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Is Obama eyeing Iowa?
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said today that his decision to travel to Iowa in September was designed to help Democrats in the midterm elections, not to explore his own future political ambitions. Basically, my rule has been that if I can help in the 06 cycle, then I'm going to do it, Obama said in an interview. The only reason not to do it would be the symbolism of Iowa, which probably wasn't a good reason for us not to help out.Obama will make his Iowa debut at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual Steak Fry. The venue is among the most sought-after platforms in Democratic politics, a rural fairground south of Des Moines that has hosted Bill Clinton three times and a string of prospective presidential hopefuls over the years. I think there is a lot of curiosity about him, Harkin said of his junior colleague in the Senate. "He will excite people and motivate people. Until now, Obama has taken great care to steer clear of Iowa, the state that traditionally launches the race for the White House. But accepting the invitation to appear on Harkin's high-profile stage Sept. 17 underscores the notion that Obama is not intent on tamping down speculation about his interest in the 2008 campaign. Obama said no greater significance should be drawn from his trip to Iowa. He said Harkin extended the invitation and he accepted, just as he has done for other Democratic colleagues. "I've already been to 30 states," he said, including the bordering states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Illinois. "Why not Iowa?" Posted by: Fred 2006-07-21 |
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