2008: Obama to Make Declaration Feb 10

According to the NY Times, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois will make a formal declaration Feb. 10 in Illinois about his decision to run for President 2008.

Although there are downsides to Obama's potential for success that cannot be dismissed, SF Gate political blogger Mark Sandalow believes that Senator Obama has a strong shot at winning in 2008:

It would be irresponsible to dismiss the chances of Hillary Clinton or John Edwards, along with a cavalry of dark horses who make the 2008 election among the most interesting in memory. Yet Obama is clearly in the top tier for his party's nomination, and given the standing of the GOP and the situation in Iraq, the Democratic nominee selected in Denver in August 2008 has a strong shot at winning the White House.

NRO's Jim Geraghty blogs about the report that Senator Obama will announce important news on Oprah January 17th, and Jim repeats the words he heard from a GOP consultant:

"Announcing on Oprah could be potentially very smart... I'm glad she's also from Illinois, because that means she can’t be his running mate... Christopher Dodd goes on Imus and announces his candidacy, Obama goes on Oprah. I know which show I'd rather have my candidate make his announcement."

I can't argue with them there. Oprah's show is certainly a sensational venue for this type of announcement.

In news I find to be rather sad and definitely divisive, the right wing Christian group known as the National Clergy Council, along with the help of another right wing organization called Faith and Action, [a Washington, DC-based Christian outreach to policy-makers on Capitol Hill who always hopes that the GOP will co-opt their narrowest views on religion - anti-gay, anti-choice] is raising what I consider to be a defamatory stink about Senator Obama.