Written for The Sunday Times by Sarah Baxter and datelined from the paper's Washington bureau (which probably means she watched it on TV or, more likely, streaming video on Obama's campaign website), it's a fairly standard blend of reportage and analysis. But it raises a chilling angle I hadn't noticed elswhere. Here's Baxter's lede:
AS Barack Obama officially launched his campaign for president in Springfield, Illinois, the home town of Abraham Lincoln, his team was quietly beefing up his security. Mindful of the fate of the 19th-century president, who abolished slavery and was assassinated, friends say that new measures are being taken to ensure Obama’s protection on the campaign trail.This is a perfect example, by the way, of a soft lede introducing a nut graf -- actually two grafs, the way I read the story -- stating the news. But notice that security angle tucked away in the first graf?
At the Old State Capitol building, comparisons with the gaunt, top-hatted president were inescapable. Springfield is where Obama, like Lincoln, served for eight years as a state legislator before entering national politics.
Thousands of eager spectators thronged the square in freezing temperatures waving Obama ’08 banners as he stepped on the stage and hugged his wife and young daughters, who were bundled up in hats and scarves.
Setting out what is likely to be his signature theme, he urged Americans: “Let’s be the generation” for change. “I know it’s a little chilly, but I’m fired up.”
Obama, 45, chose the historic setting in an attempt to lay to rest accusations that he is too inexperienced to be president. He acknowledged there was a certain “presumptuousness” and “audacity” in staking his claim to the White House, but said: “I’ve been in Washington long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.”
I'm not sure how I feel about raising the issue. But I think it's legitimate. Necessary, maybe. And Baxter doesn't make a big point of it. In fact, she''s careful to say it didn't arise during the campaign. Instead, it came up during an interview, apparently in Washington:
Alabama congressman Artur Davis, who first met Obama while they were law students at Harvard, said the Illinois senator would “electrify” the country. “It is a historic moment, because it is the first time that a candidate of African descent has entered the race with a strong chance of being successful.”Baxter mentions the security angle in the context of race, and she weaves it in and out of a discussion of the personal decisions that go into a campaign for high office.
Obama was aware of the personal risks he was taking, Davis said. “He recognises that we have some very extreme elements in this country. His campaign is wisely not discussing their security precautions publicly, but they know Barack’s candidacy creates a dimension that is different to the others and are taking steps to deal with it.”
Before formally entering the White House race, Obama said he was concerned about potential violence. “Being shot, obviously, that is the least attractive option,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times, and added that security was “something that is on [his wife] Michelle’s mind”.From there, Baxter goes on to a hard-headed analysis of what Obama will have to do to get the black vote nationwide and other campaign issues. She writes:
Alma Powell, the wife of former secretary of state Colin Powell, was fearful for her husband’s safety when he was encouraged to run for president in the 1990s and is thought to have influenced his decision not to stand.
But Michelle Obama said in an interview to be broadcast on CBS television tonight: “I don’t lose sleep over it, because the realities are that ... as a black man ... Barack can get shot going to the gas station. You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.”
Avis LaVelle, a Chicago friend of Michelle, said it was Obama’s ideas rather than his race that presented a danger. Citing the example of President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert, who were assassinated in the 1960s, she said: “These are perilous times for candidates. Think of the history of people who have stood for change and sparked this level of passion.” Michelle, 43, earns nearly twice her husband’s $165,200 (£85,000) Senate salary as vice-president for community affairs at the University of Chicago hospitals. The mother of two girls, Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5, she says she often feels like a single parent because Obama is away so often, but she makes sure he performs his share of household tasks.
According to LaVelle, Michelle would be an inspirational first lady. “She’s an incredibly compelling person in her own right — smart, loyal and very grounded. She’s also physically attractive and that makes a wonderful package.”
Obama said he was delighted to have the “100%” support of his wife. “We tend to be pretty private people, we don’t like a lot of fuss,” he said last week. “The difficulty in just going out and taking a walk or taking my kids to the zoo — the inability to do that is a major sacrifice, but we think the sacrifice is worth it.”
Obama left Springfield immediately after his speech for a weekend swing through Iowa and Chicago and on to New Hampshire tomorrow. After a meteoric start to his early, unofficial campaign, his momentum has been checked by [Sen. Hillary] Clinton, who currently has a double-figure lead in the polls for the Democratic nomination.And Baxter ends with another interview, this one with an unnamed Clinton backer, and a nice "kicker" at the end that just about sums up the story -- with a twist:
He warned last week: “I learnt my politics in Chicago, a place not known for producing push-overs. If somebody goes at us, we’ll respond. I am not averse to drawing sharp contrasts between myself and other candidates.”
With at least a year to go before the Democratic race is decided, one veteran of the Clinton White House said of Obama: “He has been riding a huge wave because he is a dream candidate, but what goes up goes down. The magic can only last so long without the organisation, money and nuts and bolts of a campaign that the Clinton camp is so good at.”
On reflection, he added: “He is no fluke either” — as the former first lady may soon discover.
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