The Skinny: Mr. Obama Goes To Springfield

(CBS)  The Skinny is Hillary Profita's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.

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After a (very) brief respite from the front pages, Sen. Barack Obama returns to them today, as the senator prepares to officially announce his run for president tomorrow in Springfield, Ill., home of Abraham Lincoln.

The Washington Post provides a look at Obama's political history in the state, speaking with a slew of local lawmakers who adore him.

USA Today interviews Obama, highlighting his contention that "the brevity of his political résumé [two years in the Senate and seven in the Illinois Senate] is his 'greatest strength.'" Other notable quotes from the interview are outlined with bullet points.

Obama will be profiled by 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft this Sunday, Feb. 11 at 7 pm ET.

John Edwards' Blog Problem

Another 2008 candidate makes the front page today, but only because he's got a blog problem. John Edwards has learned a very important lesson about "the perils of grafting the raucous culture of the Internet to the decidedly staider world of a presidential campaign," writes the New York Times.

(Later in the article, it's described as "the passionate, provocative and freewheeling political discourse that flourishes on the Internet" versus the "more tightly controlled means of traditional campaigning.")

Long story short, Edwards hired two "liberal feminist bloggers with long cybertrails of incendiary comments on sex, religion and politics," which some people freaked out about and demanded they be fired, and a regular blog swarm of criticism ensued.

"[A]fter 36 hours of deliberation," Edwards decided yesterday to ultimately keep them on staff but "distance himself from their views." The women also apologized for some of their comments and promised "to maintain a civil tone" while on the Edwards' campaign.

After that, of course, it's back to the raucous culture of the Internet.

But wait! There's still more 2008 news from the front pages. The Washington Post reports that "no one in the West Wing is booking tickets to Iowa."

Why not? First of all, it's the first White House in 80 years without someone in it running for president. Secondly, President Bush isn't exactly popular guy these days. And that means, as a former George H.W. Bush staffer put it, "there's no champion out there on the field for him."

Republican officials, of course, see the advantages of the situation. Said former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman: "The fact that you have a White House that isn't thinking at all about politics . . . is good for the nation and good for the president."

Palestinian Peace?

An agreement signed by the leaders of Hamas and Fatah to form a coalition government and aimed at ending feuding between the groups as well as an international boycott of the Palestinian government makes the top of the Wall Street Journal's newsbox and the front page of the New York Times.

It's the first time that the two groups have agreed to share authority. While the agreement "appeared likely to end, at least for now, weeks of fighting" in the region, "it seemed to stop short of meeting the demands of the international community for resuming relations and support for the Palestinian Authority," writes the Times.

"Centerfold-Turned-Media Obsession"

The death of 39-year-old Anna Nicole Smith, of unknown causes, ends up on the front pages of the Post and the Los Angeles Times as well as the last item on the Journal's newsbox.

The Journal describes Smith as a "centerfold-turned-media obsession," and highlights her "epic probate battle" over her ex-husband's estate that ended up in the Supreme Court last year.

The Post calls her "a postmodern pinup for a tabloid age," and writes that her sudden death delivered "the same shock and uproar as the celebrity life she cultivated from the hardscrabble dust of small-town Texas."

The LA Times also looks back on Smith's "high-profile life," which the paper says "became a self-perpetuating media machine."

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[allisio_rex]

Obama Barack should consider himself lucky to having achieved such high position of political office so quick as a first generation "American" instead he feels that that's not enough and wants to change our system of government to show how special he is!
Did he forget that we live in a Republic? and that we have a Constitution?
This Hot Air kid wants to become the first"Black President" even though his mother is White. How can this be?
After his first defeat he will find out that how rough is the road to the Presidency and perhaps he will moderate his ambitions.

[mslechta]

I'm impressed by Obama's energy and speech and even more impressed by the response of my 24-year-old son who called to tell me about the speech. There was no hiding an enthusiasm for politics which I've never heard in his voice before. Obama's call for personal responbilitiy is truly resonating with the younger generation.

[jingo444]

Funny, making his announcement from the home of tyrant Abraham Lincoln who said:

"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And in as much as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." - Abraham Lincoln.

[frb01]

Every has already given Hillary the nomination, we are a long way to the end. A 60 Minutes interview has been the downfall of many, hopefully Mr. Obama comes shining through which I presume he will.

[bluestardad]

GET OFF THE STUMP AND DO YOUR ELECTED JOB!

[gunownerdan]

Why does Mr. Barack Hussein Obama seem to be ashamed of his middle name? Could there be a relation to Saddam?

[bluestardad]

Obama quit politician and go back to washington and get AMerica out of Iraq you were elected to Senator quit trying to run for President.

[dallison7]

I do hope he runs....it will suck the AA vote away from Hillary.
Posted by bigwhtpony


Yep, the idiots are sure afraid of Hillary!! Doesn't matter, now that the investigation has begun Rocky the squirrel could handily beat any republican nominee!!

LOL

[bigwhtpony]

I do hope he runs....it will suck the AA vote away from Hillary.