Is America ready to elect a woman or an African-American as president?
The spectacle that is "Obama-mania" swept not only New Hampshire but the whole country yesterday as Sen. Barack Obama introduced himself to Democratic voters in the first-in-the-nation primary state.
Obama, 45, rose to stardom virtually overnight after his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A state senator at the time, he won election to the U.S. Senate less than four months later.
The junior senator from Illinois made a whirlwind debut that included a book signing in Portsmouth and an afternoon speech before a crowd of 1,500 at the Radisson hotel in downtown Manchester.
His visit had most of the markings of a presidential campaign stop, though Obama assured reporters he has not yet decided whether he will enter the race. The senator has said he plans to announce his decision around the start of the new year.
He came for the first time in his life on Sunday, selling a message of hope while proclaiming himself wary of the wave of hype that surrounded his visit.
?It is flattering to get a lot of attention, although I must say it is baffling,? said the senator.
?I think to some degree I?ve become a shorthand or symbol or stand-in for a spirit that the last election in New Hampshire represented. It?s a spirit that says we are looking for something different ? we want something new.?
A total of 2,500 people turned out to see him, including 1,500 who paid $25 each to attend the rally. ?We originally scheduled the Rolling Stones, but we canceled them when we figured out that Senator Obama would sell more tickets,? Gov. John Lynch said.
The ?Audacity of Hope?
In Portsmouth, he walked into the room to an explosion of camera flashes and a prolonged standing ovation. After his speech, hundreds of people waited more than an hour for Mr. Obama to sign a copy of his latest book, ?The Audacity of Hope.? And 150 members of the news media received credentials to cover his visit, as Mr. Obama realized when he loped before a wall of reporters and cameras for a news conference.
?Hey everybody, my name is Barack Obama,? he said. ?And it must be a slow news day.?
Turning serious, he said: ?I will say this: I am suspicious of hype. The fact that I?ve become, that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes, is somewhat surprising to me.?
Mr. Obama said he believed he had become a symbol of the voters? desire for new faces and a new tone in Washington. ?Whether it?s me or someone else, what is most important ? and over the long-term most newsworthy ? is that desire on the part of the voters.?
I am very impressed with the fact that he wants to bring the people together. Barack Obama exceeded my expectations! Senator, welcome to the White House!
Back in New York
During a visit to an aircraft maintenance facility at the former Griffiss Air Base, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said also on Monday she won't make a decision about running for president until after the first of the year.
"I'm talking to people who have opinions about what our country needs to do going forward and whether or not I make any decisions, I can't really confront until after the first of the year," Clinton said.
The former first lady said she had not yet decided whether to form a presidential exploratory committee. "I'm certainly interested in what happens to our country," she said when asked if she was interested in being president. "I'm looking at where our country is, where I would like to see it go, listening to people who think I might make a contribution to that."
Of one possible rival for the Democratic nomination, Clinton said the warm reception Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was getting around the country, including a stop in New Hampshire on Sunday, was "terrific."
I think it's about time we had a female president of the United States. I don't care what anyone says: Women can be just as smart and qualified as men?especially the clowns we've had in Washington lately.
12-12-06, 03:16 PM
Obama-mania - Two minorities, two messages, one choice 
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