a run for president, but he did say his new book and all the publicity hype surrounding it were not timed to set the stage for a possible run.

But he acknowledged he is taking seriously the pleas he is hearing from so many people on his book tour who are asking him to consider launching a campaign for president.

"It’s a high-class problem to have. Oh, isn't it terrible, people think I should run for President," Obama said with a smile. "At the 2000 (Democratic) convention in L.A., I didn't even have a pass to get to the floor of the convention. Four years later I’m giving the keynote."

My guess? He's running in 2008.

Flannery offered up softball questions to Obama. Illinois' junior senator experienced a minor nick on his reputation this spring when he endorsed novice politician Alexi Giannoulias's campaign for state treasurer against the slated Democratic candidate.

From Northwestern University's Medill News Service:

The Chicago Tribune has reported about millions of dollars in loans that Giannoulias's family bank, Broadway Bank, located in Chicago, made to two convicted felons and an alleged money launderer. The bank allegedly made mortgage loans to a convicted crime figure, according to the Radogno campaign, which added that Giannoulias denied knowing that the man was a convicted criminal and termed him "a very nice person."

Michael Madigan, the chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, refuses to endorse Giannoulias, and recently mocked Obama, by calling him the "messiah."
C'mon Mike: Ask some tough questions.

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