Iowa Insiders: Obama getting ready to run

Barack Obama is putting together a team of campaign veterans in the state of Iowa.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is all of a sudden seeking advisers that know the terrain in Iowa, should he decide to run for the presidency in 2008.  Iowa holds the first caucus of the Democratic primary season.  According to the Des Moines Register, Obama is seeking advice from an array of experts from the state, including one person that helped John Kerry win Iowa in 2004:

Shortly after the Nov. 7 election, Obama telephoned John Norris, theDes Moines Democrat who ran John Kerry's winning campaign in the 2004Iowa caucuses.

"He basically called to talk about the lay of theland in Iowa," said Norris, who described Obama's inquiries as"earnest" and reflecting genuine uncertainty about his future.

Also, a Democratic activist in Des Moines by the name of George Appleby, who had previously worked for Mark Warner, now works in Iowa for Obama and says that the Illinois Senator will decide soon whether or not to run:

"I have talked with the Obama people, and I have agreed to do someinitial stuff for him, pending his making the decision to go or not togo," Appleby said.

"They tell me he will make a decision within a couple of weeks."

Obviously there is still more than one full year until the Iowa Caucus.  However, over the next month we will see a lot of activity because likely candidates will start setting up presidential exploratory committees, allowing them to raise money without formally declaring a White House bid.  It will give us a good idea of what the field will look like.

Comments

[MinorRipper]

I gotta say, this business about Obama being a serious 2008 candidate is all a fantasy. Perhaps VP, but there is 0 chance he is our next pres. All this talk is for his book and for the media to sell newspapers (or get viewers)...

www.minor-ripper.blogspot.com

[George]

I agree. i dont think he'll be the Presidential candidate. I think he's a lock for VP unless Hillary gets the Presidential nomination.

[The Mexican]

Well, if he isn't President, then I'd be good with VP, as long as the next switch of office is for him. I'm usually very jaded and cynical, but this is one candidate that I have optimism for.

[George]

i think Obama would be great as a VP because he'll be a wonderful supporting star to the Presidential nominee, he'll raise a ton of cash, and his inexperience won't really be an issue. Plus, like you say above, he'll be in line to be the 45th President of the USA.

[Mark Reiner]

YOU all are nuts, Obama is a Uncle Tom cat in the hat and he too as most black American elected leaders has been promoted fra beyond his own level of competently. The day Hillary and this back pocket black well 50% black wins anything other than a door prize at you next DNC convention is the Day we will HAVE ANOTHER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT. Gosh you Democrats just don't get it! And if you fail to win the war in Iraq, no you bafoons not redeploy then well we will have the Congress again too. While you folks keep tripping over your own self induced ignorance the Republicans (remember the party of Lincoln) will sit back, relax take a break after 12 years and in 2008 we will go back to work on saving this country from radical terrorists, that’s right YOU ALL the Democrats. I see no difference from Osama Bin Laden and the Democratic Party as your secular progressive agenda just like the terrorists is based on the destruction of our once great Nation

[George]

We've already lost in Iraq. Sorry to wake you up.

[Administrator: Todd]

"I see no difference from Osama Bin Laden and the Democratic Party as your secular progressive agenda.."

Wow...that's Michael Savage and Bill O'Reilly in one.

Mark, if you want to carry on an intellectual discussion about the Middle East, we can. You just want to go nuts.

[The Mexican]

Let's ignore your racial slurs and sheer bigotry, then let's take on your point of "winning" in Iraq.

That place is so over. There's no winning there! There's a possibility of the potential for stability, but there's no definitive win. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the biggest influential religious leaders over there, said he's out of it and he'll only give advice on religious matters, no more politics. We've lost complete control over Al Anbar province, which is roughly 1/3 of the country. Nearly all polls show signs of civil war with hundreds upon hundreds of bodies daily being found and dozens upon dozens of attacks all over the country. Local militas are finally preparing to start offensives on the American and allied armies. I mean, the list goes on and on... The people don't want us there anymore, so tell me in whom we are fighting for? This was winnable awhile back, when people that still wanted a revolution to lead towards a self-governed state of quasi-Democracy; though, however, the people for that change are either dead or moved.