Obama has been very forthright in his opposition to the war. He spoke in an anti-war rally in October 2002. Very well attended, very large rally, and he said some powerful words that were strongly against the war. I think he gained a lot of supporters from that particular speech. He was so clear in his opposition and yet not in any way negative. He didn't use the traditional kind of code words that people who oppose the war were using. He did it in a way that attracted people who normally would be gung ho for military action. He said he wasn't against all wars and he went against much of what was being said on the podium, but he did it in such a considerate and intelligent way that even those who wanted more raw meat were satisfied with his speech. In fact, were captivated by the way he presented himself.

Source: Salim Muwakkil and Amy Goodman, Democracy Now Jul 15, 2004

The cut and run allegation long ago became a joke and Sen. Obama treats it as such.  The allegation that Democrats care less about Americans than the terrorists trying to kill them is a repulsive statement that demands a denial.

In the future, I suggest that you take a couple of deep breaths -- and perhaps run a Google search --  before your next Obama post.

Oct 22, 10:50 AM (ET)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so......"Given the response I've been getting the last several months, I have thought about the possibility" although not with any seriousness or depth, he said. "My focus is on '06. ... After November 7, I'll sit down and consider it.

Wrong. In fact, it couldn't be more wrong.  

Obama was running from mid-2002

http://www.archpundit.com/archives/002588.html

I started covering the Illinois Senate race in November of 2002 and Obama was already known to be a candidate.  Shomon tells the story that it was as they were driving together in March of that year that Obama made up his mind and they started to work throughout the state almost immediately.

Copyright 2002 Paddock Publications, Inc.  
Chicago Daily Herald

October 3, 2002, Thursday All

SECTION: NEWS; Six counties in 60 seconds; Pg. 8

LENGTH: 180 words

BODY:  300 attend rally against Iraq war:  

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called on the Bush administration Wednesday to "lead the world, not rule it" at a downtown rally protesting plans for war against Iraq. State Sen. Barak Obama, a Chicago Democrat; the Rev. Paul Rutgers, chairman of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago; and former state Sen. Jesus Garcia of Chicago, among others, joined Jackson in urging the federal government to avoid a military strike against Iraq. "While we're looking at Saddam Hussein, we're taking attention away from our economic problems," Jackson said, pointing to the recent stock market plunge and the $2 billion national deficit. Obama, along with several of the speakers, acknowledged the necessity of war in some cases, but only as a last resort. "I don't oppose all war; I oppose dumb war," Obama said. He also said a war in Iraq based on passion and politics would provoke the worst impulses of the Arab world. Police estimated 300 people attended the event.  

- Greg Bryant and Jane B. Vaughn, Medill News Service

And that rally on the eve of the war....

SECTION: NEWS SPECIAL EDITION; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 315 words

HEADLINE: Anti-war rally here draws thousands

BYLINE: Jim Ritter

BODY:
Thousands of demonstrators packed Daley Center Plaza for a two-hour rally Sunday, then marched through downtown in Chicago's largest protest to date against an Iraq war.

Crowd estimates from police and organizers ranged from 5,000 to 10,000.

The demonstration was organized by dozens of labor unions, faith groups and organizations as diverse as the Arab-American Action Network, Chicagoland Student Anti-War Network, Metro Seniors in Action and North Suburban Peace Initiative. Buses came from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

Although the crowd was predominantly white, demonstrators of all races and ages attended. They all had in common a deep anger at President Bush.

"Our president is leading us into destruction," said the Rev. Jeanette Wilson of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, one of more than two dozen speakers.

Anti-Bush placards declared:

*"Drop Bush, not bombs."

*"George W. Bush is about to kill Iraqi children in our name."

*"Let's bomb Texas. They have oil, too."

Demonstrator Ed Prell of Chicago said Bush "is the one who symbolizes this pro-war madness." Prell's placard said: "War is sweet to those who haven't tasted it, Bush/Cheney."

State Sen. Barack Obama (D-Chicago) told the crowd, "It's not too late" to stop the war.

But many demonstrators conceded that war appears inevitable.

"I think it's tragic," said Dominic Doherty of Oak Park. "The voice of the people doesn't matter."

Organizers are planning 5 p.m. rallies at the federal building at Jackson and Dearborn on the day a war begins and the following day.

"We have only begun to say we want no war against Iraq," said Bishop C. Joseph Sprague of the United Methodist Church, the final speaker.

Demonstrators then marched north on Dearborn, east on Wacker and south on Michigan, shouting chants such as "Peace, now" and "No war on Iraq, bring our soldiers back."

GRAPHIC: Keith Hale, Demonstrators display anti-war signs Sunday at Daley Center Plaza. The crowd was estimated at 5,000 to 10,000.

LOAD-DATE: March 18, 2003

And he called out his opponents on the war before then

Copyright 2003 Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

The Associated Press State & Local Wire

March 3, 2003, Monday, BC cycle

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 419 words

HEADLINE: Obama challenges opponents to speak out on war

BYLINE: By JOHN O'CONNOR, Associated Press Writer

DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD, Ill.

BODY:
Barack Obama is criticizing the idea of war against Iraq and challenging his Democratic opponents in the U.S. Senate race to take a stand on the question.

The opponents say they have - and the stands are pretty similar to Obama's.

Issuing the challenge at a weekend speech in Champaign, Obama said he does not oppose war if it's necessary. But he believes Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses no immediate threat and that, with Iraq's economy in shambles, he can be "contained" until internal pressures force him out.

Obama said candidates wishing to unseat Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald in 2004 should speak up now as the Bush administration moves closer to using military force against Iraq.

"What's tempting is to take the path of least resistance and keep quiet on the issue, knowing that maybe in two or three or six months, at least the fighting will be over and you can see how it plays itself out," said Obama, a state senator from Chicago.

Positions on war likely will rise to the top of congressional campaigns across the nation, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse said. But candidates may find big changes in public opinion between now and next year's polling.

"Who knows how the public will be approaching this issue a year from now if the war is eight or 10 months behind us?" Woodhouse said.

Other Democrats in next spring's primary reacted quickly to Obama's challenge. And the reactions differ very little from Obama's.

"We need to exhaust all the diplomatic possibilities available to us," Metamora Mayor Matt O'Shea said. "I will support (military) action if we've exhausted every option diplomatically."

Chicago lawyer Gery Chico believes deposing Saddam "is an absolute necessity," but said in a statement he favors additional United Nations inspections "to see if Iraq can be completely disarmed without resorting to armed conflict."

Likewise, Chicago businessman Blair Hull wants "clear evidence" Iraq is violating U.N. sanctions and that a military strike is the only option.

"We must continue to build an international coalition and we must make sure we've exhausted all peaceful options," Hull said in a prepared statement.

State Comptroller Dan Hynes supports removing Saddam but "is concerned about the implications of the president's Iraq policy on current U.S. security," said spokesman Jeff Pollock, who would not elaborate.

Candidates Joyce Washington and Maria Pappas did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

LOAD-DATE: March 4, 2003

Copyright 2002 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.  
Chicago Sun-Times

May 27, 2002 Monday

SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 21

LENGTH: 703 words

HEADLINE: Moseley-Braun looking for rerun

BYLINE: Laura Washington

HIGHLIGHT:
Former senator's got loads of baggage, but has she got support?

BODY:
'Never. Nein. Nyet." That's what U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun said when asked if she would ever run for office again, in the wake of her Icaruslike fall to Peter Fitzgerald in 1998.

Never say never, in any language. In recent months, the word on the street is that Moseley-Braun is meeting with elected officials and political activists to line up support for another run for the U.S. Senate.

Last week, Moseley- Braun told me she has made no firm decision. She is traveling around the state and "listening" to elected officials, activists and other leaders, a la Hillary Clinton's "listening tour" that advanced her 2000 New York Senate campaign. After two years as ambassador to New Zealand, then teaching at an Atlanta college, Moseley-Braun has moved back to Hyde Park full time.
=======

**She'll also have to ward off the Democratic horde of possible Senate aspirants, including U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, former Chicago School Board President Gery Chico and state Sen. Barack Obama. Obama may be the most worrisome challenger. At 39, he's one of the most policy-minded members of the General Assembly. And the Harvard Law graduate can appeal to middle-class and young voters of all stripes.

Despite the caveats, Moseley-Braun will get in this race. So forget she ever said "never." But the real test: Will her supporters do the same?

Really Big Tent he beat you badly.

In the meantime the public is wild about Obama and he just wild about them being wild about.

But I do agree about Frank Rich.